2 Corinthians 5
5
1We know that our body—the tent we live in here on earth—will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us to live in. It will not be a house made by men. It will be a home in heaven that will last forever. 2But now we are tired of this body. We want God to give us our heavenly home. 3It will clothe us, and we will not be naked. 4While we live in this body, we have burdens, and we complain. We do not want to be naked. We want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be fully covered with life. 5This is what God made us for. And he has given us the Spirit to be a guarantee for this new life.
6So we always have courage. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord. 7We live by what we believe, not by what we can see. 8So I say that we have courage. And we really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord. 9Our only goal is to please God. We want to please him whether we live here or there. 10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. Each one will receive what he should get—good or bad—for the things he did when he lived in the earthly body.
Becoming Friends with God
11We know what it means to fear the Lord. So we try to help people accept the truth. God knows what we really are. And I hope that in your hearts you know, too. 12We are not trying to prove ourselves to you again. But we are telling you about ourselves, so you will be proud of us. Then you will have an answer for those who are proud about things that can be seen. They do not care about what is in the heart. 13If we are out of our minds, it is for God. If we have our right mind, then it is for you. 14The love of Christ controls us. Because we know that One died for all. So all have died. 15Christ died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from death so that they would live for him.
16From this time on we do not think of anyone as the world does. It is true that in the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks. But we no longer think of him in that way. 17If anyone belongs to Christ, then he is made new. The old things have gone; everything is made new! 18All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself. And God gave us the work of bringing everyone into peace with him. 19I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins. And he gave us this message of peace. 20So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is as if God is calling to you through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21Christ had no sin. But God made him become sin. God did this for us so that in Christ we could become right with God.
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2 Corinthians 5
5
The Temporal and Eternal
1For we know that if the earthly tent [our physical body] which is our house is torn down [through death], we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our [immortal, eternal] celestial dwelling, 3so that by putting it on we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened [often weighed down, oppressed], not that we want to be unclothed [separated by death from the body], but to be clothed, so that what is mortal [the body] will be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection]. 5Now He who has made us and prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the [Holy] Spirit as a pledge [a guarantee, a down payment on the fulfillment of His promise].
6So then, being always filled with good courage and confident hope, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]— 8we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. 10For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the #5:10 Gr bema (a step). A raised area reached by steps, used as the official seat of a judge.judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or #5:10 Or inferior.bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].
11Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord [and understand the importance of obedience and worship], we persuade people [to be reconciled to Him]. But we are plainly known to God [He knows everything about us]; and I hope that we are plainly known also in your consciences [your God-given discernment]. 12We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an occasion to be [rightfully] proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in [outward] appearances [the virtues they pretend to have] rather than what is [actually] in heart. 13If we are out of our mind [just unstable fanatics as some critics say], it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit. 14For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; 15and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake.
16So from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way. 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. 18But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], 19that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].
20So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. 21He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].
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