2 Coríntios 5
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 5
Spurgeon - Many people are in a great fright about the future, yet here Paul is viewing the worst thing that could happen to him (death) with such complacency that he likens it to nothing worse than the pulling down of tent in which he was making shift to reside for a little season. Believers of all people should be living in preparation for dying which is the way Paul lived (cp Gal 2:20+)! I like the way Spurgeon so aptly described this style of "living" "No man would find it difficult to die who died every day. (ED: cf Mk 8:34+, Lk 9:23+) He would have practised it so often, that he would only have to die but once more; like the singer who has been through his rehearsals, and is perfect in his part, and has but to pour forth the notes once for all, and have done." (Amen!) J I Packer asks the question we all do well to answer..."How many Christians live their lives packed up and ready to go?" Craig Keener - Greek writers described the body as a vessel, a house, a tent and often as a tomb; Paul says that a better body awaits. (IVP Bible Background Commentary) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it well noting that "If a philosophy of life cannot help me to die, then in a sense it cannot help me to live." Matt Postiff - Certainly we should conclude from this section that it is not wise to focus too much on our present existence, given its temporary nature. What hope we have! "Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house on it." - Indian Proverb TECHNICAL NOTE ON "WE" = Editorial we. One has to check the context of each use to see whether the writer intends it to be an "editorial we" or a literal "we" in the sense of describing the writer plus his associates (as Paul clearly does in 1Th 1:2) The use of the first-person plural (we) for the first-person singular (I). Also called the epistolary plural and literary plural. Click here for more detailed discussion by Daniel Wallace in Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics - page 394 THOUGHT - Let the significance of what "we know" sink deep into your soul and renew your mind. Knowing these truths that speak of our future should motivate and energize our present passing life. Believers can live with a "Pauline" like anticipation even in times of affliction and trial because we know. We know that what is seen is temporal but what is coming and now unseen is eternal. As one has said "Until you are ready to die, you are not really ready to live." "We are more sure to arise out of our graves than out of our beds." -- Thomas Watson We have a building (oikodome) from God, a house (oikos) not made with hands (acheiropoietos), eternal (aionios) in the heavens - Paul is painting a dramatically contrasting picture (present body vs resurrection body) = (1) tent vs building, (2) natural bodies (implied) vs supernatural bodies (made without hands), (3) temporal (implied) vs eternal, (4) on earth vs in heaven. We (remember that includes you dear reader!) have is the verb echo (have, possess, hold) in the present tense meaning we continually possess this sure prophetic promise of a building from God. Building from God is a metaphor for our resurrection bodies (1Co 15:44), not our heavenly home, the latter described by Jesus in Jn 14:2-3 (A number of commentaries favor it to be our "home" but context is king in interpretation and clearly Paul is taking about literal bodies not literal buildings!). Our future possession is so sure Paul uses the present tense to speak of it as if it were already in our possession, for we look with the eye of faith not at the temporal but the eternal! (2Co 4:18). In a very real sense "We possess the title (deed) to it (the building from God) now by faith. “Faith is the title-deed (hupostasis) to things hoped for” (Heb 11:1+). Paul wants to be sure that his readers knew this truth about the future to allow us to live in light of the truth about this present life. Not made with hands (supernatural, miraculous) simply amplifies from God and speaks of ""what is spiritual, transcendent, and eternal, not to what is earthly, physical, and temporal." (MacArthur) The same Greek word (acheiropoietos) is used by Paul in Col 2:11+ to describe the supernatural "circumcision made without hands" when the Spirit caused us to be born again. The third and final use of acheiropoietos was by Jesus in Mk 14:58+ describing His own body to be resurrected after 3 days - "I will build another made without hands"! Eternal describes our resurrection body which is not a temporal body but is among the things unseen (2Co 4:18). In short our temporal earthly body we have now is soon to be replaced by an eternal heavenly body, a body perfectly supernaturally outfitted to handle the glories of heaven! Maranatha! This world is not my home, I am just a passin' through, My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue, The angels beckon me from Heaven's golden shore, And I can't feel at home in this world any more. Postiff on from God - Just like the body of the first man was created by God as recorded in Genesis, and just like God formed us (Jer. 1:5, Isa 44:2, Isa 44:24, Isa 49:5), He also is the designer and builder of the resurrection body. (Sermon)
2 Coríntios 5
Spurgeon - Is not this grand courage on the part of the apostle? With all the world against him, and himself “alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake,” he looks at the new body, the new house that God is making for him, and he reckons that, to shuffle off this mortal coil will be no loss to him, since, when he loses the tent in which he lives here, he will go to “a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Spurgeon - Our affliction is light compared with the glory that is so soon to be revealed to us and in us. How soon our mortal life must end! But does the brevity of life cause us any anxiety? Oh, no! “We have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.” And once we reach that blest abode of all the saints and look back on our earthly experiences, we will feel that any affliction we had to endure was light, indeed, compared with the unutterable bliss that will then be our eternal portion George Bernard Shaw remarked, “The statistics on death have not changed. One out of one person dies.” Rod Mattoon summarizes 2Co 5:1-4 - What is Paul saying here? This section is a very difficult one to understand and there are a variety of opinions about it. Here is my opinion. The promise of a heavenly body caused Paul and other believers to groan for it. What an appropriate description... "groan." Doctors today make their living listening to groaning tents. A dermatologist tries to keep the canvass of our tent in good shape. The family doctor spends his life patching up and stitching up this tent of ours. The orthopedic doctor tries to keep our tent legs from pulling loose. Someone once asked John Quincy Adams how he was personally doing. Adams replied, "I am very well, thank you. However, the house in which John Adams lives, is growing old. The thatch is wearing thin, and it trembles in every gale. I think John Quincy Adams will have to soon move out, but he himself is very well, sir." We groan, especially as we get older. Why do we groan? We groan today, as they did back then, because we feel the pains associated with mortality, namely our physical limitations, sickness, heartaches, and the increasing disabilities that accompany advancing age. We groan also because of the stress, mess, tests, unrest, and distress of this life. How many times in frustration or great stress have we said or felt, "Lord, just go ahead and take me home! Lord, please come today and get me out of here!" The Christian does not groan in his or her present body because he or she wants to get rid of it. We really are not going around hoping, begging, or longing to die today! We groan because we long to receive the immortal heavenly bodies that God has promised us. God's promises of something better make us dissatisfied with what we have now. We are yearning and pining for what we don't have right now, but what we will have someday. Paul said he "earnestly desired" his glorified body. He longed or pined for it. Having put on our heavenly bodies, we will not be naked. In other words, we will not be spirits without bodies. In this body that we have, we groan because we are burdened, weighed down or pressed by the pressures of this life. We groan, not because we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us now. We groan because we want to put on our new glorified body so that our earthly decaying body will be swallowed up by life eternal in Heaven. Not only the promise of a glorified body, but pining for it and the blessings of Heaven will help us to keep one eye on eternity. (2 Corinthians - Treasures from 2 Corinthians 1-7) ILLUSTRATION - SAFELY HOME - Eric Barker, a missionary from Great Britain, spent over 50 years in Portugal preaching the Gospel, often under adverse conditions. During World War II, the situation became so critical that he was advised to send his wife and eight children to England for safety. His sister and her three children were also evacuated on the same ship. Although his beloved relatives were forced to leave, he remained behind to carry on the work. On the Lord's Day following their departure, Pastor Barker stood before his congregation and said, "I've just received word that all my family have arrived safely home!" He then proceeded with the service as usual. Later, the full meaning of his words became known to his people. He had been handed a wire just before the church service informing him that a submarine had torpedoed the ship, and everyone on board had drowned. He knew that because all were believers they had reached a more "desired home." Although overwhelmed with grief, he managed by the grace of God to live above his circumstances and to stay on the firing line for Jesus Christ. The knowledge that his family was enjoying the bliss of Heaven comforted his heart and helped him to keep one eye on eternity. Keeping one eye on eternity involves the promise of a new body. Secondly, it involves pining for our new body. Notice verses two through four (2Co 5:2-4). (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from 2 Corinthians, Volume 1 - online). Illustration - Over the triple doorways of the Cathedral of Milan there are three inscriptions spanning the splendid arches. Over one is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath is the legend, “All that which pleases is but for a moment.” Over the other is sculptured a cross, and there are the words, “All that which troubles us is but for a moment.” But underneath the great central entrance to the main aisle is the inscription, “That only is important which is eternal.” If we realize these three truths, we will not let trifles trouble us, nor be interested so much in the passing pageants of the hour. We would live, as we do not now, for the permanent and eternal (See 2Co 4:17 18+). R. C. Gillie. The words often on Jesus’ lips in His last days express vividly the idea, “going to the Father.” We, too, who are Christ’s people, have vision of something beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life. We are journeying towards fulfillment, completion, expansion of life. We, too, are “going to the Father.” Much is dim concerning our home-country, but two things are clear. It is home, “the Father’s House.” It is the nearer presence of the Lord. We are all wayfarers, but the believer knows it and accepts it. He is a traveller, not a settler. How beautiful must be our future home - A little girl was taking an evening walk with her father. Wonderingly, she looked up at the stars and exclaimed: "Oh, Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!" C H Spurgeon - OUR EARTHLY HOUSE. 2 Corinthians 5:1 This poor body of ours, which at times is so full of aches and pains, will one day be taken away to make room for a more glorious one. This one is getting worn–out; some parts of it have already fallen away. It is like a very old lath and plaster building, which cannot last much longer and seldom stands to the end of the ninety–nine year lease. It soon crumbles and, by–and–by with all of us, the old house will fall to pieces and be done with. Shall we then worry? Shall our soul cry concerning the body, “Alas my sister! Alas my brother”? No! “He takes away the first that He may establish the second” (Heb. 10:9). As we have carried the image of the earthly in this body of humiliation, we will, in the second condition of this body, carry the image of the heavenly. “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:42–44). “He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” And what a glorious second that will be! Our resurrection body will know no pain, no weariness, no weakness, no sign of disease, no sin, and no possibility of corruption or death. Well may we sing: O glorious hour! O blessed abode! Since this poor body will be made like the glorious body of Christ Jesus our Savior, let the first body go, without a murmur or a sigh. Vance Havner - THE TENT AND THE BUILDING 2 Corinthians 5:1. I awake each morning to find myself still in this old body in this old world. But shortly I put off this old tent and then await my new home, my new resurrection body. Paul longed for that new garment, his "Easter outfit." He does not have the resurrection body yet and there is much about the intermediate state of the spirits now absent from the body and present with the Lord that we do not understand, but the soul does not sleep. Paul was not anticipating sleep, but to be with Christ which is far better. "ONE OF FIVE HEADING HOME" For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have . . . an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 A story in our local newspaper one day during World War II was captioned: "One of Five Heading Home." The account, pertaining to my family, stated that Peter, a Marine (one of five of us who were in the service), was coming home on an extended furlough after years of almost continuous frontline combat duty. My parents were deeply grateful that God had spared his life, for he, more than the rest of us, had been exposed to a great deal of danger. While he was here, however, a tragedy occurred. A telegram came which bore sad tidings. Another son, Cornelius, who was only 20 years old, had died as a result of antiaircraft fire while on a bombing mission! My father and mother received the news calmly because they knew the Savior, and were assured that His will was always best. They were confident that their son had gone to be with the Lord. One member of the family exclaimed, "How true that caption in the newspaper the other day: 'One of Five Heading Home'!" What a blessing to have the comfort of the Scriptures at a time like that! As a pastor I have seen many leave this world to be with Jesus without expressing any fear. They too recognize that Heaven is Home! It is our Father's house of many mansions (John 14:2). It is the place where we shall meet our Elder Brother (Heb. 2: 17), and where loved ones who died in Christ will once again be reunited. Tender ties, severed by death, will there be re-established, never to be broken again. New friendships also will be made, for we shall meet the saints of all the ages. We there-fore have a deep and rich comfort in the midst of our grief. Al-though we mourn, we sorrow not as the worldly man, for we know we shall meet our dear ones again in God's bright and blessed tomorrow! We are but strangers here, Heaven is our Home; Earth is a desert drear, Heaven is our Home. —T. R. Taylor Heaven, the "haven of the happy," is best spelled "H-O-M-E"! —Bosch MORTALITY SWALLOWED UP OF LIFE -- 2Co 5:1. THIS CHAPTER begins with We know. There is no shadow of uncertainty. From first to last it is saturated with unwavering conviction. When it was written Faith and Hope had almost faded out of the world. Men and women were groping in the wilderness of atheism, with no star in their sky, and no oasis in their march. In the midst of a decadent civilization and vanished hope, Paul, and others who stood with him, dared to avow that there were certain facts of which man might be absolutely sure. They were not proved by argument or analogy, but discerned by the Spirit's intuition, and proved by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must always distinguish between theories, which change with the various moods of human thought, and the eternal facts, which are established on solid testimony, and are as steadfast as the Throne of the Eternal. "We know"--there was an accent of certainty in those words, which changed the outlook of the world! God's Objective. It is an immense help in this human life to know the direction in which God's fiery cloud or pillar is leading us. If only we can get a clue to what God is meaning in our life, it will smooth out many perplexities and disentangle many a ravelled skein. What is God doing for you and me? The Apostle answers--He is endeavouring to bring it about that our mortality may be swallowed up of life. God wants to wipe out in each of us all traces of the Fall. It is His purpose to eliminate everything which brands us as members of an exiled race, so that our mortality, whether of spirit, soul, or body, may be swallowed up by Life--"the life of which our veins are scant, the life for which our spirits pant, more life and fuller!" Think of it! For thee, and me, and all who have been translated from the region of darkness, and brought into the Kingdom of the Son of His Love! Mortality engulfed in Life! We cannot fathom it! We know not what we shall be, we only know that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Such is God's objective. He is working for us and in us, for this very thing! PRAYER Carry me over this last long mile, Man of Nazareth, Christ for me! Speak to me out of the silent night, That my spirit may know, as onward I go, That Thy pierced hands Are lifting me over the ford. AMEN. A W Tozer - Blessedness to Come (2 Corinthians 5:1) A lot of people talk about going to heaven in spite of the feeble hope popular religion affords. Any valid hope of a state of blessedness beyond the incident of death must be in the goodness of God and in the work of atonement accomplished for us by Jesus Christ on the Cross. The deep, deep love of God is the fountain out of which flows our future beatitude; and the grace of God in Christ is the channel by which it reaches us. The Cross of Christ creates a moral situation where every attribute of God is on the side of the returning sinner. The true Christian may safely look forward to a future state that is as happy as perfect love wills it to be. Since love cannot desire for its object anything less than the fullest possible measure of enjoyment for the longest possible time, it is virtually beyond our power to conceive of a future as consistently delightful as that which Christ is preparing for us. And who is to say what is possible with God? David Jeremiah - THE LAST LECTURE -- 2 CORINTHIANS 5:1 When Professor Randy Pausch learned he was dying of pancreatic cancer, he gave a talk to his students at Carnegie Mellon University. His presentation circulated widely on the Internet, and then it was published in his book titled The Last Lecture. In an interview with Reader’s Digest, Pausch said that his life was measured now in months, not years, and that he simply wanted to do what good he could do “on my way out of the building.” That’s reminiscent of Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 5. We’re laboring now in an earthly tent that is passing away, but we have an eternal house in the heavens. We don’t know if our remaining days on earth are measured in years, months, weeks, or minutes. Our times are in His hands, and our goal is to do all the good we can on our way out of the tent: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (verse 9). JOHN WESLEY - Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, in all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave Awaits alike the inevitable hour The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Gray's Elegy HOW ARE YOU TODAY? Wilfred Yoder is one of the most enthusiastic Christians I know, even though he has suffered with the pain of arthritis for many years. When people greet him and inquire, "How are you today?" he cheerfully answers, "Just fine!" Those who know of his pain sometimes question his sincerity. "How can you say you're fine when you're in so much pain?" Wilfred's standard response is: "How I feel has very little to do with how I am. You see, the part of me that hurts is just a shell, not the real me, and the real me is just fine!" What Wilfred calls a shell, Paul called a tent (2 Cor. 5:1). And the "real me" that Wilfred refers to, the apostle called the inward man (2Co 4:16). Although Wilfred's earthly tent is painful and perishing, he realizes that it is after all just a temporary housing for the inward man. One day he will exchange it for his permanent home awaiting him in heaven. That is his confidence. But until then, the inward Wilfred is conscious of being renewed daily. How are you today? Is your tent drooping? Remember, if Christ is your Savior and Lord, a perfect body awaits you one day. But until then, no matter what's on the outside, on the inside we can say, "I'm just fine!" -- Joanie E. Yoder Just a few more days left for toiling, Just a few more nights, dark and cold, Then our tents will be folded forever-- We shall trade them for mansions of gold. -- Meadows Although our body is perishing, our spirit can be flourishing. Vance Havner on We know - A doctor friend of mine gave me a book composed of the statements of faith, or rather of the lack of faith, of many prominent writers. I read it awhile and was growing rather weary of it when the radio began to broadcast from somewhere those precious lines of that great hymn: Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me. I threw down the book and said, "Thank God, I don't have to read such guesswork." 1. "1 know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). 2. "If any man will do his will, he shall know the doctrine" (John 7:17). 3. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). 4. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (I John 3:14). 5. "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). 6. "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 Cor. 5:1). Spurgeon on WE KNOW in 2 Corinthians 5:1 - When I was a boy it would have seemed odd to me to meet with a man who gloried in being an ignoramus, and yet that is the Latin for that Greek word ‘agnostic.’ Is it not singular to hear a man boastfully say, ‘I am an ignoramus’? How different is our apostle! He says ‘we know’. How did he know? First, Paul knew that he had a Father in heaven, for he felt the spirit of sonship; he knew also that his Father had a house, and he was certain that if ever he lost the tent in which he lived he should be sure to be welcomed into his own Father’s house above. How do our children know that if ever they are in need of a house they can come home to us? Did they learn that from their tutors at school? No, their childhood’s instinct teaches them that our house is their home, just as chickens run under the mother-hen without needing to be trained. Because they are our children they feel that as long as we have a house they have a house too; Paul, therefore, unhesitatingly said, ‘We know’; and we know the same through like confidence in our Father’s love. In the house of the many mansions we feel quite sure of a hearty welcome in due time. Shut out from our Father’s home we cannot be! Houseless wanderers while our royal Father dwells in his palace we cannot be! We are not merely hopeful on this matter, but certain; and therefore we say, ‘I know.’ Paul knew, again, that he had an elder brother, and that this brother had gone before to see to the lodging of the younger brethren. Paul remembered that Jesus had said, ‘I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’ So Paul had no question whatever. Doorway to Heaven We are . . . well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. — 2 Corinthians 5:8 Today's Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 In his book God Cares for You, Walter B. Knight gives this account of the memorial service in 1929 for the widely known Bible teacher and author F. B.
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Spurgeon - SWALLOWED UP. 2 Corinthians 5:4 While some of us rejoice in the prospect of heaven, the thought of death is sometimes surrounded with gloom. It cannot be an easy thing to go down to the chill darkness of the river, to have the soul separated from the body, to leave this earthly tabernacle behind. Death sometimes has a hideous appearance. Even the apostle Paul shuddered at it when he said, “For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life” (2 Cor. 5:4). Death seems a bitter pill, and unless it is swallowed up in a victory that takes away the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:54), the hour of death will be too bitter. Would you agree that our thoughts of gloom about death arise from forgetting that Jesus will be there with us? If our faith could see Jesus making our bed in sickness and then standing by our side in the last solemn article, to conduct us safely through the iron gates, would we not look on death in a different light? You know how Isaac Watts put it: Oh! If my Lord would come and meet, My soul should stretch her wings in haste, Fly fearless through death’s iron gate, Nor feel the terrors as she passed. Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, While on His breast I lean my head, And breathe my life out sweetly there. 2 Corinthians 5:5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. prepared: 2Co 4:17 Isa 29:23 60:21 61:3 Eph 2:10 pledge: 2Co 1:22 Nu 13:23 24 25 26 27 Ro 8:23 Eph 1:13,14 4:30 1Jn 3:24 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Corinthians 1:22+ (HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR PLEDGE) who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. Ephesians 1:13-14+ (HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR PLEDGE In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. 1 Corinthians 6:19+ (HOLY SPIRIT INDWELLING BELIEVER'S) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Romans 5:5+ (HOLY SPIRIT INDWELLING BELIEVER'S) and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 8:9+ (HOLY SPIRIT INDWELLING BELIEVER'S) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. FOR IN DEPTH COMMENT ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:5 A DIVINE DOWN PAYMENT How do we know our glorious future in a glorified body is guaranteed? How can we face death with confidence and without fear of what will follow our last breath? Paul's answer is that God has made "a Divine Down Payment," so to speak. Now He who prepared (katergazomai - same verb "producing" in 2Co 4:17+) us for this very purpose is God - Amplified - "Now He Who has fashioned us [preparing and making us fit] for this very thing is God." Prepared is aorist tense indicating at a point in time in the past God prepared our future. Paul has been in essence speaking prophecy, telling us what the future holds for believers. What purpose? "mortal… swallowed up by life" = The reception of our glorified resurrection bodies which will endure throughout eternity. Stated another way God's ultimate purpose for believers is their glorification (cf "conformed to the image of His Son" in Ro 8:29+). With this statement Paul emphasizes that this crowning result of provision of resurrection clothing is all from God (cf Jn 6:37-40). As Paul explained in 1Co 15:49+ "Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." The somewhat free paraphrase in the Message conveys the essence of Paul's point - "The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less." MacArthur sums up how God prepared us - In eternity past, God sovereignly chose believers for salvation; in time, he redeemed them; in the future, He will give them their glorified, resurrection bodies. The phrase for this very purpose emphatically states that believers obtain their glorified bodies in fulfillment of God’s sovereign plan from all eternity, bound up in His elective decree (Ed: cp similar promise in Ro 8:28, 29, 30+)....God’s glorious purpose for believers stretches from eternity to eternity. It was planned in eternity past and will be fulfilled in eternity future; time is but a fleeting moment in the middle. No matter what level of spiritual maturity they attain or how effectively they serve God, the divine purpose will only be fulfilled in a glorified body. (2 Corinthians Commentary)
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Spurgeon - “So the Holy Spirit is a part of heaven itself. The work of the Holy Spirit in the soul is the bud of heaven. Grace is not a thing which will be taken away from us when we enter glory, but will develop into glory. Grace will not be withdrawn as though it had answered its purpose, but will be matured into glory. Paul Barnett makes an interesting point about the role of the Spirit in our present longing for future glory - Our longing for the life of the new age does not arise from within us. (ED: EXCELLENT POINT - IT IS THE SPIRIT WHO GIVES US THE DESIRE - SEE Php 2:13NLT+)....By the Spirit, who belongs to the new age, but whom God has given us now, we are being prepared for our new dwelling, our new apparel. The presence of the Spirit within us is signified by the deep longing believers experience for their future with God. Our ‘sighing’ for it is inspired by the Spirit, who, however, is not yet present in his fullness; that is reserved for the coming age. (Bible Speaks Today - 2 Cor) (Bolding added) Net Notes - In the “already - not yet” scheme of the NT the possession of the Spirit now by believers (“already”) can be viewed as a guarantee that God will give them the balance of the promised blessings in the future (“not yet”). Matthew
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Spurgeon - EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT—the Pledge of Heaven - IN the early times when land was sold, the owner cut a turf from the greensward and cast it into the cap of the purchaser as a token that it was his; or he tore off the branch of a tree and put it into the new owner’s hand to show that he was entitled to all the products of the soil; and when the purchaser of a house received seizin (the law accounts as something to be possessed) or possession, the key of the door, or a bundle of thatch plucked from the roof, signified that the building was yielded up to him. The God of all grace has given to his people all the perfections of heaven to be their heritage for ever, and the earnest of his Spirit is to them the blessed token that all things are theirs. The Spirit’s work of comfort and sanctification is a part of heaven’s covenant blessings, a turf from the soil of Canaan, a twig from the tree of life, the key to mansions in the skies. Possessing the earnest of the Spirit we have received seizin of heaven. (Feathers for arrows) F B
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Spurgeon says "The exile longs to return, the child pines for his father’s house, and so do we pant for our own dear country beyond the river, and sigh for the bosom of Jesus." Horatius Bonar - How soon shall the present night be forgotten in the brightness of endless day! How quickly shall the curse give place to the blessing, barrenness be exchanged for fruitfulness, and all pollution be swept clean away! Martin Luther - I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joys and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years. Beyond this vale of tears There is a life above; Unmeasured by the flight of years, And all that life is love. - James Montgomery 2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight-- 2Co 1:24 4:18 De 12:9 Ro 8:24,25 1Co 13:12 Ga 2:20 Heb 10:38 Heb 11:1-26,27 1Pe 1:8 5:9 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FOR IN DEPTH COMMENT ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:8 Related Passages: Galatians 2:20+ (PAUL LIVED BY FAITH) “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Hebrews 10:38 (HOW BELIEVERS ARE TO LIVE IN THIS PRESENT AGE) BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. Hebrews 11:1+ (NOT BY SIGHT) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Romans 8:24+ (LIVING IN HOPE BY FAITH) For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? MEANTIME LIVING For (gar) - Here Paul explains the statement he had just made in verse 6. How could he always be full of courage? How could he live ("walk") here on earth knowing he was absent from the Lord? This verse instructs us on how to live in the meantime, so I like to call it "meantime living" which is the time between one occurrence (temporary life on earth) and another (eternal life in heaven). Paul is explaining the nature of our present life during which we are absent from the physical presence of our Lord. Paul's point is during this present short (emphasize "short" - see Chan's rope illustration) earthly life (while absent from the Lord), "the blessed realities of the life to come must be accepted by faith." (Kent) In short, Paul explains that the entire Christian life is one lived by faith, not by sight. Kruse says 2Co 5:7 is "A parenthetic statement following v. 6 before picking up the main stream of thought again in v. 8" Murray Harris - This verse may be termed a parenthesis (in the technical sense), since it is complete in itself, is connected with the preceding statement by way of explanation (γάρ), and obstructs the grammatical flow of v. 6. This is confirmed by the repetition of θαρρεῖν and the insertion of a resumptive δέ in v. 8, measures which prevent the parenthesis from obscuring the flow of thought. (NIGTC)
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Spurgeon says "Those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this—"I believe in myself," whereas walking by faith is, "I believe in God."
