Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
2 CORINTHIANS 5
Awaiting the New Body
1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Application Notes
5:1-10 Paul contrasts our earthly bodies ("earthly tent") and our future, resurrection bodies ("a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands"). Paul clearly states that our present bodies make us groan, but when we die, we will have new bodies that will be perfect for our everlasting life. Even then, we will not be spirits without bodies ("be found naked").
Paul wrote as he did because the church in Corinth was surrounded by Greek culture, and many believers had difficulty with the concept of bodily resurrection. Greeks did not believe in a bodily resurrection. Most saw the afterlife as something that happened only to the soul, with the real person imprisoned in a physical body in this present life. They believed that at death the soul was released--there was no immortality for the body, and the soul entered an eternal state. But the Bible teaches that the body and soul are not permanently separated.
Paul describes our resurrected bodies in more detail in 1 Corinthians 15:46-58. We will still have personalities and recognisable characteristics in our resurrected bodies, but through Christ's work, our bodies will be better than we can imagine. The Bible does not tell us everything about our resurrected bodies, but we know that they will be perfect without sickness, disease. or pain (see Philippians 3:21; Revelation 21:41).
5:4 Paul's conviction from God that his dying body would be swallowed up by eternal life reflects a universal hope. According to the writer of Ecclesiastes. God "has also set eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Human beings have an innate sense of transcendence and longing for ultimate reality experienced only in the eternal presence of God. This spiritual desire is addressed by every world religion and cult, and (at least secretly) desired by every person. A baby's birth, a parent's death, or the death of a dream all can be a springboard for sharing the hope you have in Jesus Christ with those on a search for spiritual truth. Jesus said that there is only one way to obtain the dream of eternal life (John 14:6). Our privilege and responsibility is to tell others about this way.
5:5 The Holy Spirit is God's guarantee of what will come. His work in our lives today assures us that the transformation process for our new bodies will be thoroughly completed when we see Christ face-to-face. Each time the Holy Spirit reminds you of Scripture, convicts you of sin, and restrains you from selfish behaviour, or prompts you to love, you are experiencing his presence. The Spirit within you is overseeing the transformation process. Whether you deal with aches and pains or even disabling limitations, trust God that he is in the process of renovating your body and soul for his future and eternal kingdom.
5:6-8 Paul was not afraid to die, because he was confident of spending eternity with Christ. Of course, facing the unknown may cause us anxiety, and the thought of leaving loved ones hurts deeply. But if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can share Paul's hope and confidence about eternal life with Christ. Death is only a prelude to eternal life with God. We will continue to live. Let this hope give you confidence and inspire you to faithful service.
5:9-10 While eternal life is a free gift given on the basis of God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), each of us will still be judged by Christ. This judgment will reward us for how we have lived. God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience. All Christians must give an account on the Day of Judgment for how they have lived (see Matthew 16:27; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
5:11 To "fear the Lord" should not make believers paralysed for fear of God's judgment. On the contrary, knowing God's perfection and that he will judge everyone's actions (5:10) should spur us on to serve God and help others. The fear of the Lord also frees us from life's anxieties and worries. Knowing that God is for us (Romans 8:31) can keep believers unafraid of earthly powers-people, governments. or the forces of nature (Proverbs 3:25-26). God takes care of his own. The fear of God gives us uncommon courage in the face of life's troubles.
5:12 Those who "take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart" are the false preachers who were concerned only about getting ahead in this world (see 2:17). They were preaching the gospel for money and popularity, while Paul and his companions were preaching out of concern for eternity. You can identify false preachers by finding out what really motivates them. If they are more concerned about themselves than about Christ, avoid them and their message.
5:13-15 Everything that Paul and his companions did was to honour God. Not only did their fear of God motivate them (5:11), but Christ's love compelled their actions. The Greek word for "compels us" means urges us on: In other words, the love of Christ was encouraging them to take certain courses of action. They knew that Jesus. out of his great love, had given up his life for their sakes. He had not acted out of his own self-interest, selfishly holding on to the glory of heaven that he already possessed (Philippians 2:6). Instead, Jesus had willingly ·died for all: Because Christ died for us, we also are dead to our old lives. Like Paul, we should no longer live to please ourselves; we should spend our lives pleasing Christ.
5:17 When we pledge our faith to Jesus Christ, we become brandnew people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives us new life, and we are not the same people anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated-we are re-created, new creations living in vital union with Christ (Colossians 2:6-7). At conversion we do not merely turn over a new leaf; we begin a new life under a new master.
While each individual becomes a new person, Paul is implying that much more actually occurs. Not only are believers changed from within, but a whole new order of creative power begins with Christ. We have a new covenant, a new perspective, a new spirit, a new community. We are not experiencing a superficial change that will quickly fade away. We are able to see an entirely new order of all creation under Christ's authority. It requires a new way of looking at all people and all of creation. Does your life reflect this new perspective?
5:18-19 God brings us back to himself (reconciles us) by blotting out our sins (also see Ephesians 2:13-18) and making us righteous. When we trust in Christ, we are no longer God's enemies or strangers or foreigners to him. Because we have been reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same, and thus we are those who have the "ministry of reconciliation."
5:20 An ambassador is an official representative on behalf of one country to another. As believers, we are Christ's ambassadors, sent to tell the world that they can be united with him in peace. An ambassador of reconciliation has an important role as a spokesperson. We dare not take this responsibility lightly. How well are you fulfilling your commission as Christ's ambassador?
5:21 When we trust in Christ, we make a wonderful exchange--our sin for his righteousness. He bore the punishment for our sins on our behalf (see Romans 3:25). God poured all our sins on Christ at his crucifixion, and he poured all of Christ's righteousness into us at our conversion. This is what Christians mean by "Christ's atonement for sin." Normally, bartering works only when two people exchange goods of relatively equal value. But through this eternal transaction, God offers to trade his righteousness for our sin--something of immeasurable worth for something completely destructive. How grateful we should be for his kindness to us.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)