II Corinthians 5 Commentary: Living with Eternity in Mind
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.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
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.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
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.
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.
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.
For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
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.
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.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
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.
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.
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.
II Corinthians 5 dives deep into the Christian experience, exploring themes of our earthly existence, eternal hope, and the compelling mission of reconciliation. Building on Paul's previous chapter where he spoke of suffering as a light and momentary affliction preparing believers for eternal glory (II Corinthians 4:17), this chapter provides profound insights into how we should live in light of eternity. This chapter emphasizes the transformation that occurs when someone is in Christ and the vital role believers play as ambassadors of reconciliation.
Our Earthly Tent and Eternal Home (II Corinthians 5:1-5)
Paul begins by using the metaphor of a "tent" to describe our physical bodies. He acknowledges the temporary nature of our earthly existence. These bodies, he says, are not meant to last. They are subject to decay and limitation. As II Corinthians 5:1 states, "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." This isn't a morbid focus on death, but a hopeful anticipation of something far greater.
While living in these "tents," Paul admits that we "groan" (II Corinthians 5:2). This groaning reflects a longing for our permanent home with God, a desire for our resurrection bodies. Ecclesiastes 3:11 speaks of God putting "eternity in [our] hearts," explaining this deep-seated yearning. We ache for the everlasting because God created us to last forever.
Paul doesn't want life to simply end (II Corinthians 5:4). Instead, he desires our mortality to be "swallowed up by life." Death, for the believer, is not an end but a transition, a gateway to a fuller, richer existence.
How do we know this is true? God has given us the Holy Spirit as a "down payment," a guarantee of what is to come (II Corinthians 5:5). The Spirit is a tangible assurance of our future inheritance, a taste of the glory that awaits us.
Walking by Faith, Pleasing God (II Corinthians 5:6-10)
Paul acknowledges a tension: while we live in our earthly bodies, we are "away from the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:6). We haven't yet fully experienced the glory that will be revealed when we are in God's presence. Paul himself longed to be "at home with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8).
Until that day, however, we are called to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). This means living based on what God's Word teaches us to believe, even when it contradicts what we see with our physical eyes. As Paul previously stated in II Corinthians 4:18, "We do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Therefore, we must live based on what God’s Word teaches us to believe instead of on what we can see. We walk by faith, trusting that God is telling the truth. Though we can’t see the eternal realities that he has promised, we act—living heavenly in a hellish world—because we are confident in him.
Regardless of circumstances, Paul's aim was to be pleasing to the Lord in all aspects of his life (II Corinthians 5:9). He understood that one day, every believer will stand before the "judgment seat of Christ" (II Corinthians 5:10), also known as the bēma. This isn't a judgment to determine salvation, but an evaluation of our faithfulness, a reckoning for what we have done in the body, "whether good or evil." Rewards will be granted or denied based on how we have lived for Christ. There will be no hiding on that day, and no action will be overlooked.
The Ministry of Reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:11-21)
Knowing he would appear before the judgment seat of Christ, Paul lived in the "fear of the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:11). He took God seriously and was earnest about the ministry God had given him. He sought to persuade people to believe in King Jesus and submit their lives to his kingdom agenda.
Paul emphasizes that his motivation isn't self-promotion, but a genuine desire for the Corinthians to understand the authentic nature of his ministry (II Corinthians 5:12). He clarifies that his actions are for God’s glory and their edification (II Corinthians 5:13).
The love of Christ compels Paul (II Corinthians 5:14). Christ died for all, paying the penalty for all sin. Therefore, the barrier between God and people has been removed. Paul's driving passion is for all people to hear, believe, and receive the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation. Since Christ gave his life for us, we are no longer our own. We ought to live for the one who died for us and was raised (II Corinthians 5:15).
Paul's perspective has been transformed. He no longer views anyone "according to the flesh" (II Corinthians 5:16), meaning he doesn't evaluate people based on outward appearances but on their eternal destinies. In fact, we shouldn't evaluate Christ from a worldly perspective. He is more than just a crucified first-century Jewish man; rather, he is the risen Savior and King.
II Corinthians 5:17 is a cornerstone of Christian theology: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." If you are a Christian, you have been born again and share in the divine nature. God has brought about a spiritual transformation inside of you, and your identity is tied to your new birth. You are no longer who you once were and are called to live in accordance with your new identity.
This newness comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ (II Corinthians 5:18). And as those who have been reconciled, we have been given the "ministry of reconciliation." Every believer has a mission: to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are "ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is an officially designated representative authorized to speak on behalf of the country that sent him. Since we are Christ’s ambassadors, God is making his appeal through us. We are to share the message of reconciliation, urging all sinners to be reconciled to God because, through the atoning work of Christ, he is not counting their trespasses against them (II Corinthians 5:19).
Paul concludes with a powerful statement about the exchange that takes place in salvation: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (II Corinthians 5:21). God the Father made his Son Jesus Christ who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. God offers human beings the deal of a lifetime. Jesus offers to give us his perfect righteousness. When you believe in Jesus as your substitutionary atonement, your sin is imputed (or credited) to Christ, and his righteousness is imputed to you. This is the glorious exchange that the gospel offers to everyone who will receive it.
Through Christ, God offers to credit our spiritual bank accounts with his own perfection. This is the glorious exchange that the gospel offers to everyone who will receive it.