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Spurgeon - The apostle mentions here a great general principle. Walking implies the possession of life. We can make a dead person sit in a certain position, but to walk necessitates the possession of inward life. It is appropriate, therefore, to ask whether one has the life of God within. In the sense that the term “walk” is here used, the ungodly person does not walk at all. Walking is also a position that signifies activity. As genuine Christians we do not merely learn; we practice what we know. We are to be engaged in displaying to others the blessings we have received and are to exhibit in our daily actions the fruits we have gathered from communion with God. “We walk” is more than some can say. They can affirm, “we talk; we think; we experience; we feel”—but true Christians say, “We walk.” Walking also implies progress. A person who walks makes some headway. True believers are always making advances; we are to be going from faith in its beginnings to faith in its perfections, waxing stronger and stronger. There is a progress to be made in every Christian grace. Persons who do not make any headway give cause for suspicion as to whether they know much about the divine life at all. Walking also implies perseverance. When a person only takes a step or two and then stops, we do not call that walking. The true Christian keeps on going. Further, walking is the ordinary manner of the Christian life. Running is not best for progress; it cannot be kept up for long; it fatigues and tires. But walking is that kind of progress in which a person continues hour after hour, and after a night’s rest he rises again to walk on as before, until reaching the goal. This text also contrasts two principles: walking by faith and walking by sight. We naturally walk by sight. But any child or fool can walk by sight. There is something exceedingly ignorant about believing only what can be seen. Even in common life, the eyes cannot see nine out of ten things that are the most wonderful. And this is most decidedly the case with regard to spiritual things. Further, walking by sight is a deceptive way of walking. The eyes do not see anything, and they often deceive. And again, the principle of sight is a changeable one. We can see well enough in the day, but what do we do in the night when we cannot see? The principle of faith does best in the dark. And those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this—“I believe in myself.” Whereas walking by faith is this—“I believe in God.” Lastly, a caution is implied in the text: we are never to mix the two principles—“We walk by faith, not by sight.” CARVING OUT DOWN HERE FOR UP THERE! - (Illustration of walking by faith) One day, a preacher who had lost his family in a tragic fire was walking through town. His mind was troubled by questions related to faith. In fact, because of his tragedy, he was seriously thinking about quitting on the Lord. He wondered how a God, Whom he had thought was so good, could allow something so terrible to happen to him and his family. As he walked, he passed a construction site where a huge cathedral was being built. As he watched the men work, he noticed one man carving a small triangle out of granite with a chisel and a hammer. The preacher called out to the stone mason and asked him what he was making. The workman stopped and pointed to a place near the top of that great cathedral. He said, “Do you see that tiny, open triangle near the top of the roof?” The preacher answered, “Yes.” “Well, said the workman, “I am carving this out down here so that it will fit in up there.” Then the preacher understood what God was doing. The Lord was merely carving him out down here so that he would fit in up there. Friend, our trials were not sent to destroy us, but to shape us for His glory (2Co 4:17-+, Ro 8:18-+, 1Pe 1:6, 7-+, 1Pe 4:12, 13-+). WATER BUG WORLD - A colony of small water-bugs living in a pond noticed that every once in a while one of their fellow bugs would climb up a lily stem and never be seen again. They agreed that if this should ever happen to one of them, they would return to tell the others about their journey Sure enough, the day came when one of the bugs found himself going up the stalk and crawling onto the lily pad at the top. He fell asleep in the warm sunshine, and when he awakened he stretched himself, only to hear a crackling sound as his old outer coat fell off. He sensed that somehow he was larger, cleaner, and freer than ever before. Spreading his wings, he flew into the air as a beautiful green dragonfly. Suddenly he remembered his promise. But then he realized why none of the others had ever returned. He couldn't go back and tell his friends what to expect because he was no longer a part of their world. Besides, one day they too would experience the wonderful freedom he now enjoyed. SEEING AROUND CORNERS - We often wish we could see what lies around the corner in life. Then we could prepare for it, control it, or avoid it. A wise person has said, "Though we can't see around corners, God can!" How much better and more reassuring that is! Recently my 10-year-old granddaughter Emily and I were boiling eggs for breakfast. As we stared into the boiling water and wondered how long it would take to get the eggs just right, Emily said, "Pity we can't open them up to see how they're doing." I agreed! But that would have spoiled them, so we had to rely on guesswork, with no guarantee of results. We began talking about other things we would like to see but can't--like tomorrow. Too bad we can't crack tomorrow open, we said, to see if it's the way we would like it. But meddling with tomorrow before its time, like opening a partly cooked egg, would spoil both today and tomorrow. Because Jesus has promised to care for us every day--and that includes tomorrow--we can live by faith one day at a time (Mt. 6:33, 34). Though I know not what awaits me, What the future has in store, Yet I know the Lord is faithful, For I've proved Him oft before. --Anon. You're only cooking up trouble when you stew about tomorrow. 2 Corinthians 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Prefer rather: 2Co 5:6 12:2,3 Lu 2:29 Ac 21:13 Php 1:20-24 2Ti 4:7,8 2Pe 1:14,15 2Pe 3:11,12 present: 2Co 5:9 Ps 16:11 17:15 73:23-26 Mt 25:21,23 Joh 14:3 17:24 1Th 4:17,18 1Jn 3:2 Rev 7:14-17 22:3 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FOR IN DEPTH COMMENT ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:8 PAUL HAD FUTURE CONFIDENCE MIXED WITH "HEAVENLY HOMESICKNESS" We are of good courage (tharrheo - present tense - continually), I say - He repeats the fact that he has a cheerful, confident, courageous attitude in life toward death! Plummer comments that "Even the possibility of being left naked (ED: NOT EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE WILL BE SPIRITS WITHOUT BODY IN THIS INTERMEDIATE TIME - SEE TABLE) for a time loses its terrors, when it is remembered that getting away from the temporary shelter furnished by the body means getting home to closer converse with the Lord. (Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. 1915) And prefer (eudokeo - present tense - continually take delight) rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord - Paul admits that although he is of good courage, his desire was that he would rather be at home with the Lord. THOUGHT - Paul was "homesick for heaven"! All believers should have this same "sickness," for our time on earth as aliens and strangers is very fleeting ("Tempus Fugit")! We need to continually "Set (our) mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth, for (we) have died and (our) life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:2-3+, cf "Vertical Vision") Our cry should continually be "Maranatha!", the watchword for the early church to urge them to always be prepared for the imminent return of our Bridegroom! As Kruse says "to be at home with the Lord in the sense that then the Lord will be accessible to sight, and no longer accessible only to faith. In the words of 1 John 3:2, ‘we shall see him as he is’. The Christian’s heaven is to be with Christ, -- Charles Hodge McShane - During our time in the body we live in dependence upon One we love, but have never seen. But once we leave the body, that view of Christ by faith will give way to seeing Him face to face. A grasp of this makes dying lose its terror and causes us to join with Paul to say, “I have a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better”. Henry
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Spurgeon - WELL PLEASED. 2 Corinthians 5:8 The time is coming when we will die unless the Lord descends from heaven with a shout (1 Thess. 4:16). “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). Death is delicious to God’s people because Jesus is near. Through death we escape death. It is not death to die. When Jesus meets His saints, the iron gate is passed through, for in a moment the believers close their eyes on earth and open them in glory. Beloved, you should not fear death. Christ is with His people on their bed of weakness and even in their descent to the grave. This has been a great joy to many departing saints. Attended by a believing physician, a dying saint was whispering, so the physician placed his ear against the dying man’s lips and heard these words again and again, “Present with the Lord, present with the Lord, present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). When heart and flesh were failing, the departing one knew that God was the strength of his life and portion. So he chose for his soft, low, dying song, “Present with the Lord.” “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8): Death may my soul divide From this abode of clay; But love shall keep me near Thy side Through all the gloomy way. Spurgeon - PRESENT WITH THE LORD. 2 Corinthians 5:8 A dark shadow fell across my road, but I passed through it. I hardly realized it was there. Why? I had my eyes fixed on a strong light beyond, and I did not notice the distressing dark shadow. So much can believers rejoice in the presence of their Lord and Master that they do not notice death’s dark shadow. They can rest so sweetly in Jesus’ embrace that when they pass from one world into another it is like going from England to Scotland; it is all one kingdom, and one sun shines in both lands. Railway travelers often ask, “When do we pass from England to Scotland?” There is no jerk in the train’s movements and no broad boundary. You merely glide from one into the other and hardly know where the boundary lies. The believer’s eternal life glides from grace to glory without a break. We grow steadily from blade to ear and from ear to full corn. We will know when we arrive, but the passage may be so rapid that we will not see it. Earth to heaven may seem the greatest of journeys, but it ends in the twinkling of an eye. We shall pass death with no more than a glance. We shall go through the Jordan as if it were dry land. We will scarcely know that we have passed a river. Our body is left behind, and we are a disembodied spirit, but we will not see death. All the life we need in our soul is supplied by being one with Jesus. Meanwhile, our spirit is expecting that at the trumpet of the resurrection our body will be reunited with our soul (1 Thess. 4:16). “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Rev. Carl Burnham, beloved pastor of the Chapel on Fir Hill in Akron, Ohio, wrote in 1962, just prior to his Homegoing, “When I die, if my family wishes to inscribe anything on my gravestone, I would like it to be the promise of Jesus Christ in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” For in due season the springtime will arrive… Then, when the resurrection sings itself in the robin’s glad song, and bursting buds defy the death grip of winter, and you walk upon the yielding earth near my grave—remember that my soul is not there, but rather it is absent from the body, present with the Lord. And somewhere, the atoms that make up my brain, my heart—my body—will be sending out resurrection radiations of a frequency too high for any earthly Geiger counter to record. But if you place the meter of God’s Word alongside that cemetery plot and adjust the settings to Hebrews 13:5, you will receive this reading: “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” TRIUMPH IN DEATH - recall that there was a good man of God by the name of Samuel Rutherford, whose witness shone like a star in dark England in days gone by. He was a poet, an author, and a great preacher—a man who loved Jesus probably better than any man of his times. His convictions were unpopular and he was in trouble because he refused to conform his preaching to the dictates of the state church. When he was an old man, the officials decided to try him as a criminal because he would not submit to the rules of the state church. The date of his trial was set, and he was notified by Parliament that he must appear for trial. Rutherford knew that he was on his deathbed and so he wrote a letter in reply. He said, “Gentlemen, I have received your summons, but before I got yours, I received one from a higher source. Before the day of my trial, I will be over there where very few kings and great men ever come. Farewell!” That was Samuel Rutherford, witnessing to all of England that an entire new chapter awaits the Christian when our Lord says, “Welcome home!” MORE BEYOND - Alan Carr concludes his sermon with this illustration - Years ago, men used to sail around the Mediterranean and within the Mediterranean, that great sea. It is called the Mediterranean because the word literally means "the middle of the earth." Well every now and then they would go to the Straits of Gibraltar, and they would venture out a little way into the open sea, and then they would come back into the Straits of Gibraltar and back into the Mediterranean. That great Rock of Gibraltar, rising up out of the sea, had some caves, and the mariners would go into the caves and rest for awhile. They chiseled on the rocks of Gibraltar these words in Latin: "Ne plus ultra” which means "there is nothing beyond." As far as they knew, that was the stepping off place that was the end of the world. As far as they knew, their world ended with the Rock of Gibraltar. Then one day a man by the name of Christopher Columbus set sail. Columbus sailed west, came to a brand new world, discovered the Americas, came back and told people what he had seen. Well some mariners went back up to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar and they chiseled off the "Ne" and simply left the words "plus ultra." The inscription which before had read, “no more beyond," now simply said, "more beyond." I want to tell you, for everyone who has received the Lord Jesus, when you come to the end of the journey, there is more beyond, more than you could ever dream, more than you could ever imagine. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1Co 2:9, 10) (Carr adds that Our Future Home is a perfect place, a permanent place and a precious place - for exposition see full sermon) (I Feel Like Traveling On) EAGER FOR HEAVEN? (Philippians 1:21)After preaching about Heaven one night, a certain minister put this question to his congregation, "How many want to go to Heaven? If you do, stand right where you are." Without any hesitation, everyone in the auditorium jumped to his feet. The preacher then said, "And how many of you want to go right now?" Stunned by the thought of such an immediate departure, they all quickly settled back into their seats. Evidently they were not quite as anxious for Heaven as they thought. Are not many Christians just like that? They sing the hymn "Jesus May Come Today" with great enthusiasm, but would really prefer that His return were delayed long enough to allow the completion of some cherished plan. They talk about the wondrous and appealing beauty of their "Heavenly Home," while laboring for the things of this world as though they were going to be here forever. They claim to be eager to meet the Savior face to face, but they tremble at the thought of being ushered into His presence empty-handed, with unfinished business, unconfessed sins, and broken fellowship with other believers. Father, perfect our trust, O give us faith to see That death is now the door to life, And shall but set us free! —G. W. It is impossible to have real joy in the hope of Heaven and still be deeply engrossed in the pleasures of earth. The eighteenth-century English pastor Rowland Hill lived to a ripe old age. In fact, he outlived most of his friends. Missing them very much and anxious to join them on the other side, he grew more homesick for heaven with each passing day. It seemed so long since some of them had gone to glory that he would often jokingly say with a wink, "Do you think they'll remember me?" It was not unusual for him to go to some other believer well along in years with this request: "If you should go before I do, give my love to everyone. Be sure to tell them that old Rowley, although staying behind a little while, is coming on as fast as he can." For the Christian, death is not gloom but glory. A FAREWELL SYMPHONY - The young musicians hired to play for the Duke of Austria's summer festivities were ready to go home. Summer was over and they were tired, but the Duke kept them there. The brilliant classical composer Franz Joseph Haydn was sympathetic and offered to help them. So he composed a unique symphony that began with full orchestra. As the symphony progressed, fewer instruments were included in the score. One by one, as their parts were finished, the musicians took their instruments and walked off the stage. By the end of the composition, only two musicians remained—the first and second violinists playing a beautiful duet. The Duke got the point. Shortly afterward, he sent the grateful musicians home. To this day Haydn's Symphony No. 45 is known as Farewell Symphony (Play this beautiful piece and ponder that soon coming day when you will say "Farewell" and go into the eternal presence of your Lord) At death, God's children don't say "Goodbye" but "See you soon"! Spurgeon - WELL PLEASED 2 Corinthians 5:8 The time is coming when we will die unless the Lord descends from heaven with a shout (1 Th. 4:16). “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). Death is delicious to God’s people because Jesus is near. Through death we escape death. It is not death to die. When Jesus meets His saints, the iron gate is passed through, for in a moment the believers close their eyes on earth and open them in glory. Beloved, you should not fear death. Christ is with His people on their bed of weakness and even in their descent to the grave. This has been a great joy to many departing saints. Attended by a believing physician, a dying saint was whispering, so the physician placed his ear against the dying man’s lips and heard these words again and again, “Present with the Lord, present with the Lord, present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). When heart and flesh were failing, the departing one knew that God was the strength of his life and portion. So he chose for his soft, low, dying song, “Present with the Lord.” “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8): TAPS FOLLOWED BY REVEILLE! - Winston Churchill (1874-1965), former British prime minister, made specific requests regarding his funeral service. He asked that it begin with the playing of "Taps" the traditional military signal played at the end of the day or the end of life. But when Churchill's funeral service was over, those in attendance were startled to hear trumpets play the familiar strains of "Reveille" the stirring call that awakens the troops at the beginning of a new day. The end of the Christian's life is the beginning of a far better one! PLUCKED BY THE MASTER - Jesus is the joy and glory of Heaven; therefore we long to reach that blissful abode only in proportion to our deep, heartfelt love for Him. Paul, who had been caught up to the paradise of God for special revelations (2Cor 12:1-7), knew the joy and rapture of that happy place. Therefore, he speaks with eagerness of his longing to depart and to be with Christ, "which is far better." Oh, that we might grow in grace so that our earnest desires, too, would coincide with that of the apostle. If we but understood a little of the wonderful "pleasures" of the Father's right hand (Ps 16:11-+), we would more readily rejoice through our tears at the passing of our saved loved ones. A certain nobleman had a spacious garden which he left to the care of a faithful servant, whose delight it was to water the seeds, support the stalks of tender plants, and to do everything he could to make the estate a veritable paradise of flowers. One morning the gardener rose expecting to find his favorite blooms increased in loveliness. To his surprise and grief, he discovered that one of his choicest beauties had been rent from its stem. Looking around he missed from every bed the most beautiful of his flowers. Full of anxiety and anger, he hurried to his fellow servants and demanded who had thus robbed him of his treasures. He found no solace from his grief until someone told him, "The lord of the manor was walking in his garden this morning, and I saw him pluck them, and carry them away with a smile of joy." He realized then that he had no cause for sorrow. It was well that his master had been pleased to take "his own." Has the Savior plucked some favorite "rosebud" or lovely `bloom" from your "garden" and transported it to His Home above? Rejoice that your dear one is now so radiantly happy. The Master has but taken His own which in grace He lent to you for a few fleeting hours. Faith looks beyond the darkness of earth to the brightness of heaven when the Master plucks a rose. Death to the Christian is "gain" (Php 1:21+) because it means Heaven, holiness, happiness, and Him — Hallelujah! —Hertel 2 Corinthians 5:9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. we also have as our ambition Joh 6:27 Ro 15:20 1Co 9:26,27 15:58 Col 1:29 1Th 4:11 *Gr: 1Ti 4:10 Heb 4:11 2Pe 1:10,11 3:14 whether: 2Co 5:6,8 Ro 14:8 pleasing: Ge 4:7 Isa 56:7 Ac 10:35 Eph 1:6 Heb 12:28 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FOR IN DEPTH COMMENT ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:9 OUR SUMMUM BONUM: TO PLEASE GOD Summum bonum "is a Latin expression meaning the highest or ultimate good, which was introduced by the Roman philosopher Cicero to denote the fundamental principle on which some system of ethics is based — that is, the aim of actions, which, if consistently pursued, will lead to the best possible life." For a believer that summum bonum is to be pleasing to the Lord! Ambition describes a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. That is not a bad definition for believers, with the caveat that for us to "work hard" we daily surrender to the Spirit "working in (us), giving (us) the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him." (Php 2:13NLT+). Another definition of ambition which is not so applicable to believers but is typically the way of the godless world exemplifies it is as "an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment."
