2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 5

[Kevin Young]

This week we will be discussing chapter 5 of Second Corinthians. After you read the chapter, please post your comments, thoughts, questions, and insights here in this thread. God bless you.

[sassy1506]

This one's confusing . . . it seems to be VERY redundant, but at the same time it's always saying something new . . . now that I think about it, the entire bible's like that.

7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

This verse reminds me of our confirmation class two weeks ago.
My pastor had us partnered up. One person in each team had a blindfold on. The person without the blindfold had to direct the other person from my house to the church around the corner. We weren't allowed to lay a hand on them unless they were about to walk into a tree or fall or something.
This verse just brings back that memory.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

So this is saying don't judge, right? How hard this is for the teenage race (Yes, we ARE a separate race now.) I mean, I personally don't think I judge people that much (Except Israel, but that's just to annoy him.), but I feel like people are always judging me.
I get weird looks all the time just 'cause of what I wear. Is wearing two different colored shoes or a pink fedora really THAT bad? Is the reason I don't have that many friends because I wear a lot of black? Or because my brother's just cooler than me, so everyone wants to hang with him?
These days you can't get away from judging. It really stinks, especially for teenagers who are trying to prove themselves to their peers. I quit caring what people thought a while ago. It's really NOT that bad.

13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

Story of my life. Nothing else needs to be said.

[Ric]

1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

Something to think about... our bodies are like the vehicles we drive. Some are fast, some are slow, some are older than others, and some are 4wheel drive and can go through mud and climb cliffs. One thing about them all, though, is that you don't wanna have to sleep in your vehicle more than one night in a row, I'd bet. What's awesome to me is that when the time comes for us to "get out of our vehicle", we in Christ have a home to go into! Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us about 1980ish years ago. So, assuming He's been getting the place ready for us since then, think about how jaw-dropping awesome Heaven's gonna be compared to the beauty of the unspoiled places here on earth, which only took six days to create!

5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Isn't it great to know that we have more than just a good feeling at work inside us? Sometimes I have to still remind myself that this God I worship is REAL, and He picked me LONG before I picked Him. And he doesn't just give us hope... He GUARANTEES that we have a place in His kingdom as long as we remain in Him.

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For 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.

I don't think the life a Christian must lead could be anymore dumbed-down than this passage. Who are we trying to please? Us? Our friends? People we want to like us? Or GOD?

12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart

I once had the chance to go back to Iraq with a security firm. I'd have made upwards of $200,000 a year tax-free. Could've had a house, nice cars, nice things(be seen), among other things. But I'd have had to walk away from the youth ministry my wife and I led in our church at the time. And to still have the connection to those who remain faithful today, and see how they're growing in Christ long after, I think I made the better choice.

Likewise, If Disciple wanted to, they could quit singing about Jesus and charge $60 a ticket for people to come see their musical talent, and they'd be huge successes! I think they've made the better choice, too. What's all the money and stuff in the world compared to eternity in Heaven?

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.

I once saw fat kids, pretzel-toothed girls, and goofy hairdos. Now I see souls created in the image of God, and suddenly I don't pre-judge them anymore.

[ransomeddaughter836]

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It's been so encouraging to me recently, as I've been struggling to let go of the darkness that I've held inside. I hadn't even realized how deeply rooted it had become, until I started trying to change. Many times I've gotten discouraged, feeling like I've made a mess of myself, and I'll never be able to be free and pure again. But I know that's not true; Jesus can change even the most deep-set evil. He is making me entirely new.

[Kevin Young]

7For we live by believing and not by seeing.

The fight has always been about what we believe. In the Garden of Eden, God said to Adam and Eve, "Do not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil or you will surely die." Then Satan tempted them with these words saying, "You will not surely die if you eat of this tree." What was he saying? He was saying, "Don't believe what God is telling you. Trust me instead. God is lying. Believe me." And Satan is still using that same tactic today when he tries to get us to believe the lie that this world and the things in it can satisfy us. But the things of this world can not satisfy us. We must believe God, and continue to eat from the Word of God (the Tree of Life) and refuse to eat from this world's message (the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil).

8Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Do we go to heaven when we die? I'm not sure, but according to this verse if we are away from our bodies then we are with the Lord. And being with Him is heaven.

10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

I don't think we talk about this enough as Christians. We live in a time where Grace seems to remove all responsibility for our actions. And Grace will remove the penalty that we deserve from sin. So why do we still have to stand before God? I don't have it all figured out, but 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks about receiving rewards from God on the day of judgement for the work we have done. Thinking about standing before God is something that slaps me in the face, and helps me to take my life seriously. And to especially take the grace that He has given me seriously.

  18And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,* so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Here is the definition of reconcile.
RECONCILE - 1. to restore to friendship or harmony <reconciled the factions>
2. to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable: to reconcile hostile persons.
3.
to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).
4.
to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent: to reconcile differing statements; to reconcile accounts.
5.
to reconsecrate (a desecrated church, cemetery, etc.).

I love these definitions. This is the message we have been given to give to the world. Because of what Christ has done, we no longer have to be enemies of God. And what's more God desires "friendship" with us.

In these verses you see where it says "Come back to God" ("be reconciled to God" in other translations). Why would you say "Come back to God" to someone who has never received Christ. I thought about it, and I think saying "Come back to God" is saying "Come back to the relationship with God that mankind was intended to have. Come back to what was stolen from you in the Garden of Eden. Come back because Jesus was an offering for sin so that we could be made right with God."

