2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. If our earthly house if destroyed- ”Now it is the saints' comfort whilst they are in it, and in a view of the dissolution of it, that they have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens… which some understand of the glorified body upon its resurrection, as opposed to its frail, mortal, earthly frame in its present situation...” (John Gill) Joseph Sutcliffe (1762–1856)- a Methodist circuit rider and contemporary of John Wesley- has like hope, as below: ”The contrast between a house made with hands, and a house made by Jehovah’s fiat, is very striking. But the assurance of it is more to be remarked. 'We know' that if our bodies were dissolved, we have a mansion in the heavens. On the superior excellence of the ministry, and on the eternal weight of glory, our confidence is built, that whenever we shall be summoned away from this frail cottage, which may more appropriately be called a tent than a mansion, we have a celestial habitation, and therefore care the less about a mortal life, in hope of a more glorious resurrection. Our hope is built upon the promises of God: on this hope Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones, and Abraham sought a better country. — We rely on the resurrection of Christ, as the firstfruits of them that slept. We are the more consoled in our hope, for having received the firstfruits of the Spirit, and now wait for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. Moderns “represent the righteous as earnestly desiring that their ‘immortal souls’ may be liberated by death from their gross material bodies: they have not a ‘clothing upon’ in view; their idea is to be unclothed. This is the very thing which Paul did not desire: ‘Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.’ When writing thus, the apostle did not, as many suppose, desire to die; he ardently longed for Jesus Christ to reappear during his lifetime, that he might be one of those who would ‘not sleep.’ But, even if he did die, he well knew that he would be raised from the dead when that event occurred, for he had previously told the same church that ‘We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump’ (1 Cor. 15:51-52). The next verse – ‘This corruptible must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality’ - not only shows the nature of this change, but strikes at the root of that theory which makes the resurrection consist in an immortal soul re-entering a mortal body; for, according to that theory it would be immortality putting on mortality, whereas Paul says that ‘mortality must put on immortality,’ in order that the former may be ‘swallowed up’ of the latter.”- Christadelphian Shield: Papers Explanatory of Wrested Scriptures “Job says, I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my judgment was as a robe and a diadem: Job 29:14. The woman seen in a vision, is clothed with the sun. Revelation 12:1.The saints put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and are arrayed in the armour of light. When the Lord therefore shall come, they will not be found naked.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) They shall be clothed with immortal bodies. 4 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. For we who are in this tent of our mortal bodies do groan, wanting our new immortal bodies, as it is written: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes." (Hosea 13:14) Isaiah also spoke of that day saying: “And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’” (Isaiah 25:7-9) “Paul said this transition occurs when ‘mortality’ is ‘swallowed up by life’… When is that? [It is at the last trump.] If we back up… to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the answer is obvious. Notice carefully: Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)” [The Truth About Death - By Steve Wohlberg] 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Jesus prepared this for us and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of the promise. So, the saints —by the Spirit — can rest assured of the promise. —>“He does not say, as frequently represented, ‘TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY IS TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD’: he had too much respect for the teaching of Moses and the prophets concerning the state of the dead to make such a false statement. Those inspired writers inform us that ‘the dead praise not the Lord’ (Ps 115:17) that ‘in death there is no remembrance of God’ (Ps 6:5); that, when a man dies, ‘his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughts perish’ (Ps 146:4); and that, as a consequence, ‘the dead know not anything’(Eccl 9:5) …. Only those who believe this testimony can appreciate the prominence given by Paul to the resurrection, and understand his argument thereon. Keeping these facts in view, it is easy to perceive why the apostle said if there was no resurrection, then the righteous dead had perished. (1 Cor 15:18) Paul himself is now one of those dead ones, who are said to ‘sleep in Jesus.’ He and they are all now ‘absent from the body,’ but they are not yet ‘present with the Lord’; for they are devoid of all life and consciousness, and will so continue until the ‘Lord shall descend from heaven,’ when ‘the dead in Christ shall rise,’ after which all who are approved by him will ‘ever be with the Lord’ (1 Thess. 