2 Corinthians Chapter 5
1 We know that if our earthly “housing” perishes, we have one from God not made with hands, eternal in heaven. 2 That’s what we wait for. [ 3 ] 4 While we’re in this tent, we groan with burdens. We don’t want to be “unhoused,” but fully housed so life can swallow up what’s mortal. 5 God has prepared us for that by giving us the Spirit as a pledge.
2 Cor 4:7-5:5
Taking Courage in Christ
6 So we always take courage. We know that while we’re at home in the body we’re away from the Lord. ( 7 We operate by faith more than by sight.) 8 We have courage and prefer to be absent from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we aim to please him, whether we’re at home or away. 10 We all have to appear at Christ’s judgment seat to receive pay for what we did in the body, good or bad.
11 So, fearing the Lord, we persuade people. We’re open and obvious to God and, I hope, in your conscience too. 12 We’re not trying to commend ourselves to you again; we’re giving you a chance to take pride in us so you can answer people that take pride in appearances instead of heart. 13 Whether we’re beside ourselves is for God to decide; whether we have a sound mind is for you to decide. 14 Christ’s love controls us because we’ve concluded that since One died for all, all had died. 15 He died for all so all the living would stop living for themselves and live for the One that died for them and resurrected.
2 Cor 5:6-15
Salvation as Reconciliation
16 So from now on, we don’t know anybody by what they look like. Even though we’ve known Christ that way, we don’t anymore. 17 So if anybody’s in Christ, they’re a new creation. The old things are gone; they’ve become new; 18 and they’ve come from God. He has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us a ministry about reconciliation: 19 that in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not holding their trespasses against them, and putting in us the message about reconciliation. 20 We’re ambassadors for Christ, and God is making his appeal to the world through us, “Please, for the sake of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 21 The One who hadn’t sinned God treated as sinful on our behalf so we could become sinless in him.
2 Cor 5:16-21