2 Corinthians 5

2 Corinthians 5:1

After speaking of his affliction in chapter 4, it is no wonder that Paul’s heart turns toward heaven here in chapter 5… Paul realized that the body he lived in was just a tent. As a tentmaker, Paul must have appreciated the craftsmanship of a well-made tent. Yet he also knew that tents are meant to be temporary. Thus, he says, “Don’t take your physical situation too seriously. Your body is fine to camp out in for a while, but before long, the tent will begin to sag; a stake or two will be lost along the way; seams will begin to tear.” Our Father is so good to gently remind us every time we look in the mirror that we’re rushing toward eternity. Paul was one who truly understood that his body was only a temporary dwelling. Most people think of heaven as a big Beverly Hills in which everyone has a mansion, and there, on the corner of Glory Lane and Hallelujah Avenue, is theirs. But if the tent, or tabernacle, in the verse before us speaks of our earthly body, the house not made with hands must speak of our resurrected bodya glorious body custom-made for eternity.

2 Corinthians 5:2

We groan because our tents are showing signs of use, because our bodies are wearing out.

2 Corinthians 5:3

“Nakedness” in this context speaks of disembodiment. Paul is setting straight the misunderstanding that when a person dies, he becomes a disembodied spiritan idea completely contradictory to Scripture. Buddha was wrong. The goal of man is not to reach Nirvana, the “state of the snuffed-out candle.” Rather, it is to inhabit the body prepared for us that will make the one we’re living in now a tent by comparison.

2 Corinthians 5:5

Because God “doeth all things well” (see Mar_7:37), I promise you that even though we may have questions now about the nature of our resurrected bodies, when we get to heaven, not one person will say, “Boy, I wish I had my old body back.” The Greek word translated “earnest” is used in reference to an engagement ring. Likewise, we pay “earnest” money toward something we’re committed to purchasing. Paul tells us we can be sure that something great is going to happen because God has given us the earnest, the “down payment,” the “engagement ring” of His Holy Spirit. The times you have been overwhelmed by God’s artistry as you look at a sunset, when you have been amazed by His grandeur as seen in a starry night, when you have been awed by His power, grace, and goodness as you look at the ocean, your family, or His Word are all “engagement rings"sneak previews, down payments toward what lies ahead.

2 Corinthians 5:6

Although we understand that the Lord is all around us and lives inside of us, we, nonetheless, walk by faith rather than sight. “And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?” asks Job, “for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be” (Job_7:21). On the basis of this single reference, some teach that when a person dies, his soul sleeps in the grave until the Rapture of the church. Yet, because God called Job’s statements “words without knowledge” (Job_38:2), it is faulty theology that is based solely upon Job. As is seen in the text before us, the moment we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord. This is an understanding seen most clearly in Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross when He said, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (see Luk_23:43).

2 Corinthians 5:9

“In light of eternity, in light of where we’re going, in light of the new body awaiting us, we labor,” Paul says. And in the remainder of the chapter, he will go on to give three reasons he endured beatings, shipwrecks, and persecution in addition to the lack of appreciation from the very people for whom he laid down his life.

2 Corinthians 5:10

The Corinthians would have readily understood Paul’s reference to the judgment, or bema seatfor that was where athletes were given their rewards. Paul tells us that we all will stand before the reward stand, the judgment seat of Christ, where everything we’ve done will be judged. In 1 Corinthians 3, he shed further light on this when he said that all of our worksteaching a Sunday-school class or a Bible study, tithing or witnessingwill be judged by fire.

2 Corinthians 5:11

The fear of the Lord motivated Paul in ministry. This was not fear that God would hurt him, but rather that he would hurt God through his sin and stupidity. Having been caught up into the third heaven, Paul knew that one day we will all stand before the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and see Him in His majesty and love. Paul wanted to spare anyone from saying, “Why did I waste my time on that hobby, spend my money on that insignificant trinket, squander my energy so foolishly? Why did I take so lightly that which Jesus did for me on the Cross of Calvary?”

2 Corinthians 5:12

Paul is parenthetically saying, “The reason I’m telling you what motivates us in ministry is not to boast, but in order that you might be able to give a defense to those who criticize you for listening to us.”

2 Corinthians 5:14

Paul’s second motivation was the love of Christnot his love for Christ, but Christ’s for him. A few years ago, a ministry magazine reported that over 80 percent of those involved in full-time ministry experience “ministerial burn-out,” which is causing clergymen to leave the ministry at a higher rate than those who are entering the ministry, and which results in the average pastor staying in the pulpit for less than three years. “The Lord loves me,” Paul said. “He died for me. And He rose again that I might live for Him.” Thus, it was the love of Christ that kept Paul from burning out and giving up.

2 Corinthians 5:16

As a member of the Sanhedrin, it is very likely Paul had heard Jesus speak in Jerusalem. Certainly Paul had heard about Jesus and was determined to put an end to His followerswhen suddenly he saw the light on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). From that point on, Paul no longer knew Jesus after the flesh, for he saw Him in a different light. As a result, Paul saw all men differently. He didn’t see them in their earthly bodies. He saw who they could become in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“I’m a believer, but I don’t feel like a new creation,” you say. Check out Genesis 1, where we read that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth became formless and void when Lucifer was cast out of heaven. So God spoke a re-creation into being (Gen_1:1-3). The same is true with humanity. God made us in His image, but we became “without form and void"wiped out when we chose to submit to Satan. So the Spirit of God began to move upon the face of the waterupon the pages of the Word as we heard it opened to us. “Let there be light,” He saidand when at last we saw the light, the re-creation process within us was put into motion.

2 Corinthians 5:18

The third motivating reason for Paul’s ministry was the joy of service. “We get to be ambassadors,” he says. “We get to share the word of reconciliation, to give out the good news of the gospel.” So, too, as ambassadors of the kingdom, we get to tell the girl who works behind the counter at 2Co_5:7-11, the boy who bags our groceries at the grocery store, the guy who picks up our garbage on Wednesday morning, our next-door neighbor, our co-worker, that their sins past, present, and future are truly, totally forgiven.

2 Corinthians 5:21

As Jesus hung on the Cross, a spear was thrust into Him, drawing forth water and blood, and opening His side so that we might, positionally, enter in. Jesus opened the way for us through the rending of His own flesh. That is why we can tell anyone and everyone that they, too, can be tucked away in Christ; that when God looks at them, He will see only the righteousness of His Son; that they can have a fresh start as a new creation. What a fabulous truth! May the fear of the Lord motivate us. May the love of Christ constrain us. May the joy of service thrill us. May we, like Paul, say, “No matter what problems we face or what challenges come our way, it’s an unbelievable privilege to be an ambassador of the King.”