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Spurgeon - To be well-pleasing to God everywhere, in everything that we do, should be the one aim of a Christian THOUGHT - Let us not play at Christianity as we would the popular game called "Trivial Pursuit", but let us devote ourselves, ambitiously, zealously to the cause of Christ! There is no better and more profitable way to pass our short time on this earth which John says is also passing away and even its lustful desires (1Jn 2:17+). Gromacki picks up on the above definition commenting that "When a redeemed sinner perceives all that God has done for him and all that he is in Christ, then he will live and serve out of love for honor. He will want to honor his God and the name of Christ that he bears. (Stand Firm in the Faith: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians) Paul's ambition to please the Lord is a natural lead in to the subject of the day when all the saints will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive from Him the commendation they deserve for the deeds done in the body, those deeds that pleased Him. J. C. Ryle (1816-1900) comments on Paul's zeal as evidenced in this section "A zealous man in religion is preemiently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest,--hearty,--uncompromising,--thorough-going,--whole hearted,--fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing,--he cares for one thing,--he lives for one thing,--he is swallowed up in one thing, and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies,--whether he has health, or whether he has sickness,--whether he is rich, or whether he is poor,--whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offense,--whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish,--whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise,--whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame,--for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God's glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it,--he is content. He feels that like a lamp, he is made to burn, and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, and work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray. Yes! if he is only a pauper, on a perpetual bed of sickness, he will make the wheels of sin around him drive heavily, by continually interceding against it. If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean, when I speak of zeal in religion." QUESTION - What does the Bible say about ambition? ANSWER - Ambition is defined as “an intense drive for success or power; a desire to achieve honor, wealth or fame.” To be ambitious, in the worldly sense, is essentially to be determined to have more than your neighbor. Its motto is “he with the most toys wins”; ambition strives to be number one. However, in the Bible, the word ambition takes on a whole new dimension: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands …” (1 Thessalonians 4:11; cf. Philippians 1:17; Ephesians 5:8-10). Where the world teaches us to go all out to be the best, to have a bigger house, a fancier car, a larger paycheck than our neighbor, the Bible teaches us the opposite: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). The apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NASB). The Greek word for “ambition,” philotim, means literally “to esteem as an honor.” Being ambitious, in and of itself, is not wrong, it’s what we esteem or honor that can be a problem. The Bible teaches that we should be ambitious, yet the objective is to be accepted by Christ, not by the world. Christ taught us that to be first in the Kingdom is to become a servant (Matthew 20:26-28; Matthew 23:11-12). Paul once posed an insightful question: “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men?” His answer: “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10+). Later, Paul reiterated: “On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4+). Paul is affirming a truth proclaimed by Jesus Himself: “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44). We must ask, what is our ambition: to please God or to please man? Scripture clearly teaches that they who seek honor and esteem from men cannot believe in Jesus (Matthew 6:24; Romans 8:7; James 4:4). Those whose ambition is to be popular with the world cannot be true, faithful servants of Jesus Christ. If our ambition is to seek the things of the world (1 John 2:16; Romans 13:14), in truth, we are self-seeking and denying Christ and His sacrifice (Matthew 10: 33; Matthew 16:24). But if it is our ambition to seek and honor Christ, we are assured of His profound promise: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33; cf. 1 John 2:25).GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What does it mean to be absent from the body? ANSWER - The phrase “absent from the body” is found in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. Paul states that he is confident in his eternal destiny and longs for the day when he can be “absent from the body” and be present with the Lord he loves and serves. To be “absent” from one’s body simply means to die because, at death, the spirit is separated from the body and moves into its eternal abode—either heaven with the Lord or hell, separated from God for eternity. In the same way, Christians are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the presence of God. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. When a born-again believer dies, his soul goes immediately into the presence of the Lord. There, the soul consciously awaits the resurrection of the body. To the church at Philippi Paul wrote from a Roman prison: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:21-24). Paul’s desire in life was to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. If he lived, he could continue to labor for the Lord. If he faced execution, he would depart this life and be with Christ. He desired to be with his Savior, but if he remained on earth, he could continue to minister to others. There are some who believe in soul sleep, meaning that when a person dies, his body and soul sleep in the grave, awaiting the resurrection. But if this were true, why would Paul not want to live to minister as long as possible, rather than sleep in a grave? And if it were true that the body and soul are never separated, it would be impossible to ever be absent from the body and present with the Lord. We conclude, then, that believers who die are indeed absent from their physical bodies and present with the Lord in conscious bliss awaiting that grand resurrection day! GotQuestions.org 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. we must all appear: Ge 18:25 1Sa 2:3,10 Ps 7:6-8 9:7,8 50:3-6 96:10-13 98:9 Ec 11:9 Eccl 12:13-14 Eze 18:30 Mt 25:31-46 Ac 10:42 17:31 Ro 14:10-12 1Pe 4:5 Jude 1:14,15 Rev 20:11-15 recompensed: 2Co 7:3 1Ki 8:32,39 Job 34:11 Ps 62:12 Isa 3:10,11 Mt 16:27 Ro 2:5-10 1Co 4:5 Ga 6:7,8 Eph 6:8 Col 3:24,25 Rev 2:23 20:12 Rev 20:13 22:12 for his deeds in his body: Ro 6:12,13,19 Ro 12:1,2 1Co 6:12-20 Tested by fire - book that be borrowed - by Kroll, Woodrow Michael - (1991) 130 pages. This is a study of the Christian's Heavenly rewards. You do not want to be ignorant of this truth! Chapter titles - (1) It's Too Late Now, (2) Salvation versus Rewards, (3) The Courtroom, (4) The Evaluation, (5) The Criteria, (6) The Rewards, (7) The Loss of Reward, (8) Diversion: A Devilish Device. The Treasure Principle by Alcorn, Randy 525 ratings Money, possessions, and eternity by Alcorn, Randy 369 ratings 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Bema Seat Ruins in Corinth Related Passages: Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (DO YOU FEAR GOD?) The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God (cf 1Pe 1:17+, 2Co 7:1+) and keep His commandments (cf Jn 14:15), because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Matthew 6:1+ (A SOBERING WARNING - MOTIVE CHECK!) “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father Who is in heaven. 1 Corinthians 4:2+ In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 1 Corinthians 4:5+ (A SOBERING WARNING - MOTIVE CHECK!) Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God. Revelation 22:12+ “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. Matthew 5:10-12+ (FUTURE BLESSINGS FOR PRESENT PERSECUTIONS FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!)“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Luke 6:35+ “But love (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) your enemies, and do good (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) , and lend (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey), (MOTIVE CHECK) expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Luke 19:17+ (cf Mt 25:21, 23) “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ Romans 8:17+ (THE GREATEST REWARD - SHARING HIS GLORY) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 2 John 1:8 Watch (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves (QUIT JUDGING OTHERS! JUDGE YOURSELF BY LOOKING IN THE MIRROR OF GOD'S WORD - James 1:23-25+), that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. (cf 1Cor 3:14-15) 1 Corinthians 9:18+ What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27+ (RUN TO WIN! YOU ONLY HAVE ONE RACE!) Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave (cf Col 3:5+ - KILL SIN!), so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. (Play Run Like Heaven and then RUN!) 1 Timothy 4:7-8+ (DISCIPLINE IN PRESENT AFFECTS ETERNITY!) But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Colossians 4:17+ (MINISTERS, LISTEN UP!) Say to Archippus, “Take heed (blepo in present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” 1 Cor 3:9-15+ (WILL YOU SMELL LIKE SMOKE IN HEAVEN? v15) For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Romans 14:10-12+ But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. (cf Jas 5:8-9+) 11 For it is written, “AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.” 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. FOR MUCH MORE IN DEPTH COMMENTS ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:10 (about 31 pages of notes and quotes) The Judgment on the Gabbatha by James Tissot, c. 1890 THE BEMA SEAT OF CHRIST The painting above by James Tissot shows Jesus before Pilate as described in John 19:13 (cf Mt 27:19) "Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat (bema) at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha." Wikipedia has this note on Gabbatha - "The name "Gabbatha" is an Aramaic word, the language spoken commonly at the time in Judea. It is not a mere translation of Lithostrotos, which properly means the tessellated or mosaic pavement where the judgment-seat stood, but which was extended to the place itself in front of Pilate's praetorium, where that pavement was laid. This was proved by the practice of St. John, who elsewhere gives Aramaic names as distinctly belonging to places, not as mere translations of the Greek. This is proved also because "Gabbatha" is derived from a root (meaning 'back', or 'elevation') which refers not to the kind of pavement, but to the elevation of the place in question." (More on Gabbatha) THOUGHT - Is this not absolutely amazing! Jesus was condemned at the Bema Seat in Jerusalem so that we might stand before Him at His Bema Seat in Heaven uncondemned (Ro 8:1+), not for retribution but for reward! Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me! Samuel Hoyt - The judgment seat of Christ might be compared to a commencement ceremony. At graduation there is some measure of disappointment and remorse that one did not do better and work harder. However, at such an event the overwhelming emotion is joy, not remorse. The graduates do not leave the auditorium weeping because they did not earn better grades. Rather, they are thankful that they have been graduated, and they are grateful for what they did achieve. To overdo the sorrow aspect of the judgment seat of Christ is to make heaven hell. To underdo the sorrow aspect is to make faithfulness inconsequential. (Samuel Hoyt, “The Judgment Seat of Christ in Theological Perspective,” Part 2, Bibliotheca Sacra, electronic media, p. 131.) Murray Harris adds that "“Appearance before Christ’s tribunal is the privilege of Christians. It is concerned with the assessment of works and, indirectly, of character, not with the determination of destiny; with reward, not status.” (Expositor's Bible Commentary) For - Paul explains why his highest goal in life is to be pleasing to the Lord (and why it should be every believer's highest goal!) We must (dei) all appear (phaneroo) before the judgment seat (bema) of Christ - Let's break this great passage down word by word. We...all means Paul and every believer must make this appearance. Must means it is a mandatory meeting, not an option we can opt out of! Appear primarily means "to make visible", to cause to become visible, to be make known, to be clearly reveal, to be manifested or caused to be seen. And so it won't be just our exterior (our "good looks"), but our interior, especially our character (our "good works") which will be exposed to full view of our Righteous, Just, Judge (Jn 5:22, 1Co 4:5+, 2Ti 4:1+)! Appear is in the passive voice so more literally it is being made manifest. The New English Bible gives a vivid, accurate picture of this momentous day = “We must all have our lives laid open before the tribunal of Christ.” It is one thing to appear in a doctor’s office and quite another thing to be X-rayed by him! The piercing gaze of Jesus' omniscient eyes of fire (Rev. 1:14‣; Rev 19:12‣) will "x-ray" our entire life! The Judgment Seat or is only for believers. Even we can stand at the bema only because Christ "stood" in our place at Gabbatha (also means raised place, height, ridge) as our Sinless Substitute effecting eternal Atonement of our sins! If this truth does not put a holy fear of the Lord in you beloved (cp 1Pe 1:17+, 2Co 7:1+), I don't know what will! Jesus (Whose eyes are like a flame of fire! Rev 1:14-+) will be our "Fruit Inspector", looking beyond the quantity of our works to the quality of our works… Gulp! A question we should all ask themselves in every decision of life, whether large or small is... “What difference will this make in 10,000 years?” --Vernon Grounds So that (hina - purpose) each one (hekastos) may be recompensed (komizo) for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done (prasso), whether good (agathos) or bad (phaulos) - So that expresses the purpose for the Judgment Seat of Christ. Each one (hekastos) means every single one. Not a single saint will be exempted. We will all give an account for our thoughts, words and deeds, not to men but to the Omniscient, Holy, Righteous God! May be recompensed refers to receiving back as reward for oneself (middle voice). Some Bible translations have "to receive what one deserves." While that may be accurate, we do well to keep in mind the meaning of the English word deserve which conveys the idea of that which one is entitled to or is worthy of, that which one earns or merits. The only reason we deserve anything other than Hell is because of sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only One truly Worthy as exclaimed in Heaven in the future "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” (Rev 5:12+). Good refers to deeds initiated by the Spirit and supernaturally enabled by the Spirit, deeds produced by "branches" continually abiding in the Vine (John 15:5, see Good Deeds) Bad is translated "evil" in the KJV because the Textus Receptus has a different word kakos meaning "evil, wicked, etc" Modern manuscripts have the Greek word phaulos which means worthless, indicating the impossibility of any true gain ever coming forth. So they are not sinful deeds, but simply deeds that were carried out by "branches" who were not abiding in the Vine (to use that metaphor). THOUGHT - The certainty of the Bema Seat of Christ occurring at a specific point in time in eternity in the life of each individual believer, should serve as a strong motivator, causing us to forget what lies behind (Php 3:13+) and like the runner determined to win the race and receive the coveted prize, to press on toward the goal (Php 3:14+), laying aside every encumbrance (Heb 12:2+), lunging toward and fixing one's eyes on the finish line (Heb 12:1+), coming out from the world, not even touching what is unclean (2 Cor 6:17+), abstaining from even things with the "form" of evil (1 Th 5:22+), living in holy conduct and godliness (2 Pe 3:11+), and all the more as we see the day drawing near (Heb 10:25+). You are writing a Gospel, A chapter each day, By the deeds that you do And the words that you say. Men read what you write, Whether faithful or true: Just what is the Gospel According to you? -Author unknown I like Ray Stedman's prayer (in his comments on the Bema in Ro 14:1-12) "Thank you, our Father, for these searching words which make us all feel a bit guilty. We have all been guilty of this, whether strong or weak. We have judged our brother, and condemned him. Forgive us for that, Lord. Help us to see that we have been usurping Your place, Lord Jesus, in doing so. Help us to stop that, and to begin to answer only for ourselves before Your throne, and upholding and praying for our brother or sister if we feel they need it. Grant to us, Lord, that illuminating understanding of truth that sets us free. We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen." Daniel Webster had a healthy outlook ("uplook") as shown by his answer to the question as to what was the greatest thought to ever enter his mind - "The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life." (Ro 14:12+)
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Spurgeon say to him? Solemnly Spurgeon said "That will be enough to give account for on the day of judgment." A W Tozer - God has given us in His Holy Spirit every gift, every power, every help we need to serve Him. We do not have to look around for some other way. The most solemn aspect of this is our individual responsibility. The Bible teaches that a day is coming when we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. At that time everyone faces a review of the things done in his or her body, whether good or bad. In that day we will be fully exposed, and the things that we have done in our own strength and for our own glory will be quickly blown away like worthless hay and straw, forever separated from the kind of deeds and ministries that are Spirit-wrought and described as eternal treasures in the sight of God—gold and silver and precious stones that the fire cannot harm. In that day all that is related to the work of the flesh will perish and pass away, and only that which has been wrought by the Spirit of God will remain." Robert Ketcham wrote: "What our eyes looked on, what our ears listened to, what our hearts loved, what our minds believed, what our lips said, what our hands did, where our feet walked, our secrets, our motives, and our decisions all come out under the fire of His holy eye. We will tell Him all, not only what we did but why we did it! In the light of that record we will receive 'good' or 'bad.'" THE PURPOSE OF THE BEMA It is not punitive. It is not to judge believers for sin of any kind, confessed or unconfessed. “Scripture teaches that for the believer God’s justice has already been fully and forever satisfied at the Cross in relation to the believer’s sins. If God were to punish the believer judicially for his sins for which Christ has already rendered payment, He would be requiring two payments for sin and would therefore be unjust. Such a concept (punishment for sin) erroneously disparages the all-sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross.”13 Christ paid the penalty for the believer’s pre- and post-conversion sins. The believer will forfeit rewards which he could have received, but he will not be punished in the judicial sense of “paying” for his sins. Scripture teaches that all sins, both confessed and unconfessed, have been forgiven and taken care of by the work of Christ on the Cross so the Christian will never face those sins again at the judgment. The following verses demonstrate the basic principle of the complete and finished nature of Christ’s work: Hebrews 10:14 Romans 5:19 Colossians 2:10 These verses state the complete results or conclusion: Hebrews 8:12 Hebrews 10:17-18 Isaiah 44:22 Psalm 103:12 Micah 7:19 Isaiah 38:17 These verses show we cannot come into judgment. Why? Because Christ has born our judgment by being made a curse in our place: Romans 5:1 Romans 8:1 John 3:18 John 5:24 Jonathan Edwards, at the tender age of twenty, wrote the following words in his diary, words that surely reflect his understanding of the certainty and solemnity of his appearance one day in eternity future before the Lord Jesus Christ at His Judgment Seat. Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will. 1 - Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure… To do whatever I think to be my duty… for the good and advantage of mankind in general. 4 - Resolved, Never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body less or more, but what tends to the glory of God… 5 - Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. 6 - Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live. 7 - Resolved, Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. 28 - Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. 43 - Resolved, Never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s. 46 - Resolved, Never to allow the least measure of any fretting or uneasiness at my father or mother. 70 - Resolved, That there be something of benevolence in all I speak. (Edwards resolved to read these resolutions over once a week!). Here are 10 principles that for wise spiritual investing in light of eternity… 1. Invest in the lives of those who minister the word. (Gal 6:6, 7) 2. Minister to those in need. (Lk 10:42) 3. Sacrifice to follow Christ. (Lk 19:27, 28, 29) 4. Give without fanfare. (Mt 6:1, 3, 4) 5. Be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. (Mt 5:11, 12) 6. Pray in Secret (Mt 6:5, 6) 7. Engage in spiritual activity without fanfare. (Mt 6:16, 17, 18) 8. Love your enemies by being willing to help them. (Lk 6:35) 9. Give beam service to the Lord and not just to please men. (Col 3:23, 24) 10. Entertain those who cannot repay you. (Lk 14:12, 13, 14) (Going for the Gold - Joe, L Wall- Recommended) QUESTION - What is the Judgment Seat of Christ / Bema Seat of Christ? ANSWER - Romans 14:10–12 says, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. . . . So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (ESV). 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” In context, it is clear that both passages refer to Christians, not unbelievers. The judgment seat of Christ, therefore, involves believers giving an account of their lives to Christ. The judgment seat of Christ does not determine salvation; that was determined by Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf (1 John 2:2) and our faith in Him (John 3:16). All of our sins are forgiven, and we will never be condemned for them (Romans 8:1). We should not look at the judgment seat of Christ as God judging our sins, but rather as God rewarding us for our lives. Yes, as the Bible says, we will have to give an account of ourselves. Part of this is surely answering for the sins we committed. However, that is not going to be the primary focus of the judgment seat of Christ. At the judgment seat of Christ, believers are rewarded based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). Some of the things we might be judged on are how well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), how victorious we were over sin (Romans 6:1-4), and how well we controlled our tongues (James 3:1-9). The Bible speaks of believers receiving crowns for different things based on how faithfully they served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27; 2 Timothy 2:5). The various crowns are described in 2 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10. James 1:12 is a good summary of how we should think about the judgment seat of Christ: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What is the purpose of rewards in heaven? ANSWER - The Bible mentions rewards in heaven multiple times (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 9:18). But why are rewards necessary? Won’t being in heaven with God be enough? Experiencing Him, His glory, and the joys of heaven will be so wonderful, it’s hard to understand why extra rewards would be needed. Also, since our faith rests in Christ’s righteousness instead of our own (Romans 3:21–26), it seems strange that our works would merit reward. God will give rewards in heaven at the bema, or the judgment seat of Christ, based on our faithfulness in service to Him (2 Corinthians 5:10). The rewards will show the reality of our sonship (Galatians 4:7) and the justice of God (Hebrews 6:10). God will give rewards in heaven in order to fulfill the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7–9) and make good on His promise that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). One reason for the rewards in heaven is the fact that Jesus shares His reward with us. Paul said, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Our lives are “hidden” with Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1–4). We die with Him and we live with Him and we share in His joy (Romans 6:8; Matthew 25:21). In heaven we will dwell with Him (John 14:1–3). Our lives are inextricably linked with Christ’s (ED: THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF COVENANT). The reward He receives is shared with all of us: “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17). Our rewards in heaven depend on the goodness and power of God. Through Christ’s resurrection we gain an inheritance in heaven; on earth our faith is tested and results in praise and glory and honor when Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:3–9). The things we do in this life are only permanent (that is, carried with us into heaven) if they are built on the foundation, which is Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11–15). The rewards we gain in heaven are not like the rewards we earn here on earth. We tend to think in material terms—mansions, jewels, etc. But these things are only representations of the true rewards we will gain in heaven. A child who wins a spelling bee treasures the trophy he receives not for the sake of the trophy itself but for what that trophy means. Likewise, any rewards or honor we gain in heaven will be precious to us because they carry the weight and meaning of our relationship with God—and because they remind us of what He did through us on earth. In this way, rewards in heaven glorify God and provide us with joy, peace, and wonder as we consider God’s work in us and through us. The closer we were to God during this life, the more centered on Him and aware of Him, the more dependent on Him, the more desperate for His mercy, the more there will be to celebrate. We are like characters in a story who suffer doubt, loss, and fear, wondering if we will ever really have our heart’s desire. When the happy ending comes and desire is fulfilled, there comes a completion. The story would not be satisfying without that completion. Rewards in heaven are the completion of our earthly story, and those rewards will be eternally satisfying (Psalm 16:11). GotQuestions.org Related Resources: Criteria Used to Assess Eternal Rewards The Judgments - (Past, Present, and Future) - Hampton Keathley III What is the Great White Throne Judgment? | GotQuestions.org What do I need to do to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant" when I arrive in heaven? | GotQuestions.org Does God reward us for being obedient to His Word? | GotQuestions.org What are the five heavenly crowns that believers can receive in Heaven? | GotQuestions.org What does it mean that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)? | GotQuestions.org What does it mean that blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake? | GotQuestions.org How can we store up treasures in heaven? | GotQuestions.org What things in this world have a true eternal value? | GotQuestions.org What is the verse about casting our crowns before the feet of Jesus? | GotQuestions.org Births, Deaths, and Resurrections - Tony Garland What are the different judgments in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org - excellent summary of past, present and future judgments Christ as Judge - 2 Timothy 4:1 What happens at the final judgment? | GotQuestions.org 2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. The fear: Ge 35:5 Job 6:4 18:11 31:23 Ps 73:19 76:7 88:15,16 90:11 Isa 33:14 Na 1:6 Mt 10:28 25:46 Mk 8:35, 36, 37, 38 9:43-50 Lk 12:5 Heb 10:31 Jude 1:23 Rev 20:15 We persuade: 2Co 5:20 6:1 Lk 16:31 Ac 13:43 18:4,13 19:26 20:18-27 26:26 28:23 Ga 1:10 Col 1:28,29 2Ti 2:24, 25, 26 but: 2Co 1:12-14 2:17 4:1,2 1Co 4:4,5 1Th 2:3-12 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries RELATED PASSAGES: 2 Corinthians 7:1+ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Acts 9:31+ (HOW SHOULD A CHURCH GROW?) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit (NOTE BALANCE - FEAR/COMFORT), it continued to increase (GROW). Philippians 2:12+ So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) your salvation with fear and trembling; FOR IN DEPTH COMMENTS ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:11 URGENCY MOTIVATED BY HEALTHY FEAR OF FUTURE JUDGMENT Therefore is a term of conclusion - based on the personal accountability of his future appointment at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Based on a wholesome, healthy reverential awe of Christ as Paul's Judge, as the divine Sifter of his every thought, motive, word and deed. Based on this truth, Paul sought to appeal, persuade or convince men that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no man could come to the Father but through Him (Jn 14:6). Knowing (eido) the fear (phobos) of the Lord (kurios) - Murray Harris' paraphrase - "We are fully aware, then, of our accountability to the Lord as our judge, and so we regard him with reverential awe." Believers have an absolute certainty that we will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ which should stimulate a holy fear of the Lord, a fear which in turn serves as motivation to minister with integrity and a sense of urgency. The idea of fear in this passage is a deep awe and reverential sense of the coming day of reckoning and accountability before the Lord Jesus Christ at His Judgment Seat. Believers are not to be terrified at the thought of standing before Christ. On the other hand unbelievers should feel a terror of having to stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment to be sentenced to eternal separation from His presence for all eternity (Rev 20:11-15+). And so clearly it is not the latter type of fear which Paul is referring to in the present passage. Fear of the Lord is a healthy spiritual attitude which on one hand is an awe of God's greatness and glory and on the other hand is a deep and reverential sense of accountability to Christ and even somewhat of a dread of the discipline we will reap for violating His holy nature. Such fear involves self-distrust, a sensitive conscience, and being on guard against temptation. There is in my life a plant I call Reverence. It needs to be watered about once a week. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Ray
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Spurgeon - And men said that these apostles had gone out of their minds. Festus said to Paul, “thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad;” so Paul says, “Whether we be beside ourselves,” F. B. MEYER - Ah! Love, what canst thou not do? Thou canst make the timid brave, and the weak strong. The martyr, the patriot, the hero have learned of thee the secret of finding beds of down on stones, and gardens of flowers on barren sands. Thou didst bring the King Himself from the midst of His royalties to the cross, and He counted all things but loss that He might redeem the church on whom He had set His heart. Then self will be dethroned, the cross of daily-dying will be robbed of its bitterness, the furnace floor will become a flower-enamelled pathway, if only thou shalt reign in us supreme!… The love that can expel self is not the vague love of a principle or theory, but of a person. It is the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. “I saw,” says George Fox, “a sea of light and a sea of ink; and the sea of light flowed into the sea of ink, and swept it away forever.” 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; the love: 2Co 8:8,9 Song 1:4 8:6,7 Mt 10:37,38 Lk 7:42-47 Jn 14:21-23 Jn 21:15-17 1Co 16:22 Eph 3:18,19 6:24 Heb 6:10 1Pe 1:8 Controls: Job 32:18 Lk 24:29 Ac 4:19,20 Having concluded: Ro 2:2 1Co 2:14 one: Isa 53:6 Mt 20:28 Jn 1:29 11:50-52 1Ti 2:6 Heb 2:9 1Jn 2:1,2 Therefore: 2Co 3:7,9 Lk 15:24,32 Jn 5:25 11:25 Ro 5:15 14:7-9 Eph 2:1-5 Col 2:13 1Ti 5:6 Titus 3:3 1Jn 5:19 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FOR IN DEPTH COMMENTS ON THIS VERSE CLICK 2 Corinthians 5:14 CHRIST'S LOVE FOR US CONTROLS OUR LOVE FOR HIM For (gar) is a term of explanation. Always stop and ask "What is being explained?" (Or "Why is it being explained?" or "When… ?" or "To whom… ?", in other words, interrogate the "for" with the 5W/H questions). Let's keep the context in mind and remember that Paul is defending his apostleship against false apostles and false teaching. Recall that Paul has just described being beside himself (2Co 5:13), which is another way of saying that the impression he gave many was that he had "lost his marbles" and was out of his mind. G. Campbell Morgan told about a Christian woman who was struggling with being "beside herself" for Jesus. - The woman said to Morgan, “I know I will have to do all the things I most dislike, but I am determined to be a real Christian.” A year later, Morgan was visiting in her town and spoke with her again. “Do you recall,” she inquired, “What I said to you when I dedicated my life to Christ?” He told her he did. As she looked at him, the light of God appeared to be on her face. She exclaimed, “But it’s been so different, Dr. Morgan! I began to follow Christ, feeling that I would have to do all the things that were contrary to my desires, but now I do what I want every day because God has made me pleased with the things that please Him!” The love (agape) of Christ (Christos) controls (sunecho/synecho - present tense - continually) us - Controls describes Christ's love pressing in on us and in a sense compelling us. As Murray Harris paraphrases it "the example of Christ’s love controls our actions and leaves us no choice but to serve God and you." The Greek allow this to be interpreted as either the love we have for Christ (so called "objective genitive") or the love that Christ has for us ("subjective genitive"), but without doubt the context favors the Christ's love for us. Context is always "king" for accurate interpretation and here context favors the interpretation that the love of Christ is His love for us. Paul says "one died for all" which clearly speaks of the Cross, the supreme manifestation of Christ's (and the Father's) love for sinners. God so loved us that He gave Christ, His only begotten Son, to die in our place, to die the death we deserved to die (Jn 3:16). There is no higher love for Jesus said "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (Jn 15:13) John adds that "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1Jn 3:16) Notice that in 1Jn 3:16 Christ's love for us serves as a "constraining" or "motivating" influence to urge us onward as His followers to imitate Him and to demonstrate to others His love for us. Christ loving others through us is the beautiful picture, the incredible privilege for His followers! Murray Harris explains sunecho this way - Ever since his conversion, Paul had felt “hemmed in” or without an option; he must expend himself in the service of others for Christ’s sake (2Cor 4:11, 12; 12:15). Henry
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Spurgeon - “The apostles laboured much, but all their labour sprang from the impulse of the love of Jesus Christ. Just as Jacob toiled for Rachel solely out of love to her, so do true saints serve the Lord Jesus under the omnipotent constraint of love.”
