2 Corinthians 5
2 Corinthians chapter 5 is where Paul explains to the believers of the Corinthian church the essence of his ministry and the meaning of living as a new creation in Christ. Through the ministry of death and resurrection, and of reconciliation, Paul emphasizes the identity of Christians and ultimately urges them to live in response to God’s love and grace.
1verseFor we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.
2verseFor most certainly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,
3verseif indeed being clothed, we will not be found naked.
4verseFor indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5verseNow he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.
6verseTherefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord;
7versefor we walk by faith, not by sight.
8verseWe are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
9verseTherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.
10verseFor we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11verseKnowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God, and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.
12verseFor we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance and not in heart.
13verseFor if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.
14verseFor the love of Christ compels us; because we judge thus: that one died for all, therefore all died.
15verseHe died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.
16verseTherefore we know no one according to the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.
17verseTherefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
18verseBut all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19versenamely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20verseWe are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21verseFor him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Verses 1-10: Hope for an Eternal Home
Paul mentions that our physical bodies—like tents of the world—will someday be dismantled, and he shares his assurance of the “eternal home” God has prepared: the body belonging to heaven. He stresses that life on this earth is temporary, but God promises eternal life to the faithful. In this hope, believers are encouraged to live with a constant desire to please the Lord.
Verses 11-17: The Love of Christ and a New Creation
Paul confesses that the love of Christ overwhelms him and his fellow workers, declaring that Jesus’ death and resurrection are for everyone. He tells believers that they should no longer live for themselves, but for the risen Lord. And through encountering Christ, he proclaims the astonishing transformation in which anyone can be born anew as a new creation.
Verses 18-21: The Ministry of Reconciliation and the Mission as an Ambassador
Paul states that God reconciled the world to Himself through Christ, and also that the ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to believers. Paul describes himself as “an ambassador for Christ,” emphasizing that God is pleading for us to be reconciled to the world on His behalf. This suggests that the Christian mission is not limited to personal salvation, but includes carrying God’s love and the message of reconciliation to the world.
Meditation Points
- Think about how your hope for the present life and the eternal life to come affects your life today.
- Check whether the love of Christ is becoming the driving force behind your life.
- Meditate on how the truth that anyone becomes a new creation in Christ influences the way you look at people who are different from you.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- In my everyday life, am I pursuing a life that pleases God?
- Not only reconciliation with God, but in my relationships with others, am I practicing reconciliation and forgiveness?
- Today, as an ambassador of Christ, think about what message of love you should share with the world—and put it into practice.