[sassy1506]

I thought you only got on one day a week. This is spectacular. Thanks so much for posting your views on here. They make so much sense, whereas my pastor's weird and tries his hardest to make it confusing.

[ransomeddaughter836]

10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

I don't think we talk about this enough as Christians. We live in a time where Grace seems to remove all responsibility for our actions. And Grace will remove the penalty that we deserve from sin. So why do we still have to stand before God? I don't have it all figured out, but 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks about receiving rewards from God on the day of judgement for the work we have done. Thinking about standing before God is something that slaps me in the face, and helps me to take my life seriously. And to especially take the grace that He has given me seriously.

I was just wondering about this verse the other day, right after I read this chapter. I've often heard people talk about Christians receiving rewards in heaven for good works, but this verse says we'll get "whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done." I haven't ever really thought much about that last part. Since we have been saved by grace, we aren't condemned to hell, but we still have to account for what we've done, somehow. The thought kind of confuses me, because I can't really imagine punishment, per se, in heaven. (But really, what do I know? I've never been there.) I'm thinking it might be more like a good scolding. Now, I realize that a scolding doesn't seem so extreme at first, and you'd think we deserve a lot more, but I don't think it would be any ordinary scolding. I think Kevin said it really well--the thought of standing before God slaps me in the face, too. I imagine myself, tiny pathetic human that I am, standing before the great throne of the Almighty God, and being reprimanded by Him for all the evil I've done. I think that would be punishment enough.

[Kevin Young]

10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

I don't think we talk about this enough as Christians. We live in a time where Grace seems to remove all responsibility for our actions. And Grace will remove the penalty that we deserve from sin. So why do we still have to stand before God? I don't have it all figured out, but 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 speaks about receiving rewards from God on the day of judgement for the work we have done. Thinking about standing before God is something that slaps me in the face, and helps me to take my life seriously. And to especially take the grace that He has given me seriously.

I was just wondering about this verse the other day, right after I read this chapter. I've often heard people talk about Christians receiving rewards in heaven for good works, but this verse says we'll get "whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done." I haven't ever really thought much about that last part. Since we have been saved by grace, we aren't condemned to hell, but we still have to account for what we've done, somehow. The thought kind of confuses me, because I can't really imagine punishment, per se, in heaven. (But really, what do I know? I've never been there.) I'm thinking it might be more like a good scolding. Now, I realize that a scolding doesn't seem so extreme at first, and you'd think we deserve a lot more, but I don't think it would be any ordinary scolding. I think Kevin said it really well--the thought of standing before God slaps me in the face, too. I imagine myself, tiny pathetic human that I am, standing before the great throne of the Almighty God, and being reprimanded by Him for all the evil I've done. I think that would be punishment enough.

Here are a few verses that give us an idea of what it will be like to stand before God as Christians. 1 Cornithians 3:12-15.....

  12Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. 14If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

As we see in verse 15, if the builder's work was not good, it will be burned up. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. So we can see Grace at work here, because the builder will be saved even though his or her work was not good. But there will still have be an account given, and I think that is very important for us to always keep in mind. Here's another verse, Jude 1:24....

24Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.

And one more. This uses the word reconcile, which we just learned some good definitions for that word. Colossians 1:21-22...

  21This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

[Lyndies]

V. 10 says we will appear before Christ in judgement.

That helps me to remain accountable to myself with my actions right now. It's so easy to just say, "Oh, God forgives me, I'm all good." While that is true, I personally need more of a push to "be good". God is rea, no doubt, but since we can't physically see him, He feels so abstract and it's easy to take advantage of his forgiveness and grace and mess up again and again.

We can't be perfect, though. Apart from Christ, we are not good or holy or righteous. That's why we need...
V. 17-21
Jesus made us as righteous as we will ever be when he took our sins on himself, and he took every sin for every one of us.
So, in Christ, now we are good to go for all of eternity.
Does that mean we can mess up because it doesn't matter? No! paul talks about that in Romans, I think. We need to remind ourselves that we will one day have to own up fpr our actions. It matters and is a good reminder because if we live outside of God's will here on earth, our lives will get messed up. It doesn't jeopardize our eternal lives, but it will made things cruddy here. And plus, people watch us...if they don't see us living any differently from how they live without God, why would they want to have God? What difference does God make in our lives?

I think that's why we one day have to be held accountable during judgement because how we live doess matter even if it doesn't make a difference with whether or not we make it to Heaven.

[ransomeddaughter836]

Here's another verse, Jude 1:24....

24Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.

And one more. This uses the word reconcile, which we just learned some good definitions for that word. Colossians 1:21-22...

  21This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

These two verses kind of confuse me... They both say we'll be able to stand in His presence "without a single fault". What does that mean? I understand that through Jesus' blood we're purified, and God remembers our sins no more. But I don't think that means we won't still have to give account for what we've done...

God is rea, no doubt, but since we can't physically see him, He feels so abstract and it's easy to take advantage of his forgiveness and grace and mess up again and again.

That's so true. I know I do that a lot.

I think that's why we one day have to be held accountable during judgement because how we live doess matter even if it doesn't make a difference with whether or not we make it to Heaven.

Exactly, well said!