God Reconciled Us
Comments for Study 4
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I. We Live By Faith, Not Sight (5:1-10)
* The artwork is from Easton's Illustrated Dictionary.
>1. How did Paul use his tent making skills as an illustration of God's promise? (1; Acts 18:3)
* 2 Corinthians 5:1 "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."
* Acts 18:3 "and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them."
* 2 Peter 1:13-15 "I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things."
* 1 Corinthians 15:42-50 "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."
* Chapter 5:1-10 Overview.
God created humans with 3 parts; a physical body, a soul, and a spirit. The soul is my emotions, thoughts, and will. My spirit was dead until Jesus gave it new life when I first believed in him many years ago. (John 3:3)
My physical body is like a tent. It temporarily contains my soul and my spirit. Paul was in the tent business, which he drew from to make the analogy in this chapter. His craft consists mostly of mending tents and occasionally making new ones. People use tents as temporary residences. Homes made of wood, brick, and metal are preferred to tents. The physical body is a tent. (1-4)
When I was young, I was in the Boy Scouts. My troop often took trips, usually staying in tents. One late fall, we stayed near a small river winding through my grandparents' dairy farm. Most stayed in tents except my friend and I. We decided to make a tent out of a rope and a large plastic sheet. The ends of the sheet overlapped under our sleeping bags.
The first night, the weather changed from pleasant to bitterly cold, freezing rain. At first, my friend and I were safe and dry in our flimsy tent. However, after 15 minutes, ice-cold water began seeping through the overlap under our sleeping bags. We became shivering cold and wet. We soon escaped the poor tent for the warm, dry shelter of my grandparents' farmhouse.
My physical body is like the plastic tent my friend and I made. When all is pleasant, my physical body adequately houses my soul and spirit. However, from the day I was born, my body has had flaws that do not hold up when life's weather turns for the worse. In bad storms of life, I groan and am burdened. I feel naked, wet, and cold. (2, 4)
However, I have great hope. I believe that Jesus has made something better for me. When my current physical body finally fails, I know that God has made a strong, dry, and warm home for my soul and a new spirit. He will place my soul and my new spirit in a new physical dwelling. (1, 3, 6-8)
When my body dies, I will not be naked. I know this is true because God's Spirit within me spiritually reminds me of all the time. I live by faith, even though I cannot physically see my new spirit, nor God's Holy Spirit, nor have I seen my new resurrection physical body. Like Paul, I make it my goal to please Jesus, who has given me this wonderful hope. (9-10)
* "Now" -Other English Bible versions translate the Greek conjunction "gar" (a transliteration) as "for". "Gar" is used 1,067 times in the New Testament. It's a primary particle, properly "assigning a reason used in argument, explanations. or intensification", often with other particles. "For" is the most common translation. Many various translations include "and", "as", "because" (that), "but", "even", "indeed", "no doubt", "seeing", "then", "therefore", "verily", "what", "why", and "yet". Here, it is bridging 4:17 to the next point.
* "we know that" -Paul is speaking of himself but can also mean all believers (4:14; Job 19:25). He has been using plural pronouns to refer to himself in this letter since 1:8. Throughout this letter Paul uses the editorial plural (we, us, our, ourselves) to refer to himself. Except where the context plainly indicates otherwise, these plurals should be understood as referring to Paul alone. See Study 3, question 2a on verse 4:2 for more comments.
* "if the earthly tent we live in" -"If" meaning we do not know when the physical body will end, but we know it will happen. Paul, like the Greek writers, describe the physical body as a vessel like the "jars of clay" in 3:7, a house as some English translate the Greek noun "oikia" (a transliteration), a tent, and the Greeks often said a tomb. Paul says that a better body awaits. As a tent it temporary, so the bod we have now is temporary.
* "earthly... heavenly" -Drastic contrast. (1 Corinthians 15:47)
* "is destroyed" -True for everyone eventually. Paul, with this seems to indicate that a transition happens right when the physical body ceases to function. However, Paul was also very clear in the first letter to the Corinthian congregation, chapter 15, that when Jesus comes, those who died before he comes again to Earth will receive their resurrected body then, "in a flash". Jesus also seems to imply a change right after physical death in John 4:1-2. So, are they referring to an interim body, before Jesus comes again? I cannot say for sure at this time. I note that during Jesus' ministry no one ever asked Jesus what their resurrected body would be like. And, it seems that only the Gentiles asked this question. This leads me to believe all the Jews believed that same thing about the bodily resurrection, that is those who believed in the resurrection. The Levites did not believe in the resurrection. Those who did believe did not have a desire to ask Jesus about what the body was going to be like.
* "we have a building from God" -The building is an allegory of the new resurrected body, not a place of brick, mortar, wood, clay, and other building materials. Some understand this incorrectly.
