Notes on 2 Corinthians 5

1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Once more, this passage ties back in with the last chapter, with the glorious realization that our physical bodies are, after all, only the temporary homes for our spirits. Death itself holds no terror for us, but is only a transition to the possession of the spiritual bodies Paul wrote of in 1 Corinthians 15. Our goal is not to prolong our physical lives as long as possible, but to use them to the best possible service to God. In these bodies, we know trouble, pain, and sorrow, and death is a certain prospect if Jesus tarries. We don't look forward to death, though, but to the life that lies beyond it. God's Spirit residing within us is our guarantee that his promise of eternal life is true. In Philippians 1:21, Paul writes, "For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain." He did not fear death, for he trusted, not on what he could see with his eyes, but in the sure knowledge of faith. Our goal should never be to please other men, but to work to please God, to be accepted by him.

The majority view is that the judgment seat of Christ, the bema, is a separate judgment for the church, for believers, as opposed to the great white throne judgment referred to in Revelation. Whenever it occurs, during the great tribulation or after, and whether there is one time of judgment or two, it is clear that we, as Christians, will be judged for what we do, not to condemnation, but to reward or loss, as discussed in 1 Corinthians 3 (verses 11 to 15). Our terror, our overwhelming fear, of the Lord's judgment should motivate, not only our own work or labor, but our desire to witness to others, lest they face the judgment of Hell, and eternal death. That burden for the souls of the lost should move us all to try to lead others to Christ. It is our witness for Christ that makes us known to God, and helps us to recognize one another as his children.

12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Paul repeats a theme that recurs throughout this letter, that his recommendation to the church at Corinth is not great things he has done, in the flesh, but his role in leading many of them to Christ. The phrase "be beside ourselves" means to be astonished, or amazed, in the sense of not being in one's right mind, as opposed to being sober, or sane. So, whether Paul behaves in a way he considers outrageous, or with his usual humility, he does it for the sake of the church there in Corinth. Clearly he considers pointing out the things he has done in the service of Christ as boasting, and something to be avoided. His primary motivation, that which compels him, is the love of Christ. We should not live to bring honor or glory to ourselves, to satisfy our own wants, but recognize that we were all dead without Christ, and his death and resurrection for us. As the old hymn says, our life should be a record of "Christ living in me."

16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Though Paul and the other apostles knew Christ in the flesh, their knowledge of him after his resurrection and their rebirth was not based on that kind of knowledge, but the knowledge that comes only from the Spirit. Verse 17 is the classic verse that reflects our status as Christians; we are new, in every way, in motive, destination, and personality. Though we don't yet possess our new physical bodies, they are already stored up for us. We should spend our lives working toward the fulfillment of that newness that comes in Christ, though for so many the old ways and habits never seem to change.

Since Adam's fall, we have been enemies of God, separated from him. Christ's work provided the way for us to be reconciled, but the provision does no good if it's not used. Our ministry, our work for the Lord, is to encourage others to make use or, and accept, the way of reconciliation that Christ has provided. We can do no more; salvation itself is the work of the Holy Spirit, and that is possible only when the unbeliever makes the choice to accept it. We are God's representatives, his ambassadors to the world. While some have the particular gift of evangelism, a special calling to reach others for Christ, the responsibility to witness for him falls on us all.

The penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and Christ became a sinner in our place, assuming for himself the penalty of death. That is the bedrock of the Gospel message, when coupled with the fact that, because He died for us, we have the gift of eternal life. We have no righteousness in ourselves; Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Our only righteousness is "in him," in Christ, and we have the promise of reward only because of that righteousness.

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