2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. Let’s go!
2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
1 Now 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.
On verse 1: What is Paul talking about when he says, “Now we know if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed…”? What earthly tent is Paul referring to? The earthly tent Paul is talking about is our physical bodies, which, like a tent, are useful but susceptible to wear and tear. Our earthly bodies are great temporary dwellings, but they are also subject to hunger, fatigue, disease and death. Paul is saying that, as Christians, one day when we die, we can look forward to going to heaven where we will have “an eternal house”, a physical body that will never decay and cannot be destroyed. Praise God! The Bible describes heaven as a place where God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) So if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you have much to look forward to after you die. For when you die, you don’t leave home; you go home!
2 Corinthians 5:2–5 (NIV)
2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed 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 with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
On verses 2-5: Paul is saying that deep within each of us is a groaning, a longing, a yearning for heaven that cannot be satisfied by anything this world can offer. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, God “has set eternity in our hearts”. Put another way: God made you with a “God-sized hole” in your life that only God can fill. You can try to fill that hole with other things, but only God can satisfy that longing in your heart. That is why verse 4 says, “for while we are in this tent” – that is, while we live on earth – “we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling”. This is no accident; that’s how God “made us for this very purpose” (v5). God made you to be with Him forever in heaven.
So for as long as we live on this earth and are away from our home with Jesus in heaven, that longing for heaven will persist. But in the meantime, for those of us who place our faith in Jesus Christ, God gives His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, to give us a taste of heaven, a “deposit guaranteeing what is come” (v5).
By faith, let’s live our lives to give glory to God, knowing that our ultimate home is not here on earth, but in heaven with Jesus. And let’s treasure this heavenly deposit God has placed in us – the Holy Spirit – and build our relationship with Him.
As a further note on verse 4, “what is mortal” is not just referring to our mortal physical bodies on earth, which will one day be replaced by immortal physical bodies in heaven. “What is mortal” is also a reference to what is weak in us – our personal weaknesses and our sinful tendencies, whether that be a bad temper, oversensitivity or something else. Praise God that the weaknesses we see in ourselves – whether physical, emotional or spiritual – will one day be swallowed up by strength that will not go away.
2 Corinthians 5:6 (NIV)
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.
On verse 6: Because as Christians we live with the assurance that we will be with God in heaven one day, that brings two things: first, a confidence with which we can live each day (as Paul says, “we are always confident”), and second, the understanding that earth is not our final home, but heaven is.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7 We live by faith, not by sight.
On verse 7: What does it mean to “live by faith, not by sight”? I believe it means at least three things. First, it’s learning to live each day with heaven in mind, even though we can’t see it now and aren’t there yet. Second, it’s learning to live each day trusting in God’s promises, regardless of what our current circumstances may look like. Third, it’s fixing our eyes not on what is seen (2 Corinthians 4:18), but what is unseen: most of all, God the Father and Jesus His Son, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:8-9 (NIV)
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.
On verses 8-9: For as long as we are on earth and not yet where we most long to be which is heaven, we make it our goal to please the Lord. This life is not so much about pleasing ourselves as it is about pleasing God.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
On verse 10: The Bible teaches that we can never earn our way to heaven, because imperfect sinners like us could never meet the perfect standards of a holy God and the wages of our sin is death, that is, separation from God. But because God loves us and didn’t want us to be apart from Him, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven, reconciled to God, and enter heaven on the basis of Jesus’ righteousness, not our own. So it is only by God’s grace (undeserved kindness) that we can enter heaven. But even so, verse 10 teaches us that Christ will still judge every person for the way they lived this life. So although the way we lived our lives on earth does not determine whether or not we go to heaven, it does determine what how much reward and blessing we will enjoy in heaven.
Heavenly Father, thank You that through Your Son Jesus I am a citizen of heaven, that earth is not my final home. Thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit so that I can get a foretaste of what heaven is like even while I’m on earth. Thank You that because of the hope of heaven, I can live with confidence all my days on earth that the best is yet to come. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