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.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
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.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
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.
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.
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.
For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
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.
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.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
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.
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.
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.
II Corinthians 5 dives deep into the Christian experience, exploring themes of our earthly existence, eternal hope, and the compelling mission of reconciliation. Building on Paul's previous chapter where he spoke of suffering as a light and momentary affliction preparing believers for eternal glory (II Corinthians 4:17), this chapter provides profound insights into how we should live in light of eternity. This chapter emphasizes the transformation that occurs when someone is in Christ and the vital role believers play as ambassadors of reconciliation.
Our Earthly Tent and Eternal Home (II Corinthians 5:1-5)
Paul begins by using the metaphor of a "tent" to describe our physical bodies. He acknowledges the temporary nature of our earthly existence. These bodies, he says, are not meant to last. They are subject to decay and limitation. As II Corinthians 5:1 states, "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." This isn't a morbid focus on death, but a hopeful anticipation of something far greater.
While living in these "tents," Paul admits that we "groan" (II Corinthians 5:2). This groaning reflects a longing for our permanent home with God, a desire for our resurrection bodies. Ecclesiastes 3:11 speaks of God putting "eternity in [our] hearts," explaining this deep-seated yearning. We ache for the everlasting because God created us to last forever.
Paul doesn't want life to simply end (II Corinthians 5:4). Instead, he desires our mortality to be "swallowed up by life." Death, for the believer, is not an end but a transition, a gateway to a fuller, richer existence.
How do we know this is true? God has given us the Holy Spirit as a "down payment," a guarantee of what is to come (II Corinthians 5:5). The Spirit is a tangible assurance of our future inheritance, a taste of the glory that awaits us.
Walking by Faith, Pleasing God (II Corinthians 5:6-10)
Paul acknowledges a tension: while we live in our earthly bodies, we are "away from the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:6). We haven't yet fully experienced the glory that will be revealed when we are in God's presence. Paul himself longed to be "at home with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8).
Until that day, however, we are called to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). This means living based on what God's Word teaches us to believe, even when it contradicts what we see with our physical eyes. As Paul previously stated in II Corinthians 4:18, "We do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Therefore, we must live based on what God’s Word teaches us to believe instead of on what we can see. We walk by faith, trusting that God is telling the truth. Though we can’t see the eternal realities that he has promised, we act—living heavenly in a hellish world—because we are confident in him.
Regardless of circumstances, Paul's aim was to be pleasing to the Lord in all aspects of his life (II Corinthians 5:9). He understood that one day, every believer will stand before the "judgment seat of Christ" (II Corinthians 5:10), also known as the bēma. This isn't a judgment to determine salvation, but an evaluation of our faithfulness, a reckoning for what we have done in the body, "whether good or evil." Rewards will be granted or denied based on how we have lived for Christ. There will be no hiding on that day, and no action will be overlooked.
The Ministry of Reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:11-21)
Knowing he would appear before the judgment seat of Christ, Paul lived in the "fear of the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:11). He took God seriously and was earnest about the ministry God had given him. He sought to persuade people to believe in King Jesus and submit their lives to his kingdom agenda.
Paul emphasizes that his motivation isn't self-promotion, but a genuine desire for the Corinthians to understand the authentic nature of his ministry (II Corinthians 5:12). He clarifies that his actions are for God’s glory and their edification (II Corinthians 5:13).
The love of Christ compels Paul (II Corinthians 5:14). Christ died for all, paying the penalty for all sin. Therefore, the barrier between God and people has been removed. Paul's driving passion is for all people to hear, believe, and receive the good news of forgiveness and reconciliation. Since Christ gave his life for us, we are no longer our own. We ought to live for the one who died for us and was raised (II Corinthians 5:15).
Paul's perspective has been transformed. He no longer views anyone "according to the flesh" (II Corinthians 5:16), meaning he doesn't evaluate people based on outward appearances but on their eternal destinies. In fact, we shouldn't evaluate Christ from a worldly perspective. He is more than just a crucified first-century Jewish man; rather, he is the risen Savior and King.
II Corinthians 5:17 is a cornerstone of Christian theology: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." If you are a Christian, you have been born again and share in the divine nature. God has brought about a spiritual transformation inside of you, and your identity is tied to your new birth. You are no longer who you once were and are called to live in accordance with your new identity.
This newness comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ (II Corinthians 5:18). And as those who have been reconciled, we have been given the "ministry of reconciliation." Every believer has a mission: to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are "ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is an officially designated representative authorized to speak on behalf of the country that sent him. Since we are Christ’s ambassadors, God is making his appeal through us. We are to share the message of reconciliation, urging all sinners to be reconciled to God because, through the atoning work of Christ, he is not counting their trespasses against them (II Corinthians 5:19).
Paul concludes with a powerful statement about the exchange that takes place in salvation: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (II Corinthians 5:21). God the Father made his Son Jesus Christ who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. God offers human beings the deal of a lifetime. Jesus offers to give us his perfect righteousness. When you believe in Jesus as your substitutionary atonement, your sin is imputed (or credited) to Christ, and his righteousness is imputed to you. This is the glorious exchange that the gospel offers to everyone who will receive it.
Through Christ, God offers to credit our spiritual bank accounts with his own perfection. This is the glorious exchange that the gospel offers to everyone who will receive it.