4: 16-17). Paul desired the two things conjoined, namely, ‘To be absent from the body AND to be present with the Lord’: he is now realizing the former, but not the latter: he has no knowledge of anything, and, therefore, is unconscious of the lapse of time. When he awakes from his sleep of death, it will be to him as though he had but recently fallen asleep.”[The Christadelphian Shield: Papers Explanatory of Wrested Scriptures] 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. “This, says Bengel, is 'the sole legitimate ambition'... whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him… The latter would resemble 1 Thessalonians 5:10, 'That whether we wake or sleep we may live with him.' We may be accepted of him; literally, to be well pleasing to him." (Pulpit Comm.) "That is, whether in this world or the next; whether we are here, or removed to heaven. Wherever we are, or may be, it is, and will be our main purpose and object so to live as to secure his favor.” (Barnes) 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. We must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, most definitely not to pay the penalty for our sins. AND surely not for salvation, that has already occurred and will be completed at the return of Jesus. Rather we stand before Him for rewards. "'Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing' (2 Tim. 4:1,8). It was then, and not at death, that Paul expected to receive a 'crown of righteousness'; it was then, consequently, that he expected to be 'present with the Lord.'" [The Christadelphian Shield: Papers Explanatory of Wrested Scriptures]
"The Judge of all the earth will ask on that day: 'Give an account of your stewardship.'(Lk. 16:2). [Jesus will say] I endowed you with various powers and faculties, with understanding, imagination, memory, will and affections. I also gave you clear directions as to how all these were to be used. Did you use your understanding in the knowledge of yourself and Me, My nature. My attributes, My works of creation, providence and grace, in acquainting yourself with My word, in using every means to increase your knowledge of it, in meditating on it day and night? Did you use your memory in storing up what knowledge you had acquired that would be to My glory, to your own salvation and to the good of others? Did you store up therein not things of no value but whatever instruction you had learned from My Word, and whatever experience you had gained of My wisdom, truth, power and mercy? Was your imagination used, not in painting empty images, much less those which nourished "foolish and hurtful desires" (I Tim 6:9), but in representing whatever would profit your soul and awaken your pursuit of wisdom and holiness? Did you follow My directions with regard to your will? Was it wholly given up to Me? Was it swallowed up in Mine, so as never to oppose, but always run parallel with it? Were your affections placed and regulated in such a way as I appointed in My Word? Did you give Me your heart?…Was I the object of your love? Was all your desire unto Me and unto the remembrance of My Name? Was I the Joy of your heart, the delight of your soul, the chiefest among ten thousand? Did you sorrow for nothing but what grieved My Spirit? Did you fear and hate nothing but sin? Were your thoughts employed according to My will, not in wandering to the ends of the earth, not on folly or sin, but on whatever things were pure, whatever things were holy, on whatever was conducive to My glory and to peace and goodwill among men?… How did you use the body which I entrusted to you?… How did you use the worldly goods which I placed in your Hands?… Did you use whatever was pleasing in your personality, whatever advantages you had by your education… Above all, were you a good steward of My grace?…" (John Wesley)
All Christians whose lives match their profession- who have been about their Father's business- will hear their Master say: "Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!” "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20) We will be rewarded for our works but, at some point, we will throw down our crowns (representing our rewards) at the feet of the Lamb Who was slain.
11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
The terror comes in making sure of our salvation today, making sure that have a lot in the first resurrection. The living wicked will be destroyed, along with the world and any works not wrought in God, at Jesus’ Second Coming. Those who do not rise with Him at that time, will not live again until a thousand years later. This is the second resurrection- that of ALL the wicked. Those who rise then will be defendants. They will be judged, but they will have no Advocate with the Father. Thus they will be found guilty of their sins and will ultimately pay the penalty for their own sins- death, also called the second death. And this judicial trial and execution is called the Great White Throne Judgment.
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; not only by uplifting the veil of futurity, but by every persuasive argument suggested by the gospel, to flee from the wrath to come. In so doing, our real character is made manifest to God, and to the consciences of men, that we act in conformity to our mission. By spending our life in this way, I know the false apostles, those angels of light, put the worst construction on our best deeds, and attribute our conduct to derangement, and imbecility of mind.” (Sutcliffe’s Commentary)
2 Corinthians 5:12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.
"I do not speak this to commend myself unto you; he had before declared, that he trusted that he was made manifest to their consciences, and so needed not further to commend himself [as the other false teachers did]. But (saith he) I speak it only to give you occasion to glory, to glory in me as the apostle of Christ unto you, or to defend me against the scandals and reproaches of those that reproach me, when themselves have no true inward cause of glorying, though they have in outward appearance, in respect of their riches, wit, wisdom, or the like.” (Matthew Poole)
13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
"It should seem, that some amongst the Corinthians, amongst other reproaches, had reproached Paul for a madman; either taking advantage of the warmth and fervour of his spirit, or of those ecstasies in which he sometimes was; or of his speaking things which they could not apprehend and understand: as the Roman governor, in the Acts, told him: Much learning hath made thee mad. The apostle tells them, that if indeed he was beside himself in any of their opinion, it was to God, that is, for the honour and glory of God: or if he was sober, it was for their sake; in what temper soever he was, it was either for service to God, or them."(Matthew Poole)
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Paul lived only to glorify the One who died for him, because He died for all… All Christians have likewise died from one degree to another. Here is insight into the incredible power of the compelling love of Christ on Martin Luther from "Table Talk”:
According to Martin Luther, there is no mediator between God and man, but the Man Christ Jesus. "Europe was now ablaze with the ideas taught by Luther, his good friend Philip Melanchthon... and others... Nations were divided between loyalty to the Roman church and opened eyes to the reform teachings of faith in Christ alone. In some villages and towns Luther's writings were publicly burned.
Pope Leo X no longer took the German monk lightly. After the order was sent for Luther's arrest, the Pope issued a papal bull that denounced everything Luther had taught as 'contrary to all love and reverence for the holy Roman church.' The short, 42 – sentence bull pleaded to the dead Saints. 'Arise, O Peter, attend to the calls of the holy Roman church, the mother of all churches and mistress of the faith.' The bull condemned the new teachings universally and prohibited ‘in anyway to read, quote, preach, command, print, publish, or defend the writings of Luther since they spread this pestilence and cancerous disease.'
Luther, ever the fiery defender of the Gospel, responded directly to the Pope ‘You, Leo X... I exhort and admonish you in the Lord to repent and make an end of all these diabolical blasphemies… And less this be done, know that I will regard your bishopric as possessed by Satan and as the accursed abode of antichrist, whom we cannot obey, but must detest and execrate as the chief enemy of Christ'
Luther and Melanchthon burned the bull and the entire church Canon law. Such a response to the Pope was unheard of. There was no turning back.
Luther agreed to appear before the emperor of the Diet at Worms. Charges were made against him, and he was ordered to recant. In the face of the combined power and authority of the emperor and the Pope, Martin Luther stood fast. His brief words were, 'unless I am refuted and convicted by the testimonies of the Scripture, I am conquered by the Holy Scripture I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.' The assembly broke up in chaos as the emperor walked out while Luther was still speaking, not hearing his final, ringing words: ‘Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. So help me God. Amen'
It was during these trying times with the Pope and emperor that Luther wrote his most famous hymn, 'Eine Feste Berg’ ('A Mighty Fortress is Our God’).” May God grant the increase on his faithfulness. Amen!
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (Jn 15:13) The apostle 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)...We love, because He first loved us.' (1Jn 4:19) Comment: 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!
Stephen Olford writes that… 'it is not our love to Christ that is in view here, but rather it is the love of Christ working in us—mastering, driving, and compelling us. It is the love of God 'poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us' (Ro 5:5). Such compelling love never flags, never falters, never fails. It is 'the expulsive power of a new affection.' (Anointed Expository Preaching)
F B Meyer has an interesting thought on the love of Christ noting that… 'As the sunlight strikes the moon, and is reflected from her to the earth, so the love we have to Christ, or to man, is the reflection of His love to us. All love in our cold and loveless hearts is the emanation and reflection of the Love which began in Him, was mediated to us in Calvary, and is reflected from us, as sunlight from a mirror (or the moon). (cp 1Jn 4:19, 2Co 2:14, 15, 2Co 3:1,2,3-note)'
...The love of Christ urges us and assures us. It helps us and holds us. It compels us and keeps us.
The love of Christ doth me constrain
To seek the wandering souls of men;
With cries, entreaties, tears, to save,
To snatch them from the gaping grave.
(Shall I, for Fear of Feeble Man)"
(Words by Johann J. Winkler; translated from German to English by John Wesley] http://www.preceptaustin.org/2corinthians_514-16_commentary.htm
Luther was willing to be martyred for Christ, but actually died a natural death-- ordained by his Lord. Rod Thomson reports in "Table Talk":
"As a poll of death begin to overtake Martin Luther's body, "he prayed this last burble prayer: 'I thank Thee, oh God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that Thou has revealed Thy Son to me, on whom I have believed, whom I have loved, whom I have preached and confessed and worshiped…' He commended his spirit to the Father and quoted John 3:16: 'For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’”
2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
"Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh…. Why? Because we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen (2 Corinthians 4:18) Because our earthly tent will be destroyed, but we will have a new body, eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1) Because we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) Because we do not glory in appearance, but we glory in heart (2 Corinthians 5:12) For all these reasons, we don't look to the image and appearance of the flesh but to the substance of the heart.” (David Guzik)
"Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh: some of them had seen him in the flesh; others valued him on account of his being of the Jewish nation, and of his relation to them according to the flesh; and all of them had formerly entertained carnal apprehensions of him, and his kingdom, as though it would be a temporal one: yet now henceforth know we him more; no more in this mortal state, being risen from the dead; nor do we value ourselves upon having seen him in the flesh; for though such a sight and knowledge of him was desirable, yet a spiritual knowledge is much more preferable; and many there were who knew him in the flesh, who neither enjoy his spiritual presence here, nor will they be favoured with his glorious presence hereafter. Moreover, we do not judge of him as we did before we had a spiritual knowledge of him, and as our countrymen did, by his outward circumstances, by his parentage and education, his poverty and afflictions, his company and conversation, that he could not be the Messiah, the Son of God, and therefore was worthy of death; we have quite other thoughts and apprehensions of him now, believing him to be the Christ of God, a spiritual Saviour and Redeemer, whose kingdom is not of this world; we have relinquished all our national prejudices, and former notions, concerning the Messiah, his kingdom, and people." (Gill)
When Paul "knew Christ after the flesh he considered Him as the leader of a new sect, the leader of a new party, a menace to holy religion. He says we do not see Him like that any more. We know Him now in the Spirit, by the Spirit." (Morgan)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
“The Spirit of regenerating grace produces by the word of truth, a new creation in his soul. Having seen the glory of Christ, and embraced him by faith, he becomes one spirit with the Lord. He is then in Christ as a branch is in the vine, as a stone is in the temple, as a member is in the body, as a child is in the family. This new birth is called the hidden man of the heart, which grows in knowledge and in grace, being nourished by the milk of the word. And if we may follow the allegory, the five senses of the body are all attributed to the new creature. He tastes, he sees that the Lord is good; he feels after God, he hears the Shepherd’s voice, and his soul inhales the sweet odour and fragrance of paradise. His life is equally new, for 'old things are passed away, and all things are become new.’” (Sutcliffe)
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
"Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ: Paul sees that he serves in a foreign land as the representative of a King. The King has a message, and Paul is delivering that message as though God were pleading through us.
... An ambassador does not speak to please his audience, but the King who sent him. An ambassador does not speak on his own authority; his own opinions or demands mean little. He simply says what he has been commissioned to say. But an ambassador is more than a messenger; he is also a representative, and the honor and reputation of his country are in his hands.” (David Guzik)
Be reconciled. "It is not so much reconcile yourselves as 'be reconciled.' Yield yourselves to him who round you now the bands of a man would cast, drawing you with cords of love because he was given for you... Submit yourselves. Yield to the grasp of those hands which were nailed to the cross for you." (Charles Spurgeon)
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin (offering) for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
"Sin is not here put in opposition to righteousness, but as a sin-offering, as often in the LXX. See Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 29:5, 6; Psalms 40:7. In English, the word should be supplied, in Italics; and so St. Augustine reads...Then it follows, as he was made a sacrifice for sin on our account, we are made the righteousness of God in him, by the removal of guilt, and the gift of righteousness by faith. In the writings of Paul, salvation and righteousness are nearly synonymous terms.” (Sutcliffe Commentary) We “who knew no righteousness, who were inwardly and outwardly nothing but sin, and who must have been consumed by the divine justice, had not this atonement been made for our sins; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him — Might be accounted and constituted righteous by God, or might be invested with that righteousness; 1st, imputed to us; 2d, implanted in us; and, 3d, practised by us; which is, in every sense, the righteousness of God by faith. See note on Romans 10:4; Philippians 3:9.” (Benson Commentary)