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Spurgeon on behold - "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" THOUGHT - Dear reader, have you experienced this "Behold" in your life? If not, then read Acts 4:12, 16:31, Romans 10:9, 10, John 1:12, 13, Ephesians 2:8,9,10 so that you too might "Behold" the glory of the risen Son in your life (see the following comment) and experience a brand new life in Christ. Michael Andrus - What a statement of the transforming power of Christ! If we receive Him as our personal Savior, we don’t just adopt a new philosophy of life; we don’t just get a new set of friends; we don’t just have a new destination. We actually become a new creation. We are born again and everything changes–our actions, our thoughts, our habits, our goals, dreams, our attitudes, everything! And if it doesn’t, i.e. if there is no difference in our lives since we made a profession of faith, the conclusion must follow (how can you escape it?) that the profession was not real, that we are not, in fact, “in Christ.” I was convicted by the words of Robert Yarbrough, one of our profs at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: Where . . . (life change)...is lacking, there is good reason to suppose the heart still languishes in unbelief. There may be assent, there may be emotional affirmation, there may be selective obedience to gospel imperatives. There may even be impressive displays of religious activity . . . But when Jesus called for taking up the cross and following him, he probably had something more radical in mind than motoring to an air-conditioned sanctuary, amen-ing the show, and returning to the real life of Sunday TV and family fun. Friends, we must not minimize the powerful, effective, life-changing nature of a true conversion experience! But when this metamorphosis happens, do we get any credit for it? No! Abernathy summarizes how numerous commentaries (abbreviated in brackets) - What is meant by ἐν Χριστῷ ‘in Christ’? It means to be in union with Christ [Ho, TG, TH; REB, TEV]. It speaks of the personal unity of the believer with Christ [ICC2], or of participation in Christ [SP]. It is to be a member of Christ or of his body [EBC, Ho, ICC1, NTC], existing in intimate fellowship with him [NTC]. It means to be in union and communion with Christ in a living spiritual connection with him [Lns]. It is a union between Christ and a believer in which both remain distinguishable persons but bound inseparably in dying and living together, as well as a union with the body of Christ the church [Stagg]. It means someone who has become a Christian [NLT], who belongs to Christ [CEV], or who has experienced the spiritual death and resurrection described in 5:14–15 [NIC2]. It is an eschatological reality which objectively means being drawn under the rule of his love, and subjectively means a total reorientation of values and principles [AB]. It is someone who has experienced conversion and experienced the eschatological reality of being transferred from the present age to the age to come [HNTC]. ‘In Christ’ is a summation of the meaning of redemption [NIC1].(An Exegetical Summary of 2 Corinthians) COLEY One of Goethe’s tales is of a rude fisherman’s hut which was changed to silver by the setting in it of a little silver lamp. The logs of which the hut was built, its floors, its doors, its roof, its furniture,—all was changed to silver by this magic lamp. The story illustrates what takes place in the home when Christ comes into it. Everything after that is different. The outward conditions and circumstances may be the same, but they shine now with a new beauty. Just as the sun gleams over the palace, and into the cottage, flushing alike with its splendor the council-chamber of the monarch and the kitchen of the peasant; as the all-pervasive light fills the vast dome of the sky, and the tiny cup of the flower; so religion illumines at once the heaven of our hopes, and the earth of our cares. Secularities become hallowed; toil brightens with the smile of God; business becomes crystalline; light from God comes through it to us; glances from us go through it to God. Below are the words of R H McDaniel's hymn which poignantly expresses what transpired in each of our hearts on that glorious day when we were transferred by the Spirit from the domain of darkness and into the Kingdom of light of His beloved Son (Col 1:13-+, 1Pe 2:9, 10-+, Acts 26:18). Consider taking a moment to read the words of this hymn, allowing them to prompt a time of praise to El Shaddai, God Almighty, for redeeming us and miraculously making each of us new creations in Christ. Hallelujah!… Since Jesus Came into My Heart What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought Since Jesus came into my heart! I have light in my soul for which long I had sought, Since Jesus came into my heart! Refrain Since Jesus came into my heart, Since Jesus came into my heart, Floods of joy o’er my soul Like the sea billows roll, Since Jesus came into my heart. I have ceased from my wandering and going astray, Since Jesus came into my heart! And my sins, which were many, are all washed away, Since Jesus came into my heart! Refrain I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure, Since Jesus came into my heart! And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure, Since Jesus came into my heart! Refrain There’s a light in the valley of death now for me, Since Jesus came into my heart! And the gates of the City beyond I can see, Since Jesus came into my heart! Refrain I shall go there to dwell in that City, I know, Since Jesus came into my heart! And I’m happy, so happy, as onward I go, Since Jesus came into my heart! Refrain RESTORED ARTWORK - A woman who restores valuable paintings says many works of art that seem hopelessly damaged can be saved by an expert. Rebecca McLain has brought color and life back to dulled oil paintings by carefully removing dirt and discolored varnish. But she has also seen the damage done when people attempt to clean their own soiled art with oven cleaner or abrasive powders. Her advice? If you value the art, take it to an expert in restoration. The same need exists in lives soiled by sin. Our efforts at ridding ourselves of the guilt and defilement of sinful actions and attitudes often end in frustration and despair. In our attempts to get rid of guilt, we sometimes blame others. Or we simply give up, thinking that we cannot be any different. FROM BLOT TO BEAUTY - A handkerchief made of very valuable material was ruined by an indelible ink blot. The owner could no longer proudly display her prized possession, so she sadly showed it to English art critic and painter John Ruskin. He took it, and with remarkable skill made that ugly ink blot the center of a beautiful design. The woman’s handkerchief was then far more valuable than before. God our Maker faced a situation something like that of the artist, except that the problem was immeasurably greater. Adam was God’s supreme creation, but he had ruined himself by sin. With his original perfection stained and disfigured, he was fit only to be eternally discarded. But by the amazing strategy of the cross, our gracious God, the Supreme Artist, took ruined sinners and recreated them to reflect the beauty of Christ’s holiness. Dear Lord, take up the tangled strands, Where we have wrought in vain, That by the skill of Thy dear hands Some beauty may remain. —Burroughs © 1920 Homer A. Rodeheaver. Only God can transform a sin-stained soul into a masterpiece of grace. Robert
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Spurgeon explains that "all things of the new creation are of God..."What things?" do you say again. We answer, all things that refer to the new nature—all things that refer to our new privileges and to our new actions—whatsoever things refer to the new nature are of God. (High Doctrine - And All Things Are of God - 2Co 5:18) Michael Andrus - ” If He did not act first, we would remain His eternal enemies. But He did act first; He sent His Son to the Cross, and at the Cross Jesus satisfied God’s wrath toward sin, taking our sin upon Himself. Jesus made it possible for God to declare us His friends instead of His enemies. The tendency of religious people everywhere is to try to earn God’s friendship by showing Him how much we love Him or how faithful we are. But that is backward. The Gospel does not call us to do something for God that He might save us; rather it announces what God has done to save us in order that we might trust Him. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. -- Romans 11:36+ Who reconciled (katallasso) us to Himself through Christ (Christos) (see Related Passages above) Who is God the Father. Reconciled (katallasso) is aorist tense which defines a completed action in the past, specifically effecting the exchange of enmity to a friendly relationship.. Active voice indicates it was a choice of His divine will! Amazing grace indeed! Note God was not reconciled to us but we were reconciled to Him through the blood of Christ that paid the redemption price and gave us entree to God the Father (Ro 5:1-2+). As someone has well said "Religion is man’s feeble effort to be reconciled to God." The critical feature is through Christ (which Paul goes on to explain this truth in 2Cor 5:21), always through Him, for He is our Great High Priest, Who mediates between the holy ones (saints) and the Holy One, God the Father. Reconciled is katallasso has the root idea of an exchange and was used of exchanging coins of equal value which later was applied to a change of relationships from one of enmity to one of peace. Michael Andrus - There is a very real sense in which the most important message we can possibly convey to people is 6 that God wants to be their friend....the message of reconciliation is that God wants to be friends, and He is willing to go so far as to give His most precious possession, His one and only Son, in order to establish that friendship. Vincent’s note on katallasso is illuminating... “The verb (katallasso) means primarily to exchange, and hence to change the relation of hostile parties into a relation of peace; to reconcile. It is used of both mutual and one sided enmity. In the former case, the context must show on which side is the active enmity. In the Christian sense, the change in the relation of God and man effected through Christ. This involves (1) a movement of God toward man with a view to break down man’s hostility, to commend God’s love and holiness to him, and to convince him of the enormity and the consequence of sin. It is God who initiates this movement in the person and work of Jesus Christ. See Ro 5:6+, Ro 5:8+; 2Cor 5:18, 19, Eph 1:6-+; 1 Jn 4:19). Hence the passive form of the verb here: we were made subjects of God’s reconciling act. (2) a corresponding movement on man’s part toward God; yielding to the appeal of Christ’s self-sacrificing love, laying aside his enmity, renouncing his sin, and turning to God in faith and obedience. (3) a consequent change of character in man: the covering (cp "atonement"), forgiving, cleansing of his sin; a thorough revolution in all his dispositions and principles (as summarized in 2Co 5:17). (4) a corresponding change of relation on God’s part, that being removed which alone rendered Him hostile to man, so that God can now receive him into fellowship and let loose upon him all His Fatherly love and grace (1Jn 3:1+). Thus there is complete reconciliation. AMAZING DIVINE GRACE AND MERCY INDEED! The flames of God's judgment can never touch me, For Jesus has borne all God's wrath on the tree; I now stand secure in the burned-over place, A sinner, unworthy, yet saved by His grace! —Bosch Jesus died in our place to provide a place of safety. And gave us the ministry (diakonia) of reconciliation - This statement may be the clearest expression of his calling and mission in all his writings. Gave is in the aorist tense signifying at a point in time in the past (when we were born again) there was a divine bestowal based on a divine decision and unmerited by the recipient. In short the ministry of reconciliation is a gift of God's amazing grace to reconciled sinners who are now to seek other sinners to be reconciled. Ministry is the word diakonia (gives us "deacon") which was not a dignified word in secular Greek but was a "waiting on tables" word in Greek indicating our ministry (His ministry to and through us) is not to be "flashy." The ministry of reconciliation consists primarily of a proclamation of what God has done or accomplished through the death of Christ to make possible sinners at "war" with God, to be brought into His family a condition of favor with God. When Adam sinned, man was immediately estranged and at enmity with God and in need of a way to be brought back into fellowship and communion as it was in he Garden of Eden. Reconciliation assures believers of the future bliss of eternal life. The guarantee or proof of reconciliation is the resurrection of Christ. In reconciliation God changes sinners from enemies to family, from foe to friend, from aliens to adopted. The Greek word for reconciliation is katallage which describes the change from a state of enmity between persons to one of friendship as a result of supernatural reestablishment of a broken relationship. Reconciliation refers to an objective state of peace with God, not simply a feeling of peacefulness. R Kent
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Spurgeon - The work of reconciliation he committed to his Son; the word of reconciliation he has committed to us. It is our high privilege to tell the tidings of the wondrous work by which God is reconciled, so that, without any violation of his justice, he can have mercy upon those who have offended against him. As if Christ himself stood here, and pleaded with you, he bids his ministers plead on his behalf. In the name of God, he bids us beseech you to be reconciled to God. Ambassadors do not generally beseech men; they stand on their dignity, they make demands for the honour of their sovereign; but Christ’s ambassadors know of no dignity which should keep them from pleading with men. Michael Andrus - “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Once in a while our President goes to a foreign country and engages in personal diplomacy, but 99% of the time he works through ambassadors. There have also been times down through the centuries when God Himself spoke to individuals through dreams, visions, a burning bush, a talking donkey, or a still small voice. But the principal means He has used to take his message of reconciliation is also through ambassadors. Some were called “prophets”, others “apostles”, but the fact is God views each of His children as an ambassador, and each must represent his sovereign accurately, with faithfulness, and with cultural sensitivity. God makes His appeal to lost people through us! Those who have been reconciled with God are called to be agents of this same reconciliation to others. As His ambassadors, what should we be doing? We should implore people to be reconciled to God. That’s what Paul himself does in verse 20: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” I go back to a question I raised earlier. Why ask people to be reconciled if God has already reconciled them? The answer should be clear: friendship has to be accepted. People don’t initiate it, but they must respond to it. If they refuse to accept God’s offer of friendship, He will not force it on them. G Campbell
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Spurgeon - See ye here the foundation-truth of Christianity, the rock on which our hopes are built. It is the only hope of a sinner, and the only true joy of the Christian, — the great transaction, the great substitution, the great lifting of sin from the sinner to the sinner’s Surety; the punishment of the Surety instead of the sinner, the pouring out of the vials of wrath, which were due to the transgressor, upon the head of his Substitute; the grandest transaction which ever took place on earth; the most wonderful sight that even hell ever beheld, and the most stupendous marvel that heaven itself ever executed, — Jesus Christ, made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him! You scarcely need that I should explain the words when the sense is so plain. A spotless Savior stands in the room of guilty sinners. God lays upon the spotless Savior the sin of the guilty, so that he becomes, in the expressive language of the text, sin. Then he takes off from the innocent Savior his righteousness, and puts that to the account of the once-guilty sinners, so that the sinners become righteousness, — righteousness of the highest and divinest source — the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2Cor 5:21 Christ Made Sin) John
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Spurgeon writes that in regard to Jesus being made to be sin on our behalf...Christ was not guilty, and could not be made guilty; but He was treated as if he were guilty, because He willed to stand in the place of the guilty. Yea, He was not only treated as a sinner, but he was treated as if He had been sin itself in the abstract. This is an amazing utterance. The sinless One was made to be sin. Sin pressed our great Substitute very sorely. He felt the weight of it in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he “sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.” The full pressure of it came upon him when he was nailed to the accursed tree. There in the hours of darkness he bore infinitely more than we can tell. (The Heart of the Gospel) Murray Harris writes that when we try to expound on God making Christ sin "Although poieo (made) can mean “make something into something (else),” the meaning in 2Co 5:21 is not “God made the sinless one into sin” (as in the Jerusalem Bible), but “God caused the sinless one to be sin,” where poieo denotes causation or appointment and points to the divine initiative. But we should not forget that matching the Father’s set purpose to deliver Christ up to deal with sin (Acts 2:23; Ro 8:32) was Christ’s own firm resolution to go to Jerusalem to suffer (Mk 8:31; Lk 9:51). Jesus was not an unwilling or surprised participant in God’s action. (New International Greek Testament Commentary - 2 Corinthians) In another commentary Murray Harris explains Christ's being made sin this way - It seems Paul’s intent to say more than that Christ was made a sin offering and yet less than he became a sinner. So complete was the identification of the sinless Christ with the sin of the sinner, including its dire guilt and its dread consequences of separation from God, that Paul could say profoundly, “God made him…to be sin for us.” (Expositor's Bible Commentary) Wickham - The Greek runs like this: The One who did not know sin for us sin was made, that we might become God’s righteousness in Him. The Sinless One became (by imputation) sin for the sinner, that the sinner might become (by imputation) sinless in the Sinless One. Here is the very heart of the Gospel, a verse that stands with Jn 3:16 in importance. In the OT, the imputation of God’s righteousness to the believer is taught didactically (Gen 15:6; cf. Rom 4:3, 9), prophetically (Isa 53:11; 61:10; Jer 23:6), and typically (Zech 3:1-5). (2 Corinthians 5) So that (hina - purpose) is a conjunction that is used to introduce a purpose clause, here explaining the purpose of God making His only begotten Son to be sin for us. And what an incredible purpose it is! We might become the righteousness (dikaiosune) of God in Him - The Amplified expands it this way - "the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness)."Might become (ginomai) is aorist tense (at a moment in time; i.e, when we believe), subjunctive mood, which is the mood of possibility. It is possible for every sinner separated from God to become a saint, reconciled to God and positionally, eternally righteous in Christ. Sadly, the great "potential" made available at Christ's crucifixion and resurrection will be rejected by most of mankind (cf Mt 7:13-14+). Righteousness is rightness of character before God and rightness of actions before men. Righteousness of God could be succinctly stated as all that God is, all that He commands, all that He demands, all that He approves, all that He provides through Christ. In Him means In Christ (cf 2Co 5:17+). In union with Christ. In (the new) covenant with Christ. In oneness with Christ. "As a result of being united with Christ" (Harris). "In union with Him, and by virtue of our standing in Him" (Henry Alford). Paul explains to those who had believed the message of reconciliation and were "in Christ" that it was by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, (1 Co 1:30+). Someone else has well said that righteousness is that which the Father required, the Son became, the Holy Spirit convinces of, and faith secures. Charles Swindoll - The simple content of this message of reconciliation is succinctly stated: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (5:21). This verse is the heart and soul of the saving power of the gospel. Jesus, the perfect God-man, the spotless Lamb of God, was made a sin offering in our place, just as Isaiah had prophesied centuries earlier, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief, if he would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa. 53:10).Through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ, we become the righteousness of God. A real transfer occurs at the Cross: We trade our guilt for His innocence. Having been declared righteous (justified), we are completely free of guilt and shame and have become full heirs of a glorious promise. Murray Harris - The glorious purpose of the Father’s act in making Christ “to be sin” was that believers should “become the righteousness of God” in Christ. This is a bold restatement of the nature of justification. Not only does the believer receive from God a right standing before him on the basis of faith in Jesus (Philippians 3:9), but here Paul says that “in Christ” the believer in some sense actually shares the righteousness that characterizes God himself (cf. 1 Cor 1:30). (Expositor's Bible Commentary) Murray Harris in another commentary writes "We conclude that in v. 21a Paul is not saying that at the crucifixion the sinless Christ became in some sense a sinner, yet he is affirming more than that Christ became a sin offering or even a sin bearer. In a sense beyond human comprehension, God treated Christ as “sin,” aligning him so totally with sin and its dire consequences that from God’s viewpoint he became indistinguishable from sin itself. (New International Greek Testament Commentary - 2 Corinthians) (ED: I like Harris' statement "beyond human comprehension," for this truth is so deep and mysterious that it defies an easy understanding and explanation.) R Kent
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Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in him; thou art in God's sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou hast more than the righteousness of man-thou hast the righteousness of God. O thou who art mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of thy sins can condemn thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but thou hast learned also to know that sin is not thine-it was laid upon Christ's head. Thy standing is not in thyself-it is in Christ; thine acceptance is not in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much accepted of God to-day, with all thy sinfulness, as thou wilt be when thou standest before his throne, free from all corruption. O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection in Christ! For thou art "complete in him." With thy Saviour's garment on, thou art holy as the Holy one. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Christian, let thy heart rejoice, for thou art "accepted in the beloved"-what hast thou to fear? Let thy face ever wear a smile; live near thy Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when thy time has come, thou shalt rise up where thy Jesus sits, and reign at his right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Reconciliation - Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. The Christian religion bases everything on the positive, radical nature of sin. Other religions deal with sins; the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ faced in men was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the Gospel that the message of the Gospel has lost its sting and its blasting power. The revelation of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took upon Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took upon Himself the heredity of sin which no man can touch. God made His own Son to be sin that He might make the sinner a saint. All through the Bible it is revealed that Our Lord bore the sin of the world by identification, not by sympathy. He deliberately took upon His own shoulders, and bore in His own Person, the whole massed sin of the human race— “He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,” and by so doing He put the whole human race on the basis of Redemption. Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone can enter into union with God on the ground of what Our Lord has done on the Cross. A man cannot redeem himself; Redemption is God’s ‘bit,’ it is absolutely finished and complete; its reference to individual men is a question of their individual action. A distinction must always be made between the revelation of Redemption and the conscious experience of salvation in a man’s life. (Oswald Chambers 2 Corinthians 5:21 Reconciliation) Substitution -The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy. The New Testament view is that He bore our sin not by sympathy, but by identification. He was made to be sin. Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy with us. We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed, or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the lovingkindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world. The revelation of His Father is to those to whom He has been introduced as Saviour. Jesus Christ never spoke of Himself to the world as one Who revealed the Father, but as a stumbling block (see John 15:22, 23, 24). John 14:9 was spoken to His disciples. That Christ died for me, therefore I go scot free, is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that "He died for all" (not - He died my death), and that by identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have imparted to me His very righteousness. The substitution taught in the New Testament is twofold: "He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." It is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me (by grace through faith). (Oswald Chambers 2 Corinthians 5:21 Substitution) A Land of Beginning Again - More than four hundred years before Jesus' birth, the Greek poet Agathon said, "Even God cannot change the past." Historically speaking, he was right. What happens cannot be undone. Yet when God sent His Son to die on the cross, He provided a way to erase our sinful past. Here is how Donald Grey Barnhouse described what Jesus did for us: "Just as a hole in the ocean floor would let sea water into the volcanic fires, creating force that could blow the world apart, so the Lord Jesus Christ by dying and rising again broke through the past and allowed eternity to pour in, shattering, turning and overturning, changing, and altering all things. He took the past of all believers and cleansed it by His blood and transformed the life in such a way that the time-rooted life gave way to life eternal." The poet said, "I wish there were a land of beginning again." There is. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:7). And the hymn writer said, "Calvary covers it all, my past with its sin and stain; my guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, and Calvary covers it all." Salvation can change the worst sinners into the most honored saints. THE SIX-LEGGED LAMB - For he hath made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 When God saves a man, He does more than pardon that sinner of his guilt; He also completely erases the old offenses from the "books," clears the penitent's name, and bestows upon him the perfect righteousness of the Savior. For that reason believers may justly be called "saints," for they stand perfect in Christ! Dr. Harry A. Ironside used to tell of an experience he had while he was the guest of a western sheep herder. One morning he saw an old ewe lope across the field followed by the strangest looking lamb he had ever seen. It apparently had six legs! The last two seemed to be torn from the body and were just dangling there. The shepherd caught the odd lambkin and brought it to Dr. Ironside for examination. Closer inspection showed that the skin from another lamb had been stretched over its body. The shepherd explained that this little one had been orphaned, and none of the ewes would adopt it. However, a day or two later a rattlesnake killed another young lamb. Its bereaved mother could not be consoled. She also stoutly rejected this orphaned animal when it was offered to her as a substitute. However, when they skinned her own dead lambkin and draped its wooly coat over the orphaned one, she immediately accepted it, because it smelled right to her. Dr. Ironside was much impressed, and said: "What a beautiful picture of substitutionary atonement. We too were once orphans — spiritual outcasts — without hope of Heaven. We were not acceptable to God because of our sin. However, the lovely Lamb of God took the sting of the `old serpent' and died upon the cross for a lost world. Now by receiving Him through faith we are redeemed and made ready for Heaven because His righteousness has been applied to our account." Sinner, have you been made acceptable to God "in the Beloved"? *God sees my Savior, and then He sees me "In the Beloved," accepted and free! — C. D. Martin God formed us, sin deformed us, but Christ alone can transform us! The Burned-Over Place - Some early settlers were traveling together across the western prairies of the United States. One day they were horrified to see a fire fanned by strong wind coming their way. As the flames raced closer and closer, one man, to the amazement of the others, set fire to a large patch of grass downwind. The tinder-dry grass burned quickly and left behind a charred and barren area. Then he told them to move onto the burned-over place. They watched as the fire swept toward them until it reached the burned area—and then stopped! They were safe as the fire passed by them on both sides. The fires of God’s judgment will descend on a wicked world, but God has provided a burned-over place. At Calvary, the fire of God’s justice was met by Jesus. He bore our sin there and fully paid for our transgressions. He made full satisfaction for our sins, and we who have taken our stand by faith in the finished work of Christ are safe in the burned-over place. There is nothing left to burn. The flames of God's judgment can never touch me, For Jesus has borne all God's wrath on the tree; I now stand secure in the burned-over place, A sinner, unworthy, yet saved by His grace! —Bosch Jesus died in our place to provide a place of safety. The Adam Legacy - Our new grandson Jackson had fine features, soft blemish-free skin, and ten tiny fingers and toes on two little hands and feet. How could any proud Grampa not see him as a “perfect” baby? He certainly was a miracle of divine formation (Psalm 139:13, 14). The apostle Paul gave us a broader view of such “perfect” little infants when he wrote, "Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin...Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam” (Ro 5:12, 13, 14). In other words, every child is born with a tendency to sin. But that’s not Paul’s final word. He also wrote about Jesus, the “last Adam,” who became a “life-giving spirit”(1Cor 15:45). Long after man’s first sin, a baby was born who was God incarnate (Jn 1:14). God made Christ,“ who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2Corinthians 5:21). When we trust Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit creates within us a new desire to do what is pleasing to God. The flesh still has its pull, but the pull of the Spirit is stronger. In the “first Adam” we’re all sinners. But let’s concentrate on who we are in the “last Adam.” One with Adam are we all, One with Adam in his fall; But another Adam came— Fallen sinners to reclaim. —D. De Haan If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away. —2 Corinthians 5:17 Calvary's Deepest Pain - After washing His disciples’ feet and celebrating the Passover with them, Jesus led them into a familiar garden and “began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed” (Matthew 26:37). Going a bit farther with Peter, James, and John, He said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me” (Mt 26:38). Then, walking a short distance away, Jesus “fell on His face” before God, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Mt 26:39). He did this three times (Mt 26:44). How do we account for such a surge of emotional turmoil? Only by understanding the “cup” that Jesus asked His Father to take from Him. He was about to bear “the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). That “cup” was filled with the sins of the whole world. The agony of Gethsemane would culminate on the cross in His heart-wrenching cry: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus’ physical pain was nothing compared with Calvary’s deepest pain—the awful reality of being abandoned by His Father. God made Jesus “to be sin for us” (2Corinthians 5:21), so the Father had to turn away from Him. "Man of Sorrows," what a name For the Son of God who came Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! What a Savior! —Bliss Christ braved the shadow of eternal death to bring us the sunshine of eternal life. Whipping Boy - Throughout history, royal families have received special treatment. Often they were exempt from keeping the law or receiving punishment or even discipline. But the royal children still needed to know that when they misbehaved they deserved to be punished. When a prince or princess disobeyed or did poorly in schoolwork, the punishment was given to a “whipping boy” instead. There was no doubt who was really at fault, but it was simply unthinkable for a servant to spank a person of royalty. The cross of Calvary gives a completely different view of dealing with wrongdoing. Although the servant is at fault, royalty receives the punishment. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Glory, took our place when He died on the cross. He voluntarily became our “whipping boy” and paid the penalty for our sins. How much we owe to Jesus Christ! How could we ever forget that we have been bought with a price! That’s what kept Paul going when lesser men might have quit. He was confident that because we have a substitute, God is not angry with us. His Majesty’s justice has been satisfied. We are free to live and love as we never have before. When Jesus took our punishment, God’s wrath was satisfied; Now we can live at peace with Him Because for us Christ died. —Sper Christ became a curse for us to remove the curse from us. His Pain for Our Gain - Every year I hear about people who have their hands and feet nailed to a cross for a brief time to imitate the crucifixion of Christ. These misguided souls may mean well, but their futile self-torture is only a tiny fraction of the Lord’s physical pain—and nothing of His deep spiritual agony. After a night of humiliating abuse and vicious scourging, which was enough to kill some people, Jesus was wracked with horrendous pain during His 6 hours on the cross. But far worse was the agony in His soul. During the 3 hours of darkness, He endured the God-forsakenness of hell. The prophet Isaiah declared the suffering Servant to be absolutely without fault, but said, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him” and to “make His soul an offering for sin” (Isa. 53:10). The apostle Paul said that God made the sinless One “to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). Not until Jesus knew He had endured the full measure of God’s judgment against our sins did He say, “It is finished!” (Mt. 27:50; Jn. 19:30). The Lord was crucified for us; He gave His life so we would gain Eternal life and endless joy In heaven where there is no pain. —Sper Christ endured the agony of the cross so we could enjoy the glory of heaven. True Faith - Some things in life call for us to be absolutely accurate—to do exactly as the directions say. For instance, I can’t fill out my tax returns any old way I want. I have to do exactly as the tax code requires, or I’ll spend a lot of time explaining myself. Even in a land of liberty, we are bound to follow certain rules. Adhering to the Bible as the guidebook in our spiritual life is even more vital. Some people may consider these matters to be peripheral and easily ignored, but we must get them right. That’s why it is distressing to learn that according to the Barna Research Group, 42 percent of Americans think Jesus committed sins. And even 25 percent of professing Christians say He was not sinless. Beyond that, 61 percent of Americans think there are other ways to salvation besides faith in Christ. These are dangerous deviations from the truth. Our Guidebook, the Bible, is clear—Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, and His sacrificial death is the only way to establish a relationship with God. I dare not try some other way And do the best I can; There is no other way to God Than His eternal plan. —Hess To get into heaven, it's who you know that counts.
