Notes:
- Verse 1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made of hands, eternal in the heavens.
"The tent" refers to our earthly bodies- once we die, we get a new "body" made from God that is resurrected and lives forever with Him in heaven.
- Verse 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
God is the one who prepares our hearts to receive Him, and when we surrender our lives to Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit in us- who is our Helper. Having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is the definite sign that we will have new bodies on the day of our earthly death that will resurrect and live in heaven with God for the rest of eternity.
- Verse 9-10 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 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.
Home or away refers to verse 6, when Paul says, "home in the body, or away from the Lord." Home is being with Jesus in heaven, away is being in our earthly bodies on earth. So whether we are in heaven or on earth, Paul's goal is to please God. When we die we are all judged, christians and non-christians, according to our lives on earth. Whether we have been diligent ministers of the gospel (like Paul) or barely get into heaven- we are all judged by how we lived our life. It should be our aim as believers to honor God in all we do.
- Verse 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come.
I love reading this verse, when I am reminded of my past and the depth of destruction I was in. I no longer have to think of those things, for that life is completely gone- I am a new creation! God sees me as clean, through Jesus Christ! Isn't that great news?
- Verse 20b-21 We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
How do you be reconciled with God? Well the only thing that separates us from Him is sin. Therefore, confess your sin, repent and believe that Jesus died for your sin to pay the penalty of all your sin- past, present and future. Before Jesus came to the earth, he was perfect- he "knew no sin". But because of His death we have the opportunity, through faith in Jesus, to be completely righteous.
- 01/26/12
Application:
- Do you look forward to the day when we spend eternity with Jesus?
- Is your goal in life to please God? Why or why not?
- Have you been made righteous? Do you have the guarantee of the Holy Spirit?
Topic: Chapter 5
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