Paul, by comparing a tent to a building is using a good allegory that he borrowed from Jesus who said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." (John 2:19) Apostle John commented on this, "But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken." (John 2:21-22)
A building is better than a tent. A building is made of better, more permanent materials. The craftsmanship is better and last much longer. A building weathers better and can withstand more harsher conditions. The protection provided to the occupants inside is more assured in a building compared to a tent.
* "an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." -Paul claims that the new resurrected body is for in heaven. So what about when he comes again at the resurrection when we get our new body and we will meet him in the air when he descends? Will we remain on earth in the Millennial kingdom? Or will he and us in our resurrected body go to heaven. Passages exist that speak of both. This verse says the new resurrected body, the new home of our spirit and soul, is a heavenly body.
>What do we wait for? (2)
* 2 Corinthians 5:2 "Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,"
* John 14:2-3 "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
* Romans 8:22-27 "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
* "Meanwhile we groan" -The current body at times causes us to groan; all Christians express the stress and strain within our physical body from unpleasant and painful experiences. This is not indwelling sin or the results of indwelling sin.
* "longing to be clothed" -The longing is by the Christians only, though some other religions teach the resurrection. Those who do not believe and have their hope in Christ will continue, but they will not have a body nor a new spirit. They will be only a soul.
* "with our heavenly dwelling" -The Greek phrase is "ouranos oiketerion" (a transliteration). "Ouranos" base is "oros" (through the idea of elevation). "Dwelling" is the Greek noun "oiketerion" (a transliteration), neuter of a presumed derivative of the Greek verb and related noun translated "tent" and "house" in verse 1, "oikeo" and "oikia" (transliterations).
* "Before going away, Jesus promised to make provision of a dwelling place for His disciples (John 14:2). The Greek noun means "abiding places" and "dwelling places," implying permanence. KJV translated this as "mansions," which meant a dwelling place, but has come to represent an elaborate, expensive house in English. Thus, modern translations read, "dwelling places" or "rooms." Christian theology holds that Christ's followers will abide with Him eternally in heavenly dwelling places." (Holman Bible Dictionary)
>How are we clothed? (3; Revelation 7:14)
* 2 Corinthians 5:3 "because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked."
* Revelation 7:14 "I answered, 'Sir, you know.' And he said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'"
* "because when we are clothed" -Future tense.
* "we will not be found naked." -Paul is referring to Adam and Even, after they sinned saw that they were naked. The glory of the Spirit, as Paul said believers in Jesus now have, had left them. The visible light of glory of the Spirit was gone. (Genesis 3:7)
* "Pharisees accepted both the immortality of the soul and the future resurrection of the body, and many Jewish writers described the experience of heaven after death as a proleptic experience to be completed in paradise after the resurrection. Unlike some modern readers, Paul has no problem accepting both the soul's continuance after death and bodily resurrection. (Those who think Paul's view changed after 1 Cor. 15 should compare Phil. 1:21-23 with Phil. 3:20-21, where Paul includes both views in what is almost certainly the same letter.)
Although Paul finds some common ground with his Greek readers on the righteous soul's endurance (2 Cor. 4:16-18), he is quick to bring them back to the future hope that is the basis for it. Like the Greek sages, Paul is ready to face death; unlike them, he has a hope of future bodily life." (Bible Background Commentary - The IVP Bible Background Commentary - New Testament)
* The Eternal Heavenly Body.
Are you tired of your present body? Do you want a better body, a permanent body, a body that will not weaken, droop, bruise, break, die, or decay? How does it sound to have a heavenly body, a body with powers and abilities that no human has possessed, currently or previously? Does an immortal body in paradise excite your heart? If all these are things you desire, they can be yours in Jesus Christ.
The believer in Jesus has a grand resurrection from death in store for them. Adam and Eve, because they sinned, lost the glory and eternal life that was theirs. (Genesis 3:7). They became merely a flimsy tent that wore out and dissolved back into dust. Jesus came to provide the glory that they lost by removing the sin they introduced into human existence through his spilled blood.
Apostle Paul compares our present body, which is like a tent that will be destroyed, to the new Christian's body, which is like a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (1) Our present frail body causes us to groan. Our new body will cause us to rejoice. In Christ, we will not be found naked as Adam and Eve were when they sinned (3; Genesis 3:7). Those who believe and hope in Christ will be clothed in glory as he is in glory. Seek Jesus, and you will live.
* The artwork "The Good Death" is from a book by David, Jan (1545?-1613). It's titled translated from the west Germanic-Dutch language Limburgish is, "Christian fortune-tellers : the main pieces of the Christian faith and Leuen in short understanding. With a role of virtue there on serving. End a shield-guard against the false fortune-tellers, etc. / It's four people. Mr. P. John David, priest of the Society of Jesus", now in public domain.
