2 Corinthians 5

1. We 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.

We think of death as the end of everything. This is not true, death is the beginning of a new life for Christians. We are made of a spirit living inside of a body. The body is not the real you, but your spirit is. Jesus said that He had a new life with a new body waiting for us. John 14:1

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But now we are tired of this body. We want God to give us our heavenly home.
It will clothe us, and we will not be naked. While 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.

Some religions say that when we die we become a part of the universe as a spirit floating in space. This is a lie of the devil which he uses to get some people to kill themselves or to spend their life trying to get to some spiritual level by opening themselves up to demons.

Mark 5:10 shows us that demons want to be inside of some type of body. Paul is showing us that we will not be floating in space without a body but we will be with Jesus and living in a new body. See also Matthew 12:44.

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This is what God made us for. And He has given us the Spirit to be a guarantee for this new life. So we always have courage. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord.

We know that our spirit is alive and we remember what it was like when our spirit was dead. God’s presence with us shows us that there is more waiting for us.

7. We live by what we believe, not by what we can see.

We do not need to understand everything about electricity or gravity but we live by their laws even though we cannot see these things.

8. So I say that we have courage. And we really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord.

There is no other place where our spirits go. We go to be with the Lord immediately when we leave the body.

9. Our only goal is to please God. We want to please Him whether we live here or there.

Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your Lord. Matthew 25:23

10. For 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.

I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. Revelation 20:11

11. We 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.

The fear of the Lord, does not mean that we are afraid of God. It means that we know that God is watching. Everything we do, we do it knowing that God is watching us.

12. We 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 make themselves look good. They do not care about what is in the heart.

Paul is writing these words so that the Corinthians, can answer the men who are dividing the church. These men sound very important when they are talking, but they are saying something else in their hearts.

13. If we are out of our minds, it is for God. If we have our right mind, then it is for you.

Some of Paul’s enemies said he was crazy. Paul says, “Yes, we are crazy about you!”

14. Christ’s love for us presses on us. Because we know that One died for all. So all have died.

Calvin changed this to say, “Only some men from all classes of men.” God warns us about changing His Word.

15. Christ 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.

What have you done to show that you are not living for yourself? Is your mind under the control of your body or him is your mind, under the control of your spirit?

16. From 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.

The world says that Jesus was a good teacher and a good example for us to follow. But we know that we cannot do the things that He taught without His Spirit living in us.

17. If anyone belongs to Christ, then he is made new. The old things have gone; everything is made new!

If the old things are still in your life then you have no way to prove that you are living for Christ. The world says to us, “You have done some very stupid things and you will never change!”

The Lord says that we have a new life, but we do not see all that is new in us. God made the world instantly with one Word. Men have slowly discovered new places on the earth that they never saw before.

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All 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.

I 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.

God started this ministry of bringing men back to Him in the Garden of Eden and then gave it to us.  People say, “Let them alone. Do not force your beliefs on them!” How can we be quiet when they are destroying themselves?

Gently teach those who work against themselves. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 2 Timothy 2:25

[They have] pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you. John 20:21

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So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is as if God is begging you through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. Christ had no sin. But God made Him become sin. God did this for us so that in Christ we could become right with God.

“Come now, let us talk about this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are bright red, I will make them as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18