New Testament · Letters

2 Corinthians chapter 5

We know that if the we live in here on earth—this body of ours—is torn down, we have a , a permanent home in the heavens, not made by human hands.Right now we’re in this body, longing to our heavenly home like clothing over what we already wear—because when we do put it on, we won’t be found .While we’re still in this temporary shelter, we groan under its weight—not because we want to be stripped of it, but because we want to be covered over with the new, so that what’s dying is by .And the one who has us for exactly this is God himself, who has given us as a —a guarantee of what’s coming.So we’re always , even though we know that while we’re in this body, we’re away from the Lord—because we navigate life by , not by .We are confident, and actually we’d prefer to and be at home with the Lord.So whether we’re at home in the body or away from it, our one is to be to him.Because all of us will have to stand before the of , where each person will receive what they’re owed for the things they did while in the body—whether good or .So because we understand what it means to have a of the Lord, we try to people. God knows exactly who we are, and I hope that deep down, you know too.We’re not trying to recommend ourselves to you again. We’re giving you something to be proud of about us, so you can respond to those who brag about rather than what’s in the .If we seem , it’s for God. If we’re being reasonable, it’s for you.Because the of us. We’ve come to this conclusion: one died for all, which means all died.And he died for everyone so that those who are alive would stop living for themselves and start living for the one who died for them and was .So from now on, we don’t evaluate anyone by anymore. Even if we once evaluated the One that way, we don’t anymore.So if anyone is the One, they are an entirely . The old has gone. Look—the new is here!And all of this comes from God, who with us through the One and then gave us the of .Here’s what that means: God was in the One, restoring relationship with himself. He wasn’t holding people’s against them, and he entrusted us with this .So we are on behalf of the One, as though God is making his appeal through us. We’re pleading on behalf of the One: to God!God took and let him become failure itself for our sake, so that through him we could become the very of .