Second Corinthians Chapter 5
Outline: I.
Our earthly tent, our heavenly building: 5:1-10
II.
The fear of the Lord and the love of Christ: Motives that fuel Paul: 5:11-17
III.
The Word of Reconciliation: 5:18-21
“A belief, in one form or another, in the immortality of the soul is, of course, found in a variety of non-Christian religions and philosophies; but Paul is teaching something which far exceeds any of the tentative aspirations of paganism, for his perspective is enriched by the assurance that the Christian's body is to be redeemed and glorified as well as his soul. He rejoices in the certainty that the frailty, the limitations, and the gravitational pull of sin associated with his present bodily experience will hereafter become entirely a thing of the past. The believer, accordingly, entertains the certain hope of an incomparably better life beyond the grave, in contrast to the unbeliever whose values are all of this world, and for whom consequently death is the personification of uncertainty and the inexorable frustration of all for which he has lived” (Hughes p. 160). 2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens” 1
“For”: “Paul now gives a further reason why he is undismayed by the growing consciousness of his failing faculties” (Tasker p. 77). The word for links this verse with 4:18. Paul had just said that he had his mind focused on the unseen things, he now explains what keeps his mind focused and what are the unseen things. “We know”: The language of certainty. “Of these truths Paul was absolutely assured, so that he could say, ‘We know’” (Erdman p. 58). Paul knew this by divine revelation (1 Corinthians 2:9-13). Only the Christian can speak with such certainty. Such absoluteness frustrates many in the world, who can only say, “It's our best guess”. “It's our opinion, as far as we know”. Or, ”This is what we know at this point.”. How thankful we should be, that God has liberated us from such uncertainty. “That if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved”: “That if”: The only uncertainty that Paul faced, was whether he would experience death or be alive when Jesus came again and thus escape it (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). In which case, Paul's physical body would not die (“be dissolved”), rather it would be immediately transformed. “Earthly house”: “Upon the earth, terrestrial” (Vincent p. 315). “Our tent house here on earth” (Lenski p. 996). “Tabernacle”: A hut or temporary residence, figuratively the human body as the abode of the spirit. “His human body, as he is becoming more and more conscious, is a temporary structure, adequate to shelter him during the few brief years of his earthly pilgrimage, but as vulnerable to the winds of circumstance and the wear and tear of everyday life as a tabernacle or tent” (Tasker p. 78). “Is an expression which effectively emphasizes the fragile impermanence of our present bodies, for in ancient times a tent was a familiar picture of what was transitory and without foundation” (Hughes pp. 161-162). This should remind us that our life here is simply a pilgrimage (Hebrews 11:8). “The life of the tent-dweller is never settled: his outlook is that of a sojourner and pilgrim, and this should be characteristic of every Christian (1 Peter 2:11)” (Hughes p. 162). As Christians we can never allow ourselves to believe that this life or anything is in this life is the "end-all" or the final goal of our existence. “Dissolved”: “Lit., loosened down. Appropriate to taking down a tent” (Job 4:21). “To loose completely, to loose the ropes from the pegs so that the stretched canvas collapses and can be rolled up” (Lenski p. 996). That is, if my physical body dies. Our physical body is just one form of our existence, and a very temporary form at that (2 Peter 1:13-14). What a free man Paul was. He did not fret over growing old, he did not worry about disease, neither did he fear death. Much of our world today is 2
focused upon keeping the human body in existence as long as possible. While being healthy and living a long life is a noble pursuit, it should never become the final end of all of one’s life. “We have”: “Let the one form of existence or life come to an end, be folded up and put away like a tent” (Lenski p. 996). Here again, we find the language of complete confidence. The fact that we will have a spiritual body is just as certain as the existence of our physical bodies (1 Corinthians 15:49). I do not think that Paul is here saying that our spiritual body is already prepared, because Paul has already informed us that the spiritual body is the old physical body transformed (1 Corinthians 15:42-54). “A building from God”: A building in contrast to a tent, that is, a more permanent structure (1 Corinthians 15:42-43; 53-54). “On the contrary, it is a joyful expectation, for he is convinced (we know) that the shelter that awaits him after death is as superior to that provided by the present body as the protection of a solid well-built house is superior to that of a tent” (Tasker p. 78). “Not made with hands”: “It's sole architect is God; no human hands have constructed it, or play any part in its maintenance” (Tasker p. 78). “Eternal”: Our spiritual bodies are fashioned to last forever (1 Corinthians 15:53 “this mortal must put on immorality”). “In the heavens”: A body designed for a heavenly existence. 2 Corinthians 5:2 “For verily in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven” “For verily”: “For indeed” (NASV). “In this one, indeed, we sigh” (Wey). “In this”: In this earthly body (5:1). In this outer man, that is decaying (4:16), in this body that experiences affliction (4:8-10). “We groan”: To sigh, murmur. “We sigh with deep longing” (Phi). See Romans 8:23 “groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for the redemption of our body”. “Longing”: “Yearning” (Mof). Physical sufferings do not move Paul to abandon God, rather they move Paul to yearn for a body that will not experience the aches and pains of earthly existence. “He is not looking for a Nirvana with the peace of extinction; he is not looking for absorption in the divine; he is not looking for the freedom of a disembodied spirit; he is waiting for the day when God will give him a new body, a spiritual body, in which he will still be able, even in the heavenly places, to serve and to adore God” (Barclay p. 228). “Paul is yearning for home; here it is used of the heavenly home-sickness of the saints” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 65). “To be clothed upon”: A slight change is here introduced. Paul now adds to the figure of a building, the resurrection body being a "new garment" that replaces the old one. “In 2 Peter 1:13f, we find a corresponding garment-dwelling simile, 3
where death is depicted as the putting off (like a garment) of the tent ( of one's earthly body)” (Hughes p. 168). “Upon”: “Lit., to put on over” (Vincent p. 317). “Paul's language here indicates something more than the mere putting on of a garment: he is talking of putting on one garment over another. The picture conveyed is that of the heavenly body being put on, like an outer vesture, over the earthly body so as not only to cover it but to absorb and transfigure it. In this way the ideas both of continuity and of transformation which are so prominent in the great resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 are effectively communicated” (1 Corinthians 15:53 “put on”) (Hughes pp. 168-169). “Habitation which is from heaven”: That is, our spiritual bodies. “The Apostles language indicates that it is still his earnest desire to be alive at the time of Christ's return so that, without undergoing the interposition of death he may experience the instantaneous change (1 Corinthians 15:51ff)” (Hughes p. 169). Christians welcome and look forward to the Second Coming of Christ and this wondrous transformation of ourselves. This instantaneous change is a privilege. In times past, it has only been experienced by Enoch (Hebrews 11:5), and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). 2 Corinthians 5:3 “if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked” “If so be”: “Assuming that” (Vincent p. 317). “Inasmuch as we” (NASV). “On the assumption, of course, that” (F.F. Bruce p. 202). “Being clothed”: With our new spiritual body. “We shall not be found naked”: In a disembodied state. Paul is here saying, that assuming that his desire comes true (to escape death, and be living at the Second Coming) (5:2), he will never find himself in a disembodied state. This infers, as well as 1 Corinthians 15, that the state of all deceased Christians, prior to the resurrection is one of being without a body. Paul wanted