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon comments that "If we could be completely delivered from the thralldom (bondage, slavery) of things seen and felt, and could feel the full influence of the invisible and the eternal,how much of heaven we might enjoy before the celestial shores are reached!...May God, the Holy Spirit, instruct us so that we may know the truth out of which solid happiness is sure to grow! (From his sermon The Tent Dissolved and the Mansion Entered) In other words all believers shall not sleep (die). There is a generation of believers who will experience the rapture (see word study on harpazo) and thus will not die physically (not have their tents "torn down"), but who shall be “changed” "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (1Co 15:51-53+). (Related resource: Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming) Alan Redpath explains if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down this way - "IF"--he is not quite sure about something. In other words, it is just possible that he may never die at all because he is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ; and He may come before that day. Therefore, says Paul, he really does not know whether he will go through the valley of the shadow (Ed: In this regard it is notable that Paul ended his first epistle to the Corinthians with the cry "Maranatha" which means "Our Lord, come" 1Co 16:22+)....(note also Paul) does not say "...if I be dissolved...." He says "if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands"--the essential man is going right through the experience without harm, unscathed. This is how Paul regards the possibility of catastrophe, the future, the thing that we call death." Paul lived with a sense of the imminent return of Jesus Christ as indicated by his use of the pronoun "we" in passages that described the return of the Lord. For example in First Corinthians he wrote "we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed" (1Co 15:51+). Similarly in First Thessalonians he wrote "we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep" (1Th 4:15). In other words if Christ returned during his lifetime he would not experience physical death. While believers may or may not die (but be raptured), such is not the case with unbelievers, all of whom will die physically. Puritan writer Richard Baxter wrote that “Man always knows his life will shortly cease, Yet madly lives as if he knew it not.” (ED: And this is tragically true for to many believers!) As someone else has said each one of us has been given “2 dates and 1 dash!” (1900-2001) (In a sense that is even true for those who will be raptured - life on earth has a beginning and an ending, either by death or the rapture). In view of the finiteness and finality of our earthly existence John
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Spurgeon comments that "Paul was not absolutely sure that his body would be dissolved (Ed: "his tent torn down or dismantled"). He hoped that he might be alive and remain at the coming of the Lord, and then he would be changed and be for ever with the Lord, without passing through death. Still, he was willing to leave this in the Lord’s hands, and when he saw it to be possible that he should be numbered among the blessed dead who die in the Lord he did not shrink from the prospect, but bravely found a metaphor which set forth the little fear which he entertained concerning it. (The Tent Dissolved and the Mansion Entered) Know (1492)(eido only in perfect tense = oida) means in general to know by perception. Now eido means “intuitive knowledge.” Now that’s something that’s different from knowledge that you have to go to a class to learn. This is something that is built in. It’s a knowledge that doesn’t have to be taught to those who live focused on the unseen. Compare similar use of "know" in Ro 7:14, 1Co 8:1. Literally eido/oida refers to perception by sight (perceive, see) as in Mt 2:2+ "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw (eido) His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." Eido/oida is distinguished from ginosko (epiginosko, epignosis - the other major NT word group for knowing) because ginosko generally refers to knowledge obtained by experience or "experiential knowledge". On the other hand, eido/oida often refers more to an intuitive knowledge, although this distinction is not always clear cut. Eido/oida is not so much that which is known by experience as an intuitive insight that is drilled into one's heart. Eido/oida is a perception, a being aware of, an understanding, an intuitive knowledge which in the case of believers can only be given by the Holy Spirit. In summary, eido/oida suggests fullness of knowledge, absolute knowledge (that which is without a doubt), rather than a progress in knowledge that is obtained by experience (as usually signified by use of the verb ginosko) Earthly (1919)(epigeios from epí = upon + ge = earth) means earthly, being upon the earth, belonging to earth, wrought in men upon earth, characteristic of the earth or this present world. Not heavenly. Most often used in NT to contrast earthly with heavenly (things [truths] = Jn 3:12, bodies = 1Co 15:40, 2Co 5:1, mindset = Php 3:19, wisdom = Jas 3:15).
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon comments on our bodies as tents declaring that The apostle Paul perceived that the body in which he lived was frail in itself. Paul was accustomed to make tents....When a tent is newly placed it is but a frail structure, very far removed from the substantiality of a house; in that respect it is exactly like this feeble corporeal frame of ours, which is crushed before the moth. Paul felt that his body would not need any great force to overthrow it; it was like the tent, which the Midianite saw in his dream, which only needed to be struck by a barley cake, and lo! it lay along. A house of solid masonry may need a crowbar and a pick to start its stones from their places, but feebler tools will soon overturn a tent and make a ruin of it. The body is liable to dissolution from causes so minute as to be imperceptible-a breath of foul air, an atom of poisonous matter, a trifle, a mere nothing, may end this mortal life. I hope that you and I duly remember the frailty of our bodies. We are not so foolish as to think that because we are in robust health today we must necessarily live to old age. We have had among ourselves lately abundant evidence that those who appear to be the healthiest are often the first to be taken away, while feeble persons linger on among us, whose lives are a continued wonder and a perpetual struggle. When we think of the brittle ware whereof our bodies are made it is not strange that they should soon be broken. Is it not a wonderful thing that we continue to live? much more wonderful than that we should die?...It is a very delicate process by which dust remains animated (Ed: "dust" referring to our mortal bodies); a thousand things can stay that process, and then our body is dissolved. Paul, therefore, because he saw his body to be frail us a bubble, looked forward to the time when the earthly house of his soul would be dissolved....There are signs about the aged which warn them that their earthly house was not built to stand for ever; it is a tabernacle or tent set up for a temporary purpose, and it shows signs of waxing old, and being ready to pass away. Hence, then, Paul was led to feel that both from the natural frailty of the body, and also from the injuries which it had already sustained, there was before him the evident probability that the earthly house of his tabernacle would be dissolved.... It would not long affect a man if his tent should be overthrown; he would shake himself clear of it and come forth; it would not otherwise disturb him. So death shall not affect us for the worse, but for the better; the dissolution of this hampering frame shall give us liberty. Today we are like birds in the egg; so long as the shell is whole we are not free: death breaks the shell. Does the fledgling lament the dissolution of the shell? I never heard of a bird in its nest pining over its broken shell; no, its thought runs otherwise: to wings, and flight, and sunny skies. So let it be with us. This body will be dissolved: let it be so; it is meet it should be. We have been glad of it while we have needed it, and we thank God for the wondrous skill displayed in it; but when we no longer require it, we shall escape from it as from imprisonment, and never wish to return to its narrow bounds. Death, as it pulls away our sackcloth canopy, will reveal to our wondering eyes the palace of the King wherein we shall dwell for ever, and, therefore, what cause have we to be alarmed at it? I have set out the whole catastrophe before you, and surely no believer trembles in view of it. (The Tent Dissolved and the Mansion Entered)
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon comments that "Paul did not fear that he himself would be torn down: he had not the slightest fear about that. The catastrophe which he looked forward to is known among us by the name of “death”; but he calls it the dissolving of the earthly house of his tabernacle; the taking down of his tent-house body. He does not say, “If I were to be destroyed,” or “If were to be annihilated”; he knows no supposition (assumption) of that character; he feels assured that he is perfectly safe. There is latent within the text an element of deep quiet as to his real self. “We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God.” The “we” is all unharmed and unmoved; if our house were dissolved we should not be undone; if we were to lose this earthly tent we have “a building of God, eternal in the heavens.” The real man, the essential self, is out of harm’s way; and all that he talks about is the falling to pieces of a certain tabernacle or tent in which for the present he is lodging. Many people are in a great fright about the future, yet here is Paul viewing the worst thing that could happen to him with such complacency that he likens it to nothing worse than the pulling down of a tent in which he was making shift to reside for a little season. He was afraid of nothing beyond that, and if that happened he had expectations which reconciled him to the event, and even helped him to anticipate it with joy. (The Tent Dissolved and the Mansion Entered) Torn down (2647)(kataluo from kata = down, prefix intensifying verb luo = loosen, dissolve, demolish, untie, undo) means literally to loosen down (unloose) and then to utterly destroy or to overthrow completely. To throw down (as the stones of the Temple Mt 24:2+). P E
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon - Many people are in a great fright about the future, yet here Paul is viewing the worst thing that could happen to him (death) with such complacency that he likens it to nothing worse than the pulling down of tent in which he was making shift to reside for a little season. In describing his recovery (Is 38:9), Hezekiah used the metaphor of a tent to describe the brevity of his life writing... Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling (physical life) is pulled up and removed from me (speaking of the end of his life); as a weaver I rolled up my life. He cuts me off from the loom (as a a finished fabric cut off from the loom); from day until night You make an end of me. (Is 38:12) Brian Bell asks - If a man dies will he live again? That’s what Job asked, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14a) Then he answered himself, “All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.” (Job 14:14b) The writer of Pr 23:18 said, “For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.”. Tents are fun to camp in…but they are not a “home”! A tent is only a temporary place!. We will one day set aside this Earthly Tent in exchange for Heaven’s Suit! (2Corinthians 5 Sermon Notes) Rod Mattoon tells the touching story of Eric Barker - Eric Barker, a missionary from Great Britain, spent over 50 years in Portugal preaching the Gospel, often under adverse conditions. During World War II, the situation became so critical that he was advised to send his wife and eight children to England for safety. His sister and her three children were also evacuated on the same ship. Although his beloved relatives were forced to leave, he remained behind to carry on the work. On the Lord's Day following their departure, Pastor Barker stood before his congregation and said, "I've just received word that all my family have arrived safely home!" He then proceeded with the service as usual. Later, the full meaning of his words became known to his people. He had been handed a wire just before the church service informing him that a submarine had torpedoed the ship, and everyone on board had drowned. He knew that because all were believers they had reached a more "desired home." Although overwhelmed with grief, he managed by the grace of God to live above his circumstances and to stay on the firing line for Jesus Christ. The knowledge that his family was enjoying the bliss of Heaven comforted his heart and helped him to keep one eye on eternity. Keeping one eye on eternity involves the promise of a new body. Secondly, it involves pining for our new body. Notice verses two through four (2Co 5:2-4). (Treasures from 2 Corinthians, Volume 1). WE HAVE A BUILDING FROM GOD, A HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS, ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS: oikodomen ek theou echomen (1PPAI) oikian acheiropoieton aionion en tois ouranois: we have a building from God, : Jn 14:2,3 1 Co 3:9 Heb 11:10 a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens: Col 2:11 Heb 9:11,24 1Pe 1:4 2 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See also "shorter version" of commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:1 FACING DEATH WITH A CONFIDENT HOPE Wiersbe sums up Paul's vibrant testimony in this section - “We have this ministry.... We have this treasure.... We [have] the same spirit of faith.... We have a building of God” (2Cor. 4:1, 7, 13; 5:1). What a testimony Paul gave to the reality of the Christian faith! We have (echo) means to possess and the present tense speaks of this as our present and continual possession, an "assured prospect of possession, as certain as if it were in our hands, laid up “in the heavens” for us." (Jamieson). John uses the present tense in a similar way writing that believers have "eternal life" now (Jn 3:36, Jn 6:47). Paul wants to be sure that his readers knew this truth about the future to allow us to live in light of the truth about this present life (which ends in death). This world is not my home, I am just a passin' through, My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue, The angels beckon me from Heaven's golden shore, And I can't feel at home in this world any more. P E
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon comments that... Paul knew that if his tent dwelling was overthrown he would not he without a home; he knew that he would not have to open his eyes in a naked condition, and cry, “Woe’s me, whither am I to fly? I have no dwelling place.” No, he knew that if this tent-house were gone he had “a building of God.” Paul was not afraid of going to purgatory: though of late some even among Protestants have in a modified form revived that grim fiction, and have told us that even believers will have much to bear before they will be fit for eternal happiness. The apostle held no such opinion; but, on the contrary, he wrote- “We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God.” He did not expect to be roasted alive for the next thousand years, and then to leap from purgatory to Paradise; but he did expect to go, as soon as ever his earthly house was dissolved, into his eternal house, which is in the heavens. He had not even the thought of lying in a state of unconsciousness till the resurrection. He says, “We know that if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have [we have already] a building of God.” He says not “we shall have it,” but “we have it”; “we know that we have it.” ... What did the apostle mean, however for this text is said to be a very difficult one? He meant, first the moment his soul left its body it would at once enter into that house of which Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.” Do you want to know about that house?... Paul also meant that in the fullness of time he would again be clothed with a body. He regarded the waiting time as so short that he almost overlooked it, as men forget a moment’s pause in a grand march. Ultimately, I say he expected to be housed in a body: the tent-house which was blown down and dissolved would be developed into a building, so rich and rare as to be fitly called “a building of God, a house not made with hands.” This also is our prospect.
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon comments.... At this present in this mortal body we groan being burdened, for our spirit is liberated from bondage, but our body is not yet emancipated, although it has been bought with a price. We are “waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body,” and so “the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Our soul has been regenerated, but the body waits for the process, which in its case is analogous to regeneration, namely, the resurrection from the dead. Disembodied saints (see Constable's note below) may have to wait a few thousand years, more or less, dwelling in the Father’s house above; but there shall come eventually the sounding of the trumpet and the raising of the dead, and then the perfected spirit shall dwell in a body adapted to its glory. The certainty of the resurrection raises us above the dread which would otherwise surround the dissolution of our body....Yet, again, dear brothers and sisters, you and I know that when this earthly tabernacle is dissolved there will be a new body for us, because our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. In my mind the ultimate answer to my deepest unbelief is the fact of the rising of Jesus from the dead. No matter of history is anything like so well attested as the fact that our Lord was crucified, dead and buried, and that he did upon the third day rise again from the dead. This I unhesitatingly accept us a fact, and this becomes my anchorage. Thomas Constable in contrast to Spurgeon and a number of other commentators (see + by John MacArthur below) does not believe we will be "disembodied spirits" if we die before the rapture when we will receive our eternal, incorruptible glorified bodies. Scripture does not directly speak to this so called "intermediate state", so Constable uses indirect evidence to support his view... Even though there is no specific instruction concerning an intermediate body and its characteristics in Scripture, its existence seems beyond doubt. References to believers after death and before resurrection suggest that they have bodies (cf. Lazarus, Luke 16:19–25; Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matt. 17:1–3, et al; the martyred dead in heaven, Rev. 6:9 10 11 and Re 7:13 14 15 16 17). These bodies evidently will not be suitable for eternal existence since God will replace them with resurrection bodies (John F. Walvoord, ed., Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology, abridged ed., 2:506–7. See also Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 4:414–15). (2 Corinthians Expository Notes) Pratt takes somewhat of a "middle ground" regarding the doctrine of the intermediate state... Paul referred to the future resurrected bodies of believers, focusing on the eternal state without differentiating it from the intermediate state (The state believers [who have passed on and now] are in His presence awaiting the dispensation of the permanent resurrection body when the Lord returns). According to this view, Paul did not address our heavenly experience before Christ’s return. Because the intermediate state is not the goal that believers are to keep in mind, it is overshadowed by the permanent state after Christ’s return. (I & II Corinthians. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference) My personal opinion is that the Scriptures do not clearly describe the "intermediate" state or the time between the death of a believer and the coming of Jesus at which time all believers receive their glorified bodies (at least all believers who have died during the church age). One thing we can all agree on that is that when we are absent from this body we are in His very presence and that doctrinal truth should put an end to any contentious disagreements regarding the intermediate state. I like Matthew Henry's comment that... Gracious souls are not found naked in the other world; no, they are clothed with garments of praise (Isa 61:3KJV), with robes of righteousness and glory (Isa 61:10). They shall be delivered out of all their troubles, and shall have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, Revelation 7:14-+. "GOOD" GROANING We groan - This is no unhappy groaning but good groaning like a child does as they wait for Christmas and the time to open their presents. Paul was groaning positively" because he was longing to receive the "present" of his resurrection body as a replacement his present earthly tent. Warren
2 Coríntios 5:1-3
Spurgeon comments: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after the, O God. As after a long drought the poor fainting hind longs for the streams, or rather as the hunted hart instinctively seeks after the river to lave its smoking flanks and to escape the dogs, even so my weary, persecuted soul pants after the Lord my God. Debarred from public worship, David was heartsick. Ease he did not seek, honour he did not covet, but the enjoyment of communion with God was an urgent need of his soul; he viewed it not merely as the sweetest of all luxuries, but as an absolute necessity, like water to a stag. Like the parched traveller in the wilderness, whose skin bottle is empty, and who finds the wells dry, he must drink or die -- he must have his God or faint. His soul, his very self, his deepest life, was insatiable for a sense of the divine presence. As the hart brays so his soul prays. Give him his God and he is as content as the poor deer which at length slakes its thirst and is perfectly happy; but deny him his Lord, and his heart heaves, his bosom palpitates, his whole frame is convulsed, like one who gasps for breath, or pants with long running. Dear reader, dost thou know what this is, by personally having felt the same? It is a sweet bitterness. The next best thing to living in the light of the Lord's love is to be unhappy till we have it, and to pant hourly after it -- hourly, did I say? thirst is a perpetual appetite, and not to be forgotten, and even thus continual is the heart's longing after God. When it is as natural for us to long for God as for an animal to thirst, it is well with our souls, however painful our feelings. We may learn from this verse that the eagerness of our desires may be pleaded with God, and the more so, because there are special promises for the importunate and fervent. Clothed with - Literally "put on over". KJV = "clothed upon". Wuest renders it "clothed in addition" (Eerdmans Publishing). New English Bible = "put on over". (see explanation below) Illustration - A pastor once received a letter from a nine-year-old girl that said, "Dear Pastor, I hope to go to heaven someday, but later than sooner. Love, Ellen." Out of the mouths of babes! Ellen speaks for almost everyone. We all want to go to Heaven, but later as opposed to sooner. However, as we have come to expect, this isn't the way Paul thought. Paul hoped to get there sooner rather than later. (2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word) Clothed (1902) (ependuomai from epí = upon or intensifier of + enduo = to clothe, English - endue, literally to enter into, as clothes) is a stronger form of enduo and means to put on in addition, to put on one's self as putting on a garment over existing clothing or to put one piece of clothing over another which is presently being worn. Here Paul is using the verb figuratively in reference to being clothed with our future resurrection body. Barnett - “The ‘clothed upon’ and ‘swallowed up by life’ imagery (2Co 5:2-4), when read alongside 1Co 15:53-54+, leaves little doubt that this ‘house’ is the individual’s resurrection body.”
2 Coríntios 5:4-5
Spurgeon - EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT—the Pledge of Heaven - IN the early times when land was sold, the owner cut a turf from the greensward and cast it into the cap of the purchaser as a token that it was his; or he tore off the branch of a tree and put it into the new owner’s hand to show that he was entitled to all the products of the soil; and when the purchaser of a house received seizin (the law accounts as something to be possessed) or possession, the key of the door, or a bundle of thatch plucked from the roof, signified that the building was yielded up to him. The God of all grace has given to his people all the perfections of heaven to be their heritage for ever, and the earnest of his Spirit is to them the blessed token that all things are theirs. The Spirit’s work of comfort and sanctification is a part of heaven’s covenant blessings, a turf from the soil of Canaan, a twig from the tree of life, the key to mansions in the skies. Possessing the earnest of the Spirit we have received seizin of heaven. (Feathers for arrows) Richard Baxter writes of the pledge of the Spirit in chapter 30 entitled "Directions for the Sick" - ‘That sickness and death may be comfortable to you, as your passage to eternity, take notice of the seal and earnest of God even the spirit of grace which he hath put into your hearts.’ That which emboldened Paul and such others to groan after immortality; and to “be most willing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord,” was because God himself “had wrought or made them for it, and given them the earnest or pledge of his Spirit.” (2Co 5:4, 5:8) For this is God’s mark upon his chosen and justified ones by which they are “sealed up to the day of their redemption.” “In whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” (Ep 4:30, Ep 1:13) “God hath anointed us, and sealed us, and given the pledge or earnest of his Spirit into our hearts.” (2Co 1:21, 22) “This is the pledge or earnest of our inheritance.” (Ep 1:14) And what a comfort should it be to us, when we look towards heaven to find such a pledge of God within us? If you say, I fear I have not this earnest of the Spirit: whence then did your desires of holiness arise? what weaned you from the world, and made you place your hopes and happiness above? whence came your enmity to sin, and opposition to it, and your earnest desires after the glory of God, the prosperity of the Gospel, and the good of souls? The very love of holiness and holy persons, and your desires to know God and perfectly love him, do shew that heavenly nature or spirit within you, which is your surest evidence for eternal life: for that spirit was sent from heaven, to draw up your hearts, and fit you for it: and God doth not give you such natures, and desires, and preparations in vain. This also is called “The witness of the Spirit with (or to) our spirit, that we are the children of God; and if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” It witnesseth our adoption, by evidencing it; as a seal or pledge doth witness our title to that which is so confirmed to us. The nature of every thing is suited to its use and end; God would not have given us a heavenly nature or desire, if he had not intended us for heaven. (The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter: Volume IV Pages 427, 428) THE EARNEST OF GLORY C H Spurgeon explains the meaning of the earnest of glory… The text informs us that in addition to working in us desires and fitness for glory, the Lord has graciously given to us an Earnest Of Glory. An earnest, as you all know, is unlike a pledge, in some respects. A pledge has to be returned when the matter which it ensures is obtained: but an earnest is a part of the thing itself. A man has so much wage to take on Saturday night, he receives a part of it in the middle of the week, it is an earnest of the full payment — a part of the payment itself. So the Holy Spirit is a part of heaven itself. The work of the Holy Spirit in the soul is the bud of heaven. Grace is not a thing which will be taken away from us when we enter glory, but which will develop into glory. Grace will not be withdrawn as though it had answered its purpose, but will be matured into glory. What is meant by the Holy Spirit being given to us as an earnest? I believe it signifies, first, that the very dwelling of the Holy Ghost within our soul is the earnest of heaven. My brethren, if God himself condescends to make these bodies His temples, is not this akin to heaven’s honors? Only put away sin, and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost would make even this earthly state to be heavenly to us. O my brethren, ye little know what a weight of glory is contained in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If you did but know it and believe in it always, the sorrows of this life would become trivial, and as for the frowns of men you would deride them. God dwelleth in you. You walk among the sons of men unknown and despised, yet as angels see you, you are the objects of their wonder. Rejoice that in this, then, you have an earnest of heaven. But everything the Holy Spirit works in us is an earnest of heaven. When the Holy Ghost brings to us the joys of hope, this is an earnest. While singing some glowing hymn touching the New Jerusalem, our spirit shakes off all her doubts and fears, and anticipates her everlasting heritage. When we enjoy the full assurance of faith, and read our title clear to mansions in the skies, when faith, looking simply to the finished work of Christ, knows whom she has believed, and is persuaded that He is able to keep that which she has committed to Him, this is an earnest of heaven. Is not heaven security, confidence, peace? The security, confidence, peace which spring from faith in Jesus Christ, are part and parcel of the heaven of the blessed. Heaven is the place of victory, and, my dear friends, when we are victorious over sin, when the Holy Spirit enables us to overcome some propensity, to get down our anger, to crush our pride, to mortify the flesh with its affections and lusts, then in that conscious victory over sin, we enjoy an earnest of the triumph of heaven. And once more, when the Holy Spirit gives us to enjoy fellowship with Jesus Christ, and with one another, when in the breaking of bread we feel the union which exists between Christ and His members, we have a foretaste of the fellowship of heaven. Do not say then, that you know nothing of what heaven is. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,” but “he hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.” Spiritual natures do know what heaven is, in the sense of knowing from the drop what the river must be like, of understanding from the beam what the sun must be. Its fullness you cannot measure, its depth you cannot fathom, its unutterable bliss you cannot tell; but still you know of what character the glory will be, you know that pure are the joys of the blessed, and all their dwellings peace, you know that fellowship with Christ and with holy spirits makes up much of heaven, and you know this because the earnest of the Spirit is a part and parcel of the thing itself. I conclude with a practical remark or two. If these things be so, what emotions are most fitting for us? Answer: first, O believers in Jesus, be thankful, overflow with thankfulness. Remember these things are not your own productions, no flowers of your own garden, but they have been planted in your soul by another hand, and watered by a superior power. Give all the glory to his holy name, for to Him all the glory belongs. Not a good desire in you was self-originated, no part of your fitness for paradise was self-formed. Grace hath done it, grace hath done it all. Adore and bless the Holy Spirit who hath wrought all your works in you, for you are “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Be ye thankful. As the birds created to sing, pour out their song; as the flowers, the handiwork of God, load the air with their perfume; so sing you, and let your lives be all fragrant with gratitude to him who has wrought you to the selfsame thing. Another emotion we ought all to feel who have this wrought in us is that of reverence. When a scholar knows that all he has learned has been taught him by his master, he looks up from his master’s feet into his master’s face with respectful reverence and esteem. O reverence the Holy Ghost. Let us in our public ministry and in our private meditations always stand in awe of Him. I am afraid we too much forget Him, let us reverence Him especially by obedience to His faintest monitions. As the leaves of the aspen tremble to the faintest breath of the wind, so may we tremble to the faintest breath of God’s Holy Spirit. Let us prize the Word because He wrote it; let us love the ordinances because He puts life and power into them. Let us love His indwelling, and never grieve Him lest He hide His face from us. “He that hath wrought us to the selfsame thing is God.” Vex not his Spirit, but anxiously ask that He would continue His work, and complete it in righteousness. Lastly, our heart ought to feel great confidence this morning. If the good thing had been wrought by ourselves, we might be sure that it would fail before long. Nothing of mortal man was ever perfect. But if He that hath begun the good work be God, there is no fear that He will forsake or leave His work undone. They shall never say of Him, “He began to build and was not able to finish.” No war of His was ever undertaken and then given up because He had not counted the cost. God has begun, God will complete. His promise is “Yea and amen,” and never was forfeited yet. Therefore let us be well assured, and let our hearts be glad. Dear hearers, the unhappy thing about this is that there are so many who have no desires for the blessed hereafter, no fitness for it, no earnest of it. Ah, then, the prophecies that are within you, what do they foretell? No yearning for heaven, does not that foretell that there is no heaven for you? No fitness for the presence of God; what does that say? Why, that in the presence of God you shall not rest. Earnest of the Spirit! Why, you almost laugh at the idea. Ah, then, no earnest is a proof that there is no reward for you. But what then? Will you be annihilated? Will you pass out of this existence and cease to be? Dark as were that prospect, ay, dark as midnight, yet were it brighter than the fate which the word of God allots you. There will be darkness, but you shall live in it; there will be death, but in it you must ceaselessly exist; for if the righteous be promised “life eternal,” it is also written, “these shall go away into everlasting punishment.” God save you from such woe by leading you to trust the Savior. Then you will confess with us, “He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God,” and unto God be the glory. Amen. (2Corinthians 5:5 The Glorious Hereafter and Ourselves) God's guidance and help that we need day to day Is given to all who believe; The Spirit has sealed us--He's God's guarantee That heaven we'll one day receive. --J D Brannon The greatest joy on earth is the sure hope of heaven. F B
2 Coríntios 5:9
Spurgeon: If we were not so forgetful of the way of mercy in which God walks toward us, we should be more careful to walk in the ways of obedience toward him. And I have walked in Thy truth. The psalmist was preserved from sin by his assurance of the truthfulness of God's promise, which truth he endeavored to imitate as well as to believe. Observe from this verse that an experience of divine love will show itself in a practical following of divine truth; those who neglect either the doctrinal or practical parts of truth must not wonder if they lose the experimental enjoyment of it (cp Jn 7:17). Some talk of truth, it is better to walk in it. Some vow to do well in future, but their resolutions come to nothing; only the regenerate man can say "I have walked in thy truth." Psalm 56:13 For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk (Hebrew = halak; Lxx = euaresteo = "well-pleasing") before God In the light of the living. Spurgeon: That I may walk before God in the light of the living, enjoying the favor and presence of God, and finding the joy and brightness of life therein. Walking at liberty, in holy service, in sacred communion, in constant progress in holiness, enjoying the smile of heaven -- this I seek after (Ed: cp "my ambition… to be pleasing to Him"). Here is the loftiest reach of a good man's ambition, to dwell with God, to walk in righteousness before Him, to rejoice in His presence, and in the light and glory which it yields. Thus in this short Psalm, we have climbed from the ravenous jaws of the enemy into the light of Jehovah's presence, a path which only faith can tread. Psalm 116:9 I shall walk (Hebrew = halak; Lxx = euaresteo = "well-pleasing") before the LORD In the land of the living. Spurgeon: This is the Psalmist's second resolution, to live as in the sight of God in the midst of the sons of men. By a man's walk is understood his way of life: some men live only as in the sight of their fellow men, having regard to human judgment and opinion; but the truly gracious man considers the presence of God, and acts under the influence of His all observing eye. "Thou God sees me" is a far better influence than "My master sees me." The life of faith, hope, holy fear, and true holiness is produced by a sense of living and walking before the Lord, and he who has been favored with divine deliverances in answer to prayer finds his own experience the best reason for a holy life, and the best assistance to his endeavors. We know that God in a special manner is nigh unto His people: what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? (2Pe 3:11-+) In summary, walking with or before God speaks of a close relationship with Him and describes the lives of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and David, all of whom walked in a manner that was pleasing to God! May their tribe increase among those of us who are privileged to be in the New Covenant and who therefore possess the indwelling Spirit, which leaves us no excuse to not obey Paul's command to walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16-+). And as we walk by the Spirit we will walk in a manner that is pleasing to God, not because we are so good, but because God's grace is so amazing! Amen? Amen! (3) We are pleasing to the Lord when we like Noah believe He is God and He is a Rewarder. Hebrews 11:6-+ And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Comment: Note that without faith is not just "difficult" to please Him - It is impossible! The point is that nothing but faith pleases God, at least as far as human beings are concerned! Faith that pleases God, (1) believes that He is the only real and true God who exists and (2) believes that He is a good God, a God Who rewards faith, for example with the "rewards" of forever forgiveness and Christ's imputed righteousness. C H Mackintosh: (Faith) glorifies God exceedingly, because it proves that we have more confidence in His eyesight that in our own. Matthew
2 Coríntios 5:10
Spurgeon illustrates this same idea with a story… You remember the old legend, which contains a great truth. There was a brother who preached very mightily, and who had won many souls to Christ, and it was revealed to him one night in a dream, that in heaven he would have no reward for all he had done. He asked to whom the reward would go, and the angel told him it would go to an old man who used to sit on the pulpit stairs and pray for him. Well, it may be so, but both would most likely share their Master's praise. We shall not be rewarded, however, simply according to our apparent success. — Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon Occasionally a benevolent action wrought in faith brings with it an instantaneous recompense in kind; therein Providence is seen as smiling upon the deed. The late John Andrew Jones, a poor Baptist minister, whilst walking in Cheapside, was appealed to by some one he knew for help. He had but a shilling in the world, and poised it in his mind, to give or not to give? The greater distress of his acquaintance prevailed, and he gave his all, walking away with a sweet remembrance of the promise, "He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given, will he pay him again." He had not gone a hundred yards further before he met a gentleman who said, "Ah, Mr. Jones, I am glad to see you. I have had this sovereign in my waistcoat pocket this week past for some poor minister, and you may as well have it." Mr. Jones was wont to add, when telling the story, "If I had not stopped to give relief I should have missed the gentleman and the sovereign too." — Spurgeon - Feathers for Arrows A W Tozer writes that… Our motives in the Christian life should be both right and genuine (cp 1Co 4:5). God is the Faithful One. We are to love Him and serve Him because He is God—not because of the gracious things He does for us or for the rewards He promises us! However, it should be said that God does not expect us to forget or ignore the gracious future promises He has made to us. It is a glorious truth that if we believe God and honor His Word, if we walk by faith in love and obedience, there will be eternal rewards for each of us in that great coming day. The rewards will differ. Wisdom and knowledge and love reside in Him who is our God. He will make the right judgments for His people. I for one will not be surprised if some of God's faithful people serving Him today should rise as high and shine as brightly as the heroes of faith listed in the book of Hebrews. I say that in all truthfulness because I do not think that all of the heroes of faith are dead and gone! Deeds done in the Spirit, in obedience to Christ and with the purpose of bringing honor to the Triune God, are seeds of endless blessedness. The first gift of life is not by works, but by faith in the work of a sufficient Redeemer; but after the miracle of the new birth has been accomplished, the Christian to a large extent carries his future in his hands. If he denies himself and takes up his cross in meek obedience, his deeds will become seeds of life and everlasting glory. He may forget his deeds of love or think them small and useless, but God is not unmindful. He never forgets (cp He 6:10) The sweet harvest of a life well lived will be there to meet the sower after the toil is ended and the heat of the day is past Spurgeon has several thoughts regarding a Christian's rewards… The service of God is a remunerative service; He gives wages in the work, and an abundant reward, according to His grace, when the work is done… Your reward is not what you get at present, but it lies in the glorious future. When the Lord Jesus comes He will reward all His stewards and servants. No truth is more plain in the four Gospels than this fact, that when Jesus returns to this earth He will distribute recompense in proportion to work done… He will certainly come in His own person to reward His saints; and ere He comes He sees what you are doing. If this does not nerve you to tireless diligence in holy service, what can?… If the action is not done in the Lord's service, but with a view to our own honour, we cannot expect a reward from above. Short is life; fleeting is time; quick is death; sure is judgment; long is eternity. Therefore… What thou desirest to do, do it quickly. Thou wilt deeds of love repay; Grace shall gen'rous hearts reward Here on earth, and in the day When they meet their reigning Lord. He can labor without present reward who looks for a reward in the world to come… God is both the rewarder and the reward of his people… He that wills to serve God for nought, will find that he does not serve God for nought. Our motive must be free from selfishness, but in the end the Lord will reward all the faithful. Mind your work, and God will find your wages. If not today, nor tomorrow, yet very certainly and abundantly, according to his grace, he will reward every good work. No pain, no palm. We must endure the toil and the suffering, or we may not expect the reward. The winner must first be a runner. Soldiers of the Lord below, Strong in faith resist the foe: Boundless is the pledged reward Unto them who serve the Lord. 'Tis no palm of fading leaves, Which the conqueror's hand receives; Joys are his serene and pure, Light that ever shall endure. For the souls that overcome Waits the beauteous heavenly Home, Where the blessed evermore Tread, on high, the starry floor. John Flavel - Those who give to God only the shadow of duty can never expect from him a real reward. William Childs Robinson - The judgment seat of Christ lends a seriousness to all life. (Ed: Beloved is this statement true of you?) John Blanchard - The fact that the Christian can face the day of judgment secure in the knowledge that he will not be rejected does not mean that he is to think of it in terms of a glorified prize-giving… We shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ on the basis of our performance, not our profession… We will go past the judgment seat of Christ in single file. (Complete Gathered Gold: A Treasury of Quotations for Christians) John MacArthur helps us understand the effect that sin now has on our future rewards... At the same time, while we won't be condemned for our sins, our present lives do affect what will happen at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Here's how: Sin and indifference in this life rob us of our present desire for serving the Lord. That in turn means a loss of rewards, because we will not have used our time to His glory. That is why Paul exhorts us to "be careful how [we] walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of [our] time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:15, 16notes). Sin and indifference result in a loss of power in our lives because sin grieves the Holy Spirit. Sin and indifference cause us to pass up opportunities for service, which we would otherwise perform and be rewarded for. The greatest consequence of unfaithfulness here on earth is that it disappoints Christ. 1Jn 2:28 says, "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." That is a sobering thought—we could be ashamed as we stand before the Lord. At the same time, it should encourage us with the prospect of receiving His lavish rewards if we serve Him faithfully during our time here on earth. (from What is the purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ?; see also Believer’s Rewards) Bill Vaughn in his thesis submitted to Master's Seminary reaches the following conclusion… When Paul’s teaching on the judgment seat of Christ is stripped of the unbiblical teaching of punishment for sin at the judgment seat of Christ, what is left is the biblical picture of a future date before Jesus Christ that all Christians should anticipate. The nature of the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ is not to judge sin (ED: READ THAT AGAIN). No biblical basis for that position exists. The nature of the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ is to judge each Christian’s service for possible rewards. Jesus has let us see this future event so that we can use it as a motivation to serve Him now, in our bodies, in a manner that will please Him and, ultimately, merit rewards for us. Paul’s greatest ambition was to please his Lord, desiring that, when the deeds done in his body were tested by fire, most of them would remain as gold, silver, or precious stones to be rewarded by Jesus. Given the proper understanding of the judgment seat of Christ, Christians should follow Paul’s example and let the judgment seat of Christ be the reason for their ambition to please the Lord Jesus Christ in all of their service. (The Judgment Seat of Christ - A Judgment For Sins or Service? - 21 pages) There was a rabbinic saying… Let not thine imagination assure thee that the grave is an asylum; for perforce thou wast framed, and perforce thou wast born. and perforce thou livest, and perforce thou diest, and perforce thou art about to give account and reckoning before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is he. As a dedicated Christian worker once said… The pay may not be that good but you can't beat His retirement plan. Warren