In the upper half, a dying man is harassed by demons; a table nearby bears serving dishes, a jug and a backgammon board and a banner reads "Remain until the end." Below, a man dressed in vestments and a bishop's mitre dies peacefully, with two people looking on and a sign over the bed that reads "Come, Lord Jesus, come. Apoc. 22" (Revelation 22:20)." Outside, a haloed man kneels with a banner that reads "I wish to be released and to be with Christ, 2. Cor. 5." The Latin superscription reads, "He wishes for death, whose mind is conscious of right," and the text below, "Who should not shake before the helplessness and danger of death? The one whose conscience virtue fills with sweetness".
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
>2. When will our mortal body be swallowed up by life? (4; 1 Cor 15:42-44)
* 2 Corinthians 5:4 "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."
* 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."
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>What is a deposit and why are they given? (5)
* 2 Corinthians 5:5 "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."
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>How does the presence of the Holy Spirit assure us of our future? (6)
* 2 Corinthians 5:6 "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord."
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>3. What does it mean to live by faith? (7; Gal. 2:20)
* 2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight."
* Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
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>How does faith in Jesus give Christians a different perspective than people in the world? (8)
* 2 Corinthians 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
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>4. What aspect of life is no different whether in this world or in heaven? (9)
* 2 Corinthians 5:9 "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it."
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>5. What should Christians always remember about their future? (10; Luke 9:26)
* 2 Corinthians 5:10 "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."
* Luke 9:26 "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."
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>How will some who claimed to believe in Jesus and yet their life did not reflect their faith be shocked when they stand before Jesus' judgement seat? (Matt. 25:28-30)
* Matthew 25:28-30 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
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II. A New Creation (5:11-6:2)
* The artwork "Jesus' Crucifixion" is from a book by ///). It's titled translated from the west Germanic-Dutch language Limburgish is, "", now in public domain.
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Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
>6. What is fear of the Lord? (11a)
* 2 Corinthians 5:11 "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men."
* "fear the Lord"
* Chapter 5:11-6:2 Overview.
I had estranged myself from God. I did this by not believing he loves me and that His ways are best. I harbored lust, envy, greed, and other kinds of godlessness in my heart. I thought about these and occasionally acted on those thoughts. God told me not to do these for it was harmful. Yet I did not accept his direction. I had a form of religion without the true God leading me. I sinned.
Then I read about Jesus. God showed me that Jesus reconciled me to God (19). Through Jesus God does not hold my sins against me. He takes them away through Jesus (14-15).
Jesus had no sin. Yet when he was on the cross he accepted my and everyone else's sin into himself (21). So he who had no sin was punished and died. I accept his selfless sacrifice for me. Because of Jesus, I will not be punished. The old me is gone. The new me is now and forevermore (17).
Now I live for God (15). Living for God to me means more than doing what God says is best for me. It is to try to persuade others of what God revealed to me and has done for me. I try to show that he can so also do this for them (21). Jesus's love causes me to lovingly share the good news with others through actions and when appropriate also in word (14). I share only when they are ready to listen.
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>How does understanding of God's judgment compel us to preach the gospel?
* "we try to persuade men"
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>7. What is more important; that which is seen or in the heart? (11b-12)
* 2 Corinthians 5:11b-12 "What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart."
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>How does verse 12 point out the different between false and true religion?
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* The artwork "Crucifixion" is from a book by Beaulieu, Luke (1644 or 5). It's titled "Claustrum animae, the reformed monastery, or, The love of Jesus : a sure and short, pleasant and easie way to Heaven in meditations, directions, and resolutions to love and obey Jesus unto death : in two parts", now in public domain.
Jesus nailed to the cross wearing the crown of thorns with the verse from John 3: 16 at the top and the verse from 2 Corinthians 5:14 at the bottom.
Courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
>What should compel us to preach the gospel? (13-14)
* 2 Corinthians 5:13-14 "If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."
* "For Christ's love compels us"
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>Why?
* "we are convinced that one died for all"
* "and therefore all died"
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>8. Who do we live for? (15)
* 2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
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>What is to be our perspective? (16)
* 2 Corinthians 5:16 "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."
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>How does verse 17 help us understand the difference between an world point of view and a godly point of view?
* 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
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>9. What does it mean to be reconciled to God? (18-19)
* 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
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>How did God do it?
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>How do we participate in this work of God?
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>10. How are Christians like ambassadors? (20)
* 2 Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
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>Who does verse 21 refer to? (Heb. 4:14-15)
* 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
* Hebrews 4:14-15 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin."
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>How could a person received God's grace in vain? (6:1-2)
* 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 "As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
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>What them should all do?
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