II Corinthians 5
II Corinthians 5:1-6:
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
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II Corinthians 5:7:
For we walk by faith, not by sight. |
So, circumstances may not look so good and promising, but God is still worthy of all the thanks and all the praise.
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II Corinthians 5:8:
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. |
"Thy God whom thou serves continually, He will deliver thee." (Deut. 6:16)
Mary Tyler Moore said something that was profound…simple but profound. She said, "No one gets out of here without dying." Obviously, she was right. Even in the rapture that we Christians just hope we are available for will have to go through a death experience…instantaneously, but none the less these bodies are going to have to be dropped -Charles Empey |
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II Corinthians 5:9-13:
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you |
In the classic verse John 15:5, we find Jesus proclaiming the simplest of instructions on how to be rooted in the right things. It’s not material possessions; it isn’t having an abundance of friends or never being alone; and it definitely isn’t found in the consumption of ridiculous substances. All that leaves us empty, yet the only way is to abide and be rooted in Him. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
But Jesus doesn’t end it there. In our Western culture, we see this passage strictly in the personal and don’t apply it corporately. John 15 paints the picture of a vine, grafted into a vineyard, where together the vines produce a harvest, not just a few grapes. That is the power of connection. That is the power of the true family of God, working together to produce fruit empowered by the Holy Spirit. Only then will we feel a sense of true belonging, being rooted in something other than ourselves. -DANIEL PARKINS; Relevant Magazine 2 Corinthians 5:10 says we will be rewarded according to whether our deeds on earth have been “good” or “bad.” The Greek word used for “bad” is “phaulos” and it means worthless. Our judgement is based on whether our deeds for Christ were good or worthless. These deeds or actions are not to be accomplished by human strength or the fruit of man’s glory but on the unction of the Holy Spirit.
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God’s glory and holiness call for our worship and submission. When people in Scripture encountered God, they instinctively demonstrated a deep reverence for Him. We can learn from these examples in our quest to fear God as we should.
The thought of God’s judgments on sin should strike fear into every heart:
The thought of God’s judgments on sin should strike fear into every heart:
- David used strong language to describe God’s judgments. “Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off” (Psalm 88:16).
- The Apostle Paul spoke of God’s judgment as a motivation to preach the Gospel. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men . . .” (II Corinthians 5:10–11). -Institute in Basic Life
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II Corinthians 5:14-16:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. |
“You have searched for me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thoughts afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:1-3, NKJV)
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II Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” |
God is creating anew beginning with Christ, the second Adam. A man in Christ is a new creation, not merely improved or reformed, but remade. Reconciliation is not just politely ignoring hostilities (sin, etc). It is the total removal of hostilities so there can be a relationship, a fellowship, between God and man that will produce sanctification leading to holiness and completely and totally at one with God. We cannot be in union with someone we do not know or who we have no relationship with. Something that is crafted relies upon available materials to produce. Man needs those, God does not. It's the major defining difference between Christianity and religion.
The Lord does not treat only our symptoms. He addresses the root cause of all our problems. By the power of His Spirit and His Word, He changes us so that we become “new creations” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Sin is not yet purged from the Christian’s heart, though one day it will be. But its power is broken so that, by faith in Christ, we can pursue real holiness from the inside out. -Founders |
As I thought more and more about my identity, not only as a Christian, but a black man in America, I reached the following conclusion while looking through the lens of scripture.
I believe scripture shows that our ethnicity should no longer be a focal point when we are born again. We have a new identity. I am not a black Christian, but a Christian housed in a black body. My nature has changed. I am a child of God. - Rubin E Grant
I believe scripture shows that our ethnicity should no longer be a focal point when we are born again. We have a new identity. I am not a black Christian, but a Christian housed in a black body. My nature has changed. I am a child of God. - Rubin E Grant
The New Testament scripture that declares the most about reconciliation is 2 Corinthians 5:17 -21. The Apostle Paul clearly teaches that a believer can be a “new creation” in Christ through reconciliation. God sent Christ into the world to provide reconciliation through His death.
Reconciliation provided justification “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Because a believer is righteous in God’s sight, he can have a wonderful and new relationship with God in fellowship. The Apostle Paul tells Believers that they are “ambassadors for Christ” and commissions them to implore people to be reconciled to God. This is the mission of the church. We are to implore sinners in Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God. -Gary M Barker
Our works do not save us but saving faith will bring a change in our hearts. With the Holy Spirit living within us, we have a desire in our heart to live righteously and serve God (Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24).
Reconciliation provided justification “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Because a believer is righteous in God’s sight, he can have a wonderful and new relationship with God in fellowship. The Apostle Paul tells Believers that they are “ambassadors for Christ” and commissions them to implore people to be reconciled to God. This is the mission of the church. We are to implore sinners in Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God. -Gary M Barker
Our works do not save us but saving faith will bring a change in our hearts. With the Holy Spirit living within us, we have a desire in our heart to live righteously and serve God (Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24).
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II Corinthians 5:18-21:
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. |
Nov 17, 2022: Relevant: 15 Things Christians Should Stop Doing on Social Media
What you do and say on social media actually matters. While many Christians carry themselves with kindness and grace at church, once they tap that social media app they transform into some kind of snarling beast. Christians are called to be Christ’s ambassadors: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). But for some reason on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, many times, it seems like Christ is completely absent from our minds. Here are some tips to help us better represent Christ online — by addressing common pitfalls of Christians on social media: image, attitude, discernment, distractions and nastiness. |
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Imagine utilizing the name of Jesus as if you have a signed document giving you power of attorney. As a Kingdom citizen, you have the right to act on Jesus’s behalf on the earth since he is no longer here physically. You are his representative (II Corinthians 5:20). You have the power and authority to be who he was on the earth, to say what he said, and to do what he did and even greater works (John 14:12). - Doral Pulley
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What wonderful unlimited merit that God has given the righteousness of Christ to those who know Him (II Corinthians 5:17-21). One day we will sinlessly stand before Him in our bodies that have been made pure and holy, praising with no reservations to the Lamb of God, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus ! -Mac Walls
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America’s Christians therefore have a vital and urgent task. We are watchmen on the wall, warning those inside the city of impending danger (Ezekiel 3:17–21). We are intercessors called to represent our people before God (1 Timothy 2:1–2) and ambassadors called to represent God before our people (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are the only salt and light in a world decaying in the dark (Matthew 5:13–16). We are the body of Christ, the visible manifestation of Jesus’ continuing ministry in our day (1 Corinthians 12:27). -Jim Denison