2 Coríntios 5:10
Spurgeon say to him? Solemnly Spurgeon said "That will be enough to give account for on the day of judgment!" Birth starts each person's life and rebirth our new life in Christ while death ends our earthly life and everything in between our rebirth and physical death (or the rapture) determines the recompense in our future life. Use your one life wisely! While you did nothing to prepare for your birth, you can do much to affect what happens after you die. Are you preparing for your future life? (See Redeem the Time or Watch Redeem the Time video, article on Redeem the Time) Tis' only one life, Will soon be past. Only what's done in Christ Will last! You may have noticed I changed "Only what's done for Christ" to "in Christ." While service for Him is certainly Biblical, the only service that yields eternal fruit is service that is "in Christ," that is, initiated and empowered by the Spirit of Christ, for the glory of God. Some say it not appropriate to even mention rewards but Scripture clearly disagrees. Even OT saints pressed on toward the goal for the prize, the writer of Hebrews recording that… By faith (cp 2Co 5:7, 2Co 4:18, He 11:1, He 11:6) Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking (looking away from all else to his recompense or retribution) to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. (Heb 11:24, 25, 26, 27+)
2 Coríntios 5:17
Spurgeon comments that…One of the first doctrines of our holy faith is that of the union of all believing souls with Christ. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ. Apart from Christ we are nothing (cp Jn 15:5); in Christ we have "all spiritual blessings" We are rich as Christ is rich, when we are united to him by the living bond of faith. Simon J. Kistemaker notes that…To be in Christ connotes being part of Christ's body (I Cor. 12:27), and Christ brings about a radical transformation in the believer's life. Instead of serving the ego, the Christian follows Christ and responds to the law of love for God and the neighbor. (Baker New Testament Commentary - Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians) John
2 Coríntios 5:17
Spurgeon writes… We are not saved by evolution but by creation! Zodhiates says Something founded, i.e., of a city, colonization of a habitable place. (Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament) Ktisis refers to (1) The act of creating, creation, God's creative action (Ro 1:20) (2) In the passive sense as the equivalent of the thing created whether animate or not. The result of a creative act or that which is created. Of individual things created (Ro 1:25, He 4:13, Ro 8:39). The sum total of all that has been created (Mk 10:6, 13:19, Ro 8:22, Col 1:15, Col 1:23, 2Pe 3:4, Rev 3:14). Of every genuine believer who is a new creation (created by the Spirit, Ro 3:3) in Christ (2Co 5:17, Gal 6:15). (3) An institution, ordinance, ordering, authority - as that which is established ("created") by God in which authority is entrusted to human beings. A "system of established authority that is the result of some founding action… the act by which an authoritative or governmental body is created." (BDAG). Comment: John
2 Coríntios 5:17
Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Zodhiates writes that idou is a "demonstrative particle. “Lo and behold!”, serving to call attention to something external or exterior to oneself; usually used at the beginning of a clause or only with kai (and), before it, but sometimes in the mid. of a clause before words which are to be particularly noted (Mt 23:34; Lk 13:16; Acts 2:7). (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. AMG) Idou is used by the Biblical writers to (1) prompt or arouse the reader's attention (introducing something new or unusual), (2) to mark a strong emphasis ("Indeed!" Lk 13:16) and (3) to call the reader to pay close attention (very similar to #1) so that one will listen, remember or consider Dear reader, have you experienced this "Behold" in your life? If not, then read Acts 4:12, 16:31, Romans 10:9, 10, John 1:12, 13, Ephesians 2:8,9,10 so that you too might "Behold" the glory of the risen Son in your life (see the following comment) and experience a brand new life in Christ. Baker says that behold emphasizes the dramatic aspect of the change in 2Co 5:17 "as if the reader is watching it occur, almost like observing a sunrise (Ed: It is early in the morning as I write this note. I am on the Texas coast overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and the bright orange sun has literally just peeked over the distant horizon of the ocean - and my reaction was literally to stop and behold! And then to praise Him for His glory. Ps 19:1). One minute it is dark and hazy, the next, the sun has popped out and one “beholds” its wonder as it transforms the shimmering landscape (Ed: As I watch the sun slowly rise in over the ocean, the shimmering waves shout out "Glory to God in the highest"!). (Baker, W. R. 2 Corinthians. The College Press NIV commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub) (Bolding added) Idou = 193x in 200v (Note preponderance of uses in the Revelation - Interesting!)- Mt 1:20, 23; 2:1, 9, 13, 19; 3:16 17; 4:11; 7:4; 8:2, 24, 29, 32, 34; 9:2 3, 10, 18, 20, 32; 10:16; 11:8, 10, 19; 12:2, 10, 18, 41 42, 46 47, 49; 13:3; 15:22; 17:3, 5; 19:16, 27; 20:18, 30; 21:5; 22:4; 23:34, 38; 24:23, 25f; 25:6; 26:45 46 47, 51; 27:51; 28:2, 7, 9, 11, 20; Mk 1:2; 3:32; 4:3; 10:28, 33; 14:41 42; Lk 1:20, 31, 36, 38, 44, 48; 2:10, 25, 34, 48; 5:12, 18; 6:23; 7:12, 25, 27, 34, 37; 8:41; 9:30, 38 39; 10:3, 19, 25; 11:31 32, 41; 13:7, 11, 16, 30, 32, 35; 14:2; 15:29; 17:21, 23; 18:28, 31; 19:2, 8, 20; 22:10, 21, 31, 38, 47; 23:14 15, 29, 50; 24:4, 13, 49; John 4:35; 12:15; 16:32; 19:5; Acts 1:10; 2:7; 5:9, 25, 28; 7:56; 8:27, 36; 9:10f; 10:17, 19, 21, 30; 11:11; 12:7; 13:11, 25, 46; 16:1; 20:22, 25; 27:24; Ro 9:33; 1Cor 15:51; 2 Cor 5:17; 6:2, 9; 7:11; 12:14; Gal 1:20; Heb 2:13; 8:8; 10:7, 9; Jas 3:4f; 5:4, 7, 9, 11; 1Pet 2:6; Jude 1:14; Rev 1:7, 18; 2:10, 22; 3:8 9, 20; 4:1 2; 5:5; 6:2, 5, 8; 7:9; 9:12; 11:14; 12:3; 14:1, 14; 16:15; 19:11; 21:3, 5; 22:7, 12. NAS = assure(1), behold(145), here(3), lo(1), long(1), look(8), see(1), then(1), there(1), when(1), why(1), yet(1). Idou = Almost 1000x in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - (Take a few moments and "behold" a few of the things God wants us to behold! E.g., behold the uses in Malachi!) Ge 1:29, 31; 3:22; 6:13, 17; 9:9; 11:6; 12:19; 13:9; 15:12, 17; 16:2, 6, 11, 14; 17:4, 19, 20; 18:2, 9; 19:2, 20, 21, 28, 34; 20:3, 15, 16; 22:1, 7, 11, 13, 20; 24:13, 15, 43, 51; 25:32; 27:1, 2, 18, 27, 39, 42; 28:12, 15; 29:2, 6, 25; 30:3; 31:2, 10, 44, 48; 32:6, 18, 20; 33:1; 34:10, 21; 37:9, 13, 19, 25; 38:13, 24; 41:2, 5, 19, 29, 41; 42:2, 13, 22, 28; 44:16; 45:12; 47:1, 6, 23; 48:2, 4, 11, 21; Ex 1:9; 3:9, 13; 4:14; 5:5, 16; 6:12, 30; 7:1, 15, 16, 17; 8:2, 20, 21; 9:3, 18; 10:4; 14:17; 16:4, 14; 17:9; 18:6; 19:9; 23:20; 24:8, 14; 31:2; 32:34; 33:12, 21; 34:10, 11; 35:30; Lev 13:5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 39, 43; 14:3, 39, 48; Nu 3:12; 12:10; 14:40; 17:8, 12; 18:8, 21; 22:5, 11, 32, 38; 23:9, 11, 20, 24; 24:10, 14; 25:6, 12; 32:14; Deut 1:10; 2:7, 24, 31; 3:11; 4:6; 5:24; 8:4; 9:13; 10:14; 11:26, 30; 13:14; 17:4; 19:18; 20:16; 26:10; 30:15; 31:14, 16; 32:34; Josh 1:9; 2:18; 3:11; 6:2; 7:21; 8:1, 8; 9:25; 14:10; 22:11, 20; 24:27; Jdg 1:2, 24; 3:24, 25; 4:22; 6:14, 15, 28, 37; 7:13, 17; 8:5, 15; 9:31, 33, 36, 37, 43; 11:34; 13:3, 5, 7, 10; 14:5, 8; 16:10, 13; 17:2; 18:9, 12, 22; 19:9, 16, 22, 27; 20:7, 40; 21:8, 19, 21; Ru 1:15; 2:4, 9, 13; 3:2, 8; 4:1; 1Sa 1:8; 2:31; 3:4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 16; 4:13; 5:3, 4; 8:5; 9:6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 24; 10:2, 8, 10, 11, 22; 11:5; 12:1, 2, 3, 13; 14:7, 8, 11, 16, 17, 20, 26, 43; 15:12, 22; 16:11, 15, 18; 17:10; 18:22; 19:16, 19, 22; 20:2, 5, 12, 21, 23; 21:9, 14; 22:12; 23:1, 3, 19; 24:4, 9, 10, 11, 20; 25:7, 14, 19, 20, 36, 41; 26:1, 7, 22, 24; 27:8; 28:7, 9, 21; 30:3, 16, 26; 2Sa 1:2, 6f, 18; 3:12, 22, 24; 4:6, 8; 5:1; 7:2; 9:4, 6; 12:11, 18; 13:24, 34, 35, 36; 14:7, 21, 32; 15:3, 15, 24, 26, 32, 35, 36; 16:1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11; 17:9; 18:10f, 24, 26, 31; 19:1, 8, 20, 37, 41; 20:21; 24:17, 22; 1Kgs 1:14, 18, 22, 23, 25, 42, 51; 2:8, 29, 35, 39; 3:12, 15, 21; 5:5, 6; 8:12; 10:7; 11:22, 31, 41; 12:24, 26, 28; 13:1, 2, 3, 25; 14:29; 15:7, 19, 23, 31; 16:3, 5, 14, 20, 27, 28; 17:9, 10, 12, 24; 18:8, 11, 14, 44; 19:5, 6, 9, 11, 13; 20:13, 36, 39, 40; 21:18, 21; 22:13, 23, 25, 39, 45; 2Ki 1:9, 14, 18; 2:11, 16, 19, 24; 3:20; 4:9, 13, 25, 32, 40; 5:6, 11, 15, 20, 22; 6:1, 5, 13, 15, 17, 20, 25, 33; 7:2, 5, 10, 13, 15, 19; 8:5, 23; 9:5; 10:4, 9; 11:14; 12:19; 13:21; 15:6, 11, 15, 21, 26, 31; 17:26; 18:21; 19:7, 9, 11, 35; 20:5, 17; 21:12, 25; 22:16, 20; 24:5; 1Chr 11:1; 17:1; 22:9, 14; 28:21; 29:3; 2Chr 2:4, 8, 10; 9:6, 29; 12:15; 13:12, 14; 16:3, 11; 18:12, 22, 24; 19:11; 20:2, 10, 11, 16, 24, 34; 21:14; 23:3, 13; 24:27; 25:18, 19, 26; 26:20; 27:7; 28:9,10, 26; 29:9, 19; 32:32; 33:18, 19; 34:24, 28; 35:25, 27; 36:8; Ezra 9:15; Neh 5:5; 6:12; 9:36; Es 1:1; 6:4, 5; 7:9; 10:2; Job 1:6, 12, 14; 2:6, 9; 3:3; 5:27; 13:1, 18; 16:19; 19:7; 26:14; 27:12; 28:28; 30:26; 32:12; 33:2, 29; 36:22, 26, 30; 40:15, 16; Ps 7:14; 11:2; 27:6; 33:18; 37:36; 39:5; 40:7, 9; 48:4; 51:5, 6; 52:7; 54:1, 4; 55:7; 56:9; 59:3, 7; 68:33; 73:12, 15, 27; 83:2; 87:4; 92:9; 119:40; 121:4; 123:2; 127:3; 128:4; 132:6; 133:1; 134:1; 139:4; Pr 1:23; Eccl 1:14, 16; 2:1, 11; 4:1; 5:18; Song 1:15, 16; 2:8, 9, 11; 3:7; 4:1; Isa 3:1; 5:26, 30; 6:7, 8; 7:14; 8:7, 18, 22; 10:33; 12:2; 13:9, 17; 17:1; 19:1; 20:6; 21:9; 22:17; 24:1; 25:9; 26:1, 21; 28:2, 16; 29:14; 30:27; 32:1; 33:7, 20; 34:5; 35:4; 36:6; 37:7; 38:5; 39:6; 40:9, 10; 41:11, 15, 28; 42:9; 43:19; 44:22; 47:14; 48:10; 49:6, 12, 16, 18, 22; 50:1, 2, 9, 11; 51:22; 52:13; 54:11, 15, 16; 55:4; 58:9; 60:2, 4; 62:11; 64:5; 65:1, 6, 13, 14, 18; 66:9, 12, 15; Jer 1:6, 9, 10, 15, 18; 2:35; 3:5, 22; 4:10, 13, 16, 23, 25, 26; 5:5, 14, 15; 6:10, 19, 21, 22; 7:11, 20, 32; 8:15, 17, 19; 9:7, 15, 25; 10:18, 22; 11:10, 11, 22; 12:14; 13:7, 13; 14:13, 18, 19; 16:9, 12, 14, 16, 21; 17:15; 18:3, 6, 11; 19:3, 6, 15; 20:4; 21:4, 8, 13; 22:17; 23:2, 5, 7, 15, 19, 30, 31, 32, 39; 25:9, 32; 26:14; 27:16; 28:16; 29:21, 32; 30:3, 18; 31:8, 27, 31, 38; 32:3, 7, 24, 37; 33:6; 34:17, 22; 35:17; 36:12; 37:7; 38:5, 22; 39:16; 40:4, 10; 42:4; 43:10; 44:2, 11, 26, 27, 30; 45:4, 5; 46:25, 27; 47:2; 48:12; 49:2, 5, 19, 22; 50:9, 18, 31, 41, 44; 51:1, 25, 36, 52; Ezek 1:4, 15, 25; 2:9; 3:8, 23, 25; 4:8, 14, 15, 16; 5:8; 6:3; 7:5, 12; 8:2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 14, 16, 17; 9:2, 11; 10:1, 9; 11:1; 12:27; 13:8, 12, 20; 14:22; 16:8, 37, 43; 17:7, 10, 18; 20:47; 21:3, 7; 22:6, 18; 23:22, 28; 24:16, 21; 25:4, 8, 9, 16; 26:3, 7; 28:7, 22; 29:3, 8, 10, 19; 30:9, 21, 22; 31:3; 33:33; 34:3, 10, 11, 17, 20; 35:3; 36:6, 9; 37:2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 19, 21; 38:3; 39:1, 8; 40:3, 5, 17, 20, 24, 44; 42:1; 43:2, 5, 6; 44:4; 46:19, 21; 47:1, 2, 7; Da 2:31; 3:25; 4:10, 13, 26, 31, 32, 34; 6:13; 7:2, 5, 6, 7, 13, 19; 8:3, 5, 15, 19; 9:4, 21; 10:5, 8, 10, 13, 16, 20; 11:2; 12:5; Hos 2:6, 14; 9:6; Joel 2:19; 3:1, 7; Amos 2:13; 4:2, 13; 6:11, 14; 7:1, 4, 7, 8; 8:1, 11; 9:8, 9, 13; Ob1:2; Mic 1:3; 2:3; Nah 1:15; 2:13; 3:5, 13; Hab 1:6; Zeph 3:19; Zech 1:8, 11, 18; 2:1, 3, 9, 10; 3:2, 4, 8, 9; 4:2; 5:1, 7, 9; 6:1, 8, 12; 7:5; 8:7; 9:9; 11:6, 16; 12:2; 14:1; Mal 2:3; 3:1; 4:1, 5 Thayer's note on idou… a demonstrative particle (in Gk writings from Sophocles down), found in the NT esp in the Gospels of Matthew and of Luke, used very often in imitation of the Hebrew הִנֵּה, and giving a peculiar vivacity to the style by bidding the reader or hearer to attend to what is said: “Behold! See! Lo!” It is inserted in the discourse after a genitive absolutely, Mt 1:20; 2:1,13; 9:18; 12:46; 17:5; 26:47; 28:11. Kai idou is used, when at the close of a narrative something new is introduced, Mt 2:9; 3:16; 4:11; 8:2,24,29,32,34; 9:2ff,20; 12:10; 15:22; 17:3; 19:16; 26:51; 27:51; 28:2,7; Lk 1:20,31,36; 2:9,25; 9:30,38f; 10:25; 14:2; 24:13; Ac 12:7; 16:1; when a thing is specified which is unexpected yet sure, 2Co 6:9, cf. Mt 7:4; when a thing is specified which seems impossible and yet occurs, Lk 11:41; Acts 27:24. The simple idou is the exclamation of one pointing out something, Mt 12:2,47, 13:3; 24:26; Mk 3:32; Lk 2:34; The simple idou is used of calling attention, Mk 15:35; Lk 22:10; Jn 4:35; 1Co 15:51; 2Co 5:17; Jas 5:9; Jude 1:14; Re 1:7; 9:12; 11:14; 16:15; 22:7 In other places idou is equivalent to “observe or consider”: Mt 10:16; 11:8; 19:27; 20:18; 22:4; Mk 10:28,33; 14:41; Lk 2:48; 7:25; 18:28,31, etc.; Kai idou - (Oh, how we need to heed this "and lo"!) = Mt 28:20; Lk 13:30; Idou gar, Lk 1:44,48; 2:10; Lk 6:23 = What an encouraging "Behold"!; Lk 17:21; Ac 9:11; 2Co 7:11; Idou where examples are adduced: Jas 3:4ff; 5:4,7,11; for the Hebrew הִנְנִי, so that it includes the copula: Luke 1:38; Equivalent to “here I am”: Ac 9:10; He 2:13. Idou is inserted in the midst of a speech, Mt 23:34; Lk 13:16; Ac 2:7; 13:11; 20:22,25. The passages of the OT containing the particle which are quoted in the NT are: Mt 1:23; 11:10; 12:18; 21:5; Mk 1:2; Lk 7:27; Ro 9:33; Heb2:13; 8:8; 10:7,9; 1Pe 2:6. (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon) Thing… New- First, note that there is no Greek word for "things" which has been added by the translators. The adjective "New" is kainos, the same word used to describe "new creature" (See preceding discussion of kainos). The KJV rendering has "All things are become new" (2Co 5:17KJV). The Greek word for all (pas) is found in the Textus Receptus (used for the KJV Translation) but not in most of the newer manuscripts (Nestle-Aland) and thus "all" is not found in the modern translations. Furthermore "all" things are in fact not made new. For example, if a blind man is saved, he won't miraculously be granted physical sight (although of course he does have a brand new capacity of "spiritual sight")! (See previous comment for more explanation) Albert
2 Coríntios 5:18-19
Spurgeon explains that "all things of the new creation are of God..."What things?" do you say again. We answer, all things that refer to the new nature—all things that refer to our new privileges and to our new actions—whatsoever things refer to the new nature are of God. (Read his entire messages - High Doctrine - And All Things Are of God - 2Cor 5:18) Henry Alford explains all these things writing that...in this new creation: he passes to a more general view of the effects of the death of Christ—viz. our reconciliation to God) Through Christ- Paul goes on to explain this truth in 2Cor 5:21. God's plan of redemption and reconciliation is solely based on Christ's finished work on the Cross (see also Ro 5:10+ below). In other words reconciliation of man to God is effected through Christ because His death removed the barrier to reconciliation as described even in the OT by the prophet Isaiah... But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. (Is 59:2). Paul's phrase through Christ parallels a similar teaching in Romans where he explains... Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ro 5:1+). Comment: Sinful man was at enmity with a holy God, so God moved toward us demonstrating "His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Ro 5:8-+) which the result that He brought peace which is not just an end to hostilities but the restitution of a broken relationship in which we who were once God's enemies have now been made His friends! Amazing grace indeed! For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Ro 5:10+). Cranfield comments on Paul's change from justification to reconciliation in the preceding passages noting that: Justification is a judicial term used in the law courts. A judge may acquit an accused person without ever entering into any personal relationship with the him or her. He just announces the verdict, not guilty. The accused hardly expects to be invited over for dinner by the judge, and probably hopes that he will never see him again. (Ed: In reconciliation it is in fact as if the Judge enters into a personal relationship with the justified sinner, who is now, as it were, "invited over to dinner!") Paul again alludes to the fact that the reconciliation is through Christ in his letter to the Colossians... Through Him (Christ) to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach (Col 1:20+, Col 1:21, 22+) The Lord Jesus took our place that we might have His peace. He took our sin that we might have His salvation. P E
2 Coríntios 5:18-19
Spurgeon writes...There has been a long-standing quarrel between God and man. It commenced in that day when our first parents hearkened to the serpent’s voice, and believed the devil rather than their Maker. Yet God is not willing for that quarrel to continue. According to the goodness of His nature, He delights in Love. He is the God of peace; and He has, on His part, prepared everything that is needful for a, perfect reconciliation. His glorious wisdom has devised a plan whereby, without violating His Justice as the Judge of all the earth, and without tarnishing his perfect Holiness, He can meet man upon the ground of Mercy, and man can again become the friend of God. That blessed work was done long ago; and now all that remains is that man should be reconciled to God, that he should be willing to end the dispute, and that his heart should turn towards his Maker again in love, and peace, and perfect reconciliation. He bids us, His ministers, and, indeed, all His servants, — each according to his opportunity, and experience and knowledge, and ability, and grace, — to go abroad amongst the sons of men, and exercise “the ministry of reconciliation,” to labor to bring men into harmony with God, that they may be willing to accept what God has done toward the making of an everlasting peace, and ending, once for all, this grievous quarrel. (2 Corinthians 5:18 The Ministry of Reconciliation) Reconciled (2644)(katallasso from katá = an intensifier + allásso = change) means to exchange one thing for another and was used for example to describe the exchange of coins for others of equal value. This Its original meaning of to change, exchange, etc. transferred to mean to reconcile. Reconciliation refers to an objective state of peace, not simply a feeling of peacefulness. Katallasso (and katallage - see 2Co 5:19) were frequently used in secular Greek. The Greek words for reconciliation derive from words for exchange, in which by extension enmity is exchanged for peaceful relations. And so the Greeks spoke of people in opposition to each other being “reconciled” or being made friends again. When people change from being at enmity with each other to being at peace, they are said to be reconciled. Katallasso meant to legally reconcile two disputing parties in court. Paul used this common Greek term in his writings to describe a believer’s reconciliation to God, such a reconciliation made possible by the finished work Christ on Calvary. Related Resources: A W Pink's The Doctrine of Reconciliation 31 chapter book! - about 31 pages Reconciliation - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Notice the aorist tense which defines a completed action in the past. Thrall explains that the aorist tense indicates "that the Christ-event (2Co 5:14, 21) in principle effected the reconciliation in an objective fashion, prior to any consequent human response. It is an act of God accomplished whilst humanity was still hostile towards him (Ro 5:8, 10). At the same time, the aorist imperative (of katallasso) in 2Cor 5:20 shows that it is not complete without the individual human response. (Thrall, M. E.. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle of the Corinthians. London; New York: T&T Clark International) (Bolding added) Vincent’s note on katallasso is illuminating... “The verb (katallasso) means primarily to exchange, and hence to change the relation of hostile parties into a relation of peace; to reconcile. It is used of both mutual and one sided enmity. In the former case, the context must show on which side is the active enmity. In the Christian sense, the change in the relation of God and man effected through Christ. This involves (1) a movement of God toward man with a view to break down man’s hostility, to commend God’s love and holiness to him, and to convince him of the enormity and the consequence of sin. It is God who initiates this movement in the person and work of Jesus Christ. See Ro 5:6-+, Ro 5:8-ntoe; 2Cor 5:18, 19, Eph 1:6-+; 1 Jn 4:19). Hence the passive form of the verb here: we were made subjects of God’s reconciling act. (2) a corresponding movement on man’s part toward God; yielding to the appeal of Christ’s self-sacrificing love, laying aside his enmity, renouncing his sin, and turning to God in faith and obedience. (3) a consequent change of character in man: the covering (cp "atonement"), forgiving, cleansing of his sin; a thorough revolution in all his dispositions and principles (as summarized in 2Co 5:17). (4) a corresponding change of relation on God’s part, that being removed which alone rendered Him hostile to man, so that God can now receive him into fellowship and let loose upon him all His Fatherly love and grace (1Jn 1:3, 7). Thus there is complete reconciliation. AMAZING DIVINE GRACE AND MERCY INDEED! Katallasso refers to the exchange of hostility or enmity to a friendly relationship. The basic idea of reconciliation is the restoration of friendly relationships after a period of enmity or estrangement. Thus katallasso means to change a person for the purpose of being able to have fellowship together. As discussed, Scripture always portrays God as the Reconciler and sinners as the ones reconciled, since it was human sin that ruptured the relationship between God and man Isaiah, for example, recording... But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2) In the NT, katallasso speaks of the change that God makes in man through regeneration (New Birth), so that he may be reconciled to God. The idea is to set up a relationship of peace not existing before. To reiterate, man is reconciled to God, but God is not said to be reconciled to man. Reconciliation produces restoration of a relationship of peace which has been disturbed between God and man in the garden of Eden. Sinful man is reconciled in that his attitude of enmity toward God is changed to one of friendship. Matthew Henry...Reconciliation supposes a quarrel, or breach of friendship; and sin has made a breach, it has broken the friendship between God and man. The heart of the sinner is filled with enmity against God, and God is justly offended with the sinner. Yet, behold, there may be a reconciliation; the offended Majesty of heaven is willing to be reconciled. He has appointed the Mediator of reconciliation. He has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, 2Co 5:18. John
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Spurgeon wrote "As I came along this morning I felt as if I could bury my head in my hands and weep as I thought of God beseeching anybody. He speaks, and it is done. Myriads of angels count themselves happy to fly at his command. And yet man has so become God's enemy that he will not be reconciled to him. God would make him his friend, and spends the blood of his dear Son to cement that friendship, but man will not have it. See how the great God turns to beseeching his obstinate creature! In this I feel a reverent compassion for God. Must he beseech a rebel to be forgiven? Angels, do you hear it? He who is the King of kings veils his sovereignty and stoops to beseeching his creature to be reconciled to him! As though God were making an appeal through us - "God is sending you his invitation through us." (William Barclay) "God Himself Who issues his appeal through our words." (Murray Harris) We are as it were "God's mouth piece" to speak forth His desire to reconcile sinners from their war with God, a war they cannot win in this life or the life to come!
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Spurgeon - See ye here the foundation-truth of Christianity, the rock on which our hopes are built. It is the only hope of a sinner, and the only true joy of the Christian, — the great transaction, the great substitution, the great lifting of sin from the sinner to the sinner’s Surety; the punishment of the Surety instead of the sinner, the pouring out of the vials of wrath, which were due to the transgressor, upon the head of his Substitute; the grandest transaction which ever took place on earth; the most wonderful sight that even hell ever beheld, and the most stupendous marvel that heaven itself ever executed, — Jesus Christ, made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him! You scarcely need that I should explain the words when the sense is so plain. A spotless Savior stands in the room of guilty sinners. God lays upon the spotless Savior the sin of the guilty, so that he becomes, in the expressive language of the text, sin. Then he takes off from the innocent Savior his righteousness, and puts that to the account of the once-guilty sinners, so that the sinners become righteousness, — righteousness of the highest and divinest source — the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2Cor 5:21 Christ Made Sin) John
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Spurgeon reminds us that since the Triune God did it, it is well done. I am not careful to defend an act of God: let the man who dares accuse his Maker think what he is at. If God Himself provided the sacrifice, be you sure that He has accepted it. And so as we study this profound passage, we do well to keep the words of Kruse in mind when he states that... We obviously stand at the brink of a great mystery and our understanding of it can only be minimal. Made (4160) (poieo) means to make or to do and can express action either as completed or continued, in this context clearly expressing past completed action (which is also seen in Paul's use of the aorist tense).
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Spurgeon writes that in regard to Jesus being made to be sin...Christ was not guilty, and could not be made guilty; but He was treated as if he were guilty, because He willed to stand in the place of the guilty. Yea, He was not only treated as a sinner, but he was treated as if He had been sin itself in the abstract. This is an amazing utterance. The sinless One was made to be sin. Sin pressed our great Substitute very sorely. He felt the weight of it in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he “sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.” The full pressure of it came upon him when he was nailed to the accursed tree. There in the hours of darkness he bore infinitely more than we can tell. (The Heart of the Gospel) Criswell writes that...This verse is a beautiful and concise summation of the gospel, a gospel of reconciliation. "To be sin" could mean "to be a sin-offering," but this gives the word "sin" two different meanings in the same breath, and it weakens the contrast with "righteousness." Paul does not say that Christ was made a sinner; indeed, His sinlessness is clearly affirmed. What Paul says is that Christ was made "to be sin." The meaning is shown by the similar statement that Christ became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). He bore the sins of believers so that in the sight of God they might be righteous. Knew (1097) (ginosko) means to acquire information usually by experience (rather than by intuition), and thus describes a knowledge that goes beyond the merely factual. Generally, the knowledge of ginosko goes beyond the merely factual and in some contexts was used of a special relationship between the person who knows and the object of the knowledge. In the present context ginosko signifies that Jesus did not know sin through direct personal experience. Sin never blemished God's perfect Lamb of God as He was being prepared for the sacrificial offering on the Cross. Paul uses ginosko in the description of his experience with sin asking... What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know (ginosko) sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (Ro 7:7) Comment: In this passage in Romans Paul's use of ginosko supports the idea of knowledge which is gained by personal participation. Here in 2Co 5:21 Paul is stating that this was never the experience of Jesus Christ. Clearly Christ was aware of the reality of sin and He also observed sin in others (cf. Heb 12:3), Paul emphasizes that Christ Himself never had personal involvement in sin.
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Spurgeon - If our Lord's bearing our sin for us is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach. Made...to be sin - The words "to be" are not in the Greek text but are added by the translators. Note Jesus was not made sinful but sin. Paul is not saying that Jesus became a sinner or that God made Him commit sins. The NT (see passages above) repeated testifies to our Lord's sinless state which definitively excludes the possibility that He was ever a sinner. He was not a sinner and He did not become one on the Cross! On the Cross, Christ was not personally guilty of sin. Nor was He punished for ANY SIN OF HIS OWN. James Smith - He was made sin for us. He was not made a sinner—or He could not have been an acceptable sacrifice for sin. Sin was not transfused into Him, though it was laid upon Him (1Pe 2:24). He was made an offering for sin, or a sin offering, and therefore He was treated as a sinner. The sins of all He represented, of all for whom He became a substitute—were placed to His account. He became answerable for them. He voluntarily undertook to become responsible for them (He 10:7, 9). The whole debt became His (Ro 3:23). Our breaches of the law—were to be answered for by him. Therefore as sin was imputed to Him, or placed to His account, it was punished in His person. All that it was necessary to inflict, in order to satisfy divine justice, and present an example of God's hatred to sin, to the universe, was inflicted on Him. The whole curse of the law (Gal 3:13), the whole desert of sin, the whole of the wrath of God for sin, was put into one cup, and presented to Him. He looked into it and trembled, crying out, "Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?" He took it, and fell to the ground, blood oozing from every pore of his body, he cried in bitter agony (Lk 22:44), "If it is possible—let this cup pass from me!" (Mt 26:39) He drank of it, and exclaimed, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46) But it pleased the Lord to bruise him, Jehovah put him to grief, when he made his soul an offering for sin (Isa 53:10KJV). O the tremendous agony which He endured! O the depths of woe through which He waded! O the waves and billows of divine wrath, that went over Him! (From The Marvelous Exchange - James Smith) Related Resource: Christ Made Sin - Stephen Charnock Spurgeon - Christ was not guilty, and could not be made guilty; but he was treated as if He were guilty, because He willed to stand in the place of the guilty. Yea, He was not only treated as a sinner, but He was treated as if He had been sin itself in the abstract. This is an amazing utterance. The sinless one was made to be sin. Isaiah speaks of how Jesus was made to be sin... Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried, yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:4, 5, 6) Comment by John
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Spurgeon commenting on the righteousness of God...What a grand expression! He makes us righteous through the righteousness of Jesus; nay, not only makes us righteous, but righteousness; nay, that is not all, He makes us the righteousness of God; that is higher than the righteousness of Adam in the garden, it is more divinely perfect than angelic perfection....The righteousness which Adam had in the garden was perfect, but it was the righteousness of man: ours is the righteousness of God. Harris writes that become the righteousness of God "is a bold restatement of the nature of justification. Not only does the believer receive from God a right standing before him on the basis of faith in Jesus (Philippians 3:9), but here Paul says that “in Christ” the believer in some sense actually shares the righteousness that characterizes God himself (cf. 1Cor 1:30). (Expositor's Bible Commentary ) Spurgeon on the righteousness of God... Now, here I beg you to notice, that it does not simply say that we might be made righteous but “that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him;” as if righteousness, that lovely, glorious, God-honoring; God-delighting thing — as if we were actually made that. God looks on his people as being abstract righteousness, not only righteous, but righteousness. To be righteous, is as if a man should have a box covered with gold, the box would then be golden; but to be righteousness is to have a box of solid gold. To be a righteous man is to have righteousness cast over me; but to be made righteousness, that is to be made solid essential righteousness in the sight of God. Well now, this is a glorious fact and a most wonderful privilege, that we poor sinners are made “the righteousness of God in him.” God sees no sin in any one of his people, no iniquity in Jacob when he looks upon them in Christ. In themselves he sees nothing but filth and abomination, in Christ nothing but purity and righteousness. Is it not, and must it not ever be to the Christian one of his most delightful privileges to know that altogether apart from anything that we have ever done, or can do, God looks upon his people as being righteous, nay, as being righteousness, and that despite all the sins they have ever committed, they are accepted in him as if they had been Christ, while Christ was punished for them as if he had been sin. Why, when I stand in my own place, I am lost and ruined; my place is the place where Judas stood, the place where the devil lies in everlasting shame. But when I stand in Christ’s place — and I fail to stand where faith has put me till I stand there — when I stand in Christ’s place, the Father’s everlastingly beloved one, the Father’s accepted one, him whom the Father delighteth to honor — when I stand there, I stand where faith hath a right to put me, and I am in the most joyous spot that a creature of God can occupy. Oh, Christian, get thee up, get thee up into the high mountain, and stand where thy Savior stands, for that is thy place. Lie not there on the dunghill of fallen humanity, that is not thy place now; Christ has once taken it on thy behalf. “He made him to be sin for us.” Thy place is yonder there, above the starry hosts, where he hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in him. Not there, at the day of judgement, where the wicked shriek for shelter, and beg for the hills to cover them, but there, where Jesus sits upon his throne — there is thy place, my soul. He will make thee to sit upon his throne, even as he has overcome, and has sat down with his Father upon his throne. Oh! that I could mount to the heights of this argument to-night; it needs a seraphic preacher to picture the saint in Christ, robed in Christ’s righteousness, wearing Christ’s nature, bearing Christ’s palm of victory, sitting on Christ’s throne, wearing Christ’s crown. And yet this is our privilege! He wore my crown of thorns; I wear his crown, the crown of glory. He wore my dress, nay. rather, he wore my nakedness when he died upon the cross, I wear his robes, the royal robes of the King of kings. He bore my shame; I bear his honor. He endured my sufferings to this end that my joy may be file, and that his joy may be fulfilled in me. He laid in the grave that I might rise from the dead and that I may dwell in him, and all this he comes again to give me, to make it sure to me and to all that love his appearing, to show that all his people shall enter into their inheritance. (2 Corinthians 5:21 Christ--Our Substitute) Ray
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Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in him; thou art in God's sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou hast more than the righteousness of man-thou hast the righteousness of God. O thou who art mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of thy sins can condemn thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but thou hast learned also to know that sin is not thine-it was laid upon Christ's head. Thy standing is not in thyself-it is in Christ; thine acceptance is not in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much accepted of God to-day, with all thy sinfulness, as thou wilt be when thou standest before his throne, free from all corruption. O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection in Christ! For thou art "complete in him." With thy Saviour's garment on, thou art holy as the Holy one. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Christian, let thy heart rejoice, for thou art "accepted in the beloved"-what hast thou to fear? Let thy face ever wear a smile; live near thy Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when thy time has come, thou shalt rise up where thy Jesus sits, and reign at his right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Reconciliation - Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. The Christian religion bases everything on the positive, radical nature of sin. Other religions deal with sins; the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ faced in men was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the Gospel that the message of the Gospel has lost its sting and its blasting power. The revelation of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took upon Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took upon Himself the heredity of sin which no man can touch. God made His own Son to be sin that He might make the sinner a saint. All through the Bible it is revealed that Our Lord bore the sin of the world by identification, not by sympathy. He deliberately took upon His own shoulders, and bore in His own Person, the whole massed sin of the human race— “He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,” and by so doing He put the whole human race on the basis of Redemption. Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone can enter into union with God on the ground of what Our Lord has done on the Cross. A man cannot redeem himself; Redemption is God’s ‘bit,’ it is absolutely finished and complete; its reference to individual men is a question of their individual action. A distinction must always be made between the revelation of Redemption and the conscious experience of salvation in a man’s life. (Oswald Chambers 2 Corinthians 5:21 Reconciliation) Substitution -The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy. The New Testament view is that He bore our sin not by sympathy, but by identification. He was made to be sin. Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy with us. We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed, or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the lovingkindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world. The revelation of His Father is to those to whom He has been introduced as Saviour. Jesus Christ never spoke of Himself to the world as one Who revealed the Father, but as a stumbling block (see John 15:22, 23, 24). John 14:9 was spoken to His disciples. That Christ died for me, therefore I go scot free, is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that "He died for all" (not - He died my death), and that by identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have imparted to me His very righteousness. The substitution taught in the New Testament is twofold: "He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." It is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me (by grace through faith). (Oswald Chambers 2 Corinthians 5:21 Substitution) A Land of Beginning Again - More than four hundred years before Jesus' birth, the Greek poet Agathon said, "Even God cannot change the past." Historically speaking, he was right. What happens cannot be undone. Yet when God sent His Son to die on the cross, He provided a way to erase our sinful past. Here is how Donald Grey Barnhouse described what Jesus did for us: "Just as a hole in the ocean floor would let sea water into the volcanic fires, creating force that could blow the world apart, so the Lord Jesus Christ by dying and rising again broke through the past and allowed eternity to pour in, shattering, turning and overturning, changing, and altering all things. He took the past of all believers and cleansed it by His blood and transformed the life in such a way that the time-rooted life gave way to life eternal." The poet said, "I wish there were a land of beginning again." There is. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:7). And the hymn writer said, "Calvary covers it all, my past with its sin and stain; my guilt and despair Jesus took on Him there, and Calvary covers it all." Salvation can change the worst sinners into the most honored saints. THE SIX-LEGGED LAMB - For he hath made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 When God saves a man, He does more than pardon that sinner of his guilt; He also completely erases the old offenses from the "books," clears the penitent's name, and bestows upon him the perfect righteousness of the Savior. For that reason believers may justly be called "saints," for they stand perfect in Christ! Dr. Harry A. Ironside used to tell of an experience he had while he was the guest of a western sheep herder. One morning he saw an old ewe lope across the field followed by the strangest looking lamb he had ever seen. It apparently had six legs! The last two seemed to be torn from the body and were just dangling there. The shepherd caught the odd lambkin and brought it to Dr. Ironside for examination. Closer inspection showed that the skin from another lamb had been stretched over its body. The shepherd explained that this little one had been orphaned, and none of the ewes would adopt it. However, a day or two later a rattlesnake killed another young lamb. Its bereaved mother could not be consoled. She also stoutly rejected this orphaned animal when it was offered to her as a substitute. However, when they skinned her own dead lambkin and draped its wooly coat over the orphaned one, she immediately accepted it, because it smelled right to her. Dr. Ironside was much impressed, and said: "What a beautiful picture of substitutionary atonement. We too were once orphans — spiritual outcasts — without hope of Heaven. We were not acceptable to God because of our sin. However, the lovely Lamb of God took the sting of the `old serpent' and died upon the cross for a lost world. Now by receiving Him through faith we are redeemed and made ready for Heaven because His righteousness has been applied to our account." Sinner, have you been made acceptable to God "in the Beloved"? *God sees my Savior, and then He sees me "In the Beloved," accepted and free! — C. D. Martin God formed us, sin deformed us, but Christ alone can transform us! The Burned-Over Place - Some early settlers were traveling together across the western prairies of the United States. One day they were horrified to see a fire fanned by strong wind coming their way. As the flames raced closer and closer, one man, to the amazement of the others, set fire to a large patch of grass downwind. The tinder-dry grass burned quickly and left behind a charred and barren area. Then he told them to move onto the burned-over place. They watched as the fire swept toward them until it reached the burned area—and then stopped! They were safe as the fire passed by them on both sides. The fires of God’s judgment will descend on a wicked world, but God has provided a burned-over place. At Calvary, the fire of God’s justice was met by Jesus. He bore our sin there and fully paid for our transgressions. He made full satisfaction for our sins, and we who have taken our stand by faith in the finished work of Christ are safe in the burned-over place. There is nothing left to burn. The flames of God's judgment can never touch me, For Jesus has borne all God's wrath on the tree; I now stand secure in the burned-over place, A sinner, unworthy, yet saved by His grace! —Bosch Jesus died in our place to provide a place of safety. The Adam Legacy - Our new grandson Jackson had fine features, soft blemish-free skin, and ten tiny fingers and toes on two little hands and feet. How could any proud Grampa not see him as a “perfect” baby? He certainly was a miracle of divine formation (Psalm 139:13, 14). The apostle Paul gave us a broader view of such “perfect” little infants when he wrote, "Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin...Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam” (Ro 5:12, 13, 14). In other words, every child is born with a tendency to sin. But that’s not Paul’s final word. He also wrote about Jesus, the “last Adam,” who became a “life-giving spirit”(1Cor 15:45). Long after man’s first sin, a baby was born who was God incarnate (Jn 1:14). God made Christ,“ who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2Corinthians 5:21). When we trust Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit creates within us a new desire to do what is pleasing to God. The flesh still has its pull, but the pull of the Spirit is stronger. In the “first Adam” we’re all sinners. But let’s concentrate on who we are in the “last Adam.” One with Adam are we all, One with Adam in his fall; But another Adam came— Fallen sinners to reclaim. —D. De Haan If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away. —2 Corinthians 5:17 Calvary's Deepest Pain - After washing His disciples’ feet and celebrating the Passover with them, Jesus led them into a familiar garden and “began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed” (Matthew 26:37). Going a bit farther with Peter, James, and John, He said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me” (Mt 26:38). Then, walking a short distance away, Jesus “fell on His face” before God, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Mt 26:39). He did this three times (Mt 26:44). How do we account for such a surge of emotional turmoil? Only by understanding the “cup” that Jesus asked His Father to take from Him. He was about to bear “the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). That “cup” was filled with the sins of the whole world. The agony of Gethsemane would culminate on the cross in His heart-wrenching cry: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus’ physical pain was nothing compared with Calvary’s deepest pain—the awful reality of being abandoned by His Father. God made Jesus “to be sin for us” (2Corinthians 5:21), so the Father had to turn away from Him. "Man of Sorrows," what a name For the Son of God who came Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! What a Savior! —Bliss Christ braved the shadow of eternal death to bring us the sunshine of eternal life. Whipping Boy - Throughout history, royal families have received special treatment. Often they were exempt from keeping the law or receiving punishment or even discipline. But the royal children still needed to know that when they misbehaved they deserved to be punished. When a prince or princess disobeyed or did poorly in schoolwork, the punishment was given to a “whipping boy” instead. There was no doubt who was really at fault, but it was simply unthinkable for a servant to spank a person of royalty. The cross of Calvary gives a completely different view of dealing with wrongdoing. Although the servant is at fault, royalty receives the punishment. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Glory, took our place when He died on the cross. He voluntarily became our “whipping boy” and paid the penalty for our sins. How much we owe to Jesus Christ! How could we ever forget that we have been bought with a price! That’s what kept Paul going when lesser men might have quit. He was confident that because we have a substitute, God is not angry with us. His Majesty’s justice has been satisfied. We are free to live and love as we never have before. When Jesus took our punishment, God’s wrath was satisfied; Now we can live at peace with Him Because for us Christ died. —Sper Christ became a curse for us to remove the curse from us. His Pain for Our Gain - Every year I hear about people who have their hands and feet nailed to a cross for a brief time to imitate the crucifixion of Christ. These misguided souls may mean well, but their futile self-torture is only a tiny fraction of the Lord’s physical pain—and nothing of His deep spiritual agony. After a night of humiliating abuse and vicious scourging, which was enough to kill some people, Jesus was wracked with horrendous pain during His 6 hours on the cross. But far worse was the agony in His soul. During the 3 hours of darkness, He endured the God-forsakenness of hell. The prophet Isaiah declared the suffering Servant to be absolutely without fault, but said, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him” and to “make His soul an offering for sin” (Isa. 53:10). The apostle Paul said that God made the sinless One “to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). Not until Jesus knew He had endured the full measure of God’s judgment against our sins did He say, “It is finished!” (Mt. 27:50; Jn. 19:30). The Lord was crucified for us; He gave His life so we would gain Eternal life and endless joy In heaven where there is no pain. —Sper Christ endured the agony of the cross so we could enjoy the glory of heaven. True Faith - Some things in life call for us to be absolutely accurate—to do exactly as the directions say. For instance, I can’t fill out my tax returns any old way I want. I have to do exactly as the tax code requires, or I’ll spend a lot of time explaining myself. Even in a land of liberty, we are bound to follow certain rules. Adhering to the Bible as the guidebook in our spiritual life is even more vital. Some people may consider these matters to be peripheral and easily ignored, but we must get them right. That’s why it is distressing to learn that according to the Barna Research Group, 42 percent of Americans think Jesus committed sins. And even 25 percent of professing Christians say He was not sinless. Beyond that, 61 percent of Americans think there are other ways to salvation besides faith in Christ. These are dangerous deviations from the truth. Our Guidebook, the Bible, is clear—Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, and His sacrificial death is the only way to establish a relationship with God. I dare not try some other way And do the best I can; There is no other way to God Than His eternal plan. —Hess To get into heaven, it's who you know that counts. A Brakel alludes to Jesus being made sin from us in his answer to the question of what caused this extreme distress in Christ, especially in His cry in Mt 27:46... His suffering in Gethsemane which we have just discussed was not due to the sins of the Jews, their rejection, His pity with all the ungodly who perish, the betrayal of Judas, and the offense and contempt which would result from His suffering. He had foreknowledge of all this. It also was not due to fear of the violent and ignominious death before Him, for then He would have been weaker than many martyrs who with joy faced death and courageously endured it. Instead, the true cause of all His soul’s suffering was first of all that He felt the full extent of what sin is, as well as what it means to be a sinner. He Himself had neither committed sin nor had known sin, for He was holy, undefiled and separate from sinners. But He had removed all sins from the elect by taking their sins upon Himself as if He Himself had committed them, thus standing in their place. He now felt what it meant to break the relationship and the covenant with God, to forsake God, to be disobedient to God, to oppose God, to sin against His law and will, and to be conscious of being a partaker of sin. To behold sin as sin, and to feel it to be such, is unbearable, even if there were no punishment upon sin. This caused David to exclaim, “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight” (Ps. 51:4). The Lord Jesus, who was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), experienced sin as sin. This was an unbearable condition in Him who loved God perfectly. Secondly, Christ felt the full force of being separated from God due to sin. It is neither imaginable, nor can it be expressed what terror, unrest, darkness, and misery are experienced, and what a sorrowful condition it is when God in indignation fully separates Himself from a sinner, withdrawing all favor, grace, and light; forsaking, rejecting, and casting him out; leaving him over to himself— man not being able to live without finding relief for his soul somewhere. For a man to have a soul— a soul which cannot satisfy itself and can only be satisfied by something external to itself— and then to have nothing and be unable to find anything for fulfilment; to miss God, who alone is the satisfaction of a rational creature; and to be empty within while weeping in total separation from God, is both unbearable and intolerable. Such will be the eternal punishment of the ungodly, “who will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Th. 1:9). The elect were deserving of all this, but the Lord Jesus bore this in their place. Such sorrow of soul exceeds our comprehension. Thirdly, Christ experienced the full force of the curse, the execution of what it is to be cursed (Gal. 3:10, 13), the just manifestation of divine wrath, the Lord’s anger towards the sinner (Nahum 1:2), the terribleness of falling into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31), and the experience of God being a terror (Jer. 17:17). As this cannot be understood by anyone who has not experienced it, so it can only be understood in a small measure by someone who has felt this in principle or by approximation, and cannot be fully understood and expressed by anyone. Let us take the most extreme conception of it as deduced from all the expressions of Scripture, and then consider our perception to be almost nil in comparison to what the Lord Jesus experienced in this respect. Christ was the Son of love, and as such God was not angry with Him. God was wrathful towards sin, however, and in righteously executing justice as Judge, caused Him who had taken sin upon Himself to feel this wrath. Fourthly, Christ experienced the terror of the devil in full force (Luke 22:53). Due to sin, man has become the property of the devil (2 Tim. 2:26), and therefore the Surety had to endure all the attacks of the devil on behalf of His elect. The tempter tempted Him with subtlety (Mat. 4), departed from Him for a season (Luke 4:13), but came with his greatest power and severest attacks at the very end . . . at the time and hour of his power. Imagine your feeling sin in all its abominableness, utterly forsaken of divine favor, sensibly experiencing the highest degree of the divine wrath and anger of God as just Judge— and at such a moment being attacked and assaulted in the most subtle and horrible manner by the powers of hell. What an extreme state of unspeakable distress this must have been! Such was Christ’s suffering according to His soul. This typified that the Messiah who was to come would likewise put Himself in the place of the sinner, would sacrifice Himself on their behalf, and His suffering would be imputed to all believers as if they themselves had made payment for their sins. Consider 2 Cor 5:21, “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.” Christ has been made sin for us by the imputation of all the sins of the elect to Himself as Surety, as a sacrifice for sin. Thus, “the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6). Since Christ has been made sin for us, we by virtue of His merits are made the righteousness of God in Him. This is also evident in the following texts: “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet 2:24); “He is the (hilasmos) propitiation (an atoning sacrifice) for our sins” (1 John 2:2). Since the Lord Jesus as High Priest and the Sacrifice has sacrificed Himself for the sins of the elect, He has thus essentially and truly made atonement on behalf of the sinner by His suffering and death. The Christian's Reasonable Service, vol. 1 (indexed) The Christian's Reasonable Service, vol. 2 (indexed) The Christian's Reasonable Service, vol. 3 (indexed) The Christian's Reasonable Service, vol. 4 (indexed)