August 15, 2017
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Reading along with us in 2 Corinthians? Here’s today’s reading:
2 Corinthians 5 (ESV)
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil… Continue Reading
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He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Eternity is forever
hard to understand forever
Last night we were studying in Revelation and the church of Smyrna, which was persecuted and many were martyred. Jesus tells them to be faithful, even unto death. We were discussing how it would be difficult in the face of death to not deny our faith, but then we were talking about what our future holds after death, and that we can face death with confidence when we believe.
“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.”
What an incredibly powerful chapter, chock full of important truth! Paul presents a reasoned argument here flowing from chapter 4. Because we are wasting away (4:16) we look forward to our resurrection body. And we have been made for that very purpose, to live with God forever with that body (v5). And so of course we live with a faith that trusts in those things and fulfills that purpose rather than what we perceive and pursue in our flesh. And we will be judged based on what we do (verse 10. (don’t miss that) In other words judged for how well we fulfilled God’s purposes and lived in that faith.
Now because we have that faith, knowing what we are destined for, don’t we then want to persuade men who are trapped in an existence that is just about this life, this wasting away body? SO therefore we don’t see people from a worldly point of view but a spiritual one. We don’t make decision based on earthly status or talent but based on spiritual condition. If you are in Christ, everything is new. If you are not, you need to be reconciled to God! And our privilege as believers is we get to join God in that ministry of reconciliation, being His ambassadors, imploring (strong word) people to be reconciled to God. (One of the primary things I believe we will be judged for, at least in this context.)
And just in case we don’t understand how that reconciliation is possible, just to show the sacrifice Jesus made and the tremendous mercy and intelligence of our God, we have 2 Corinthians 5:21. Awesome, awesome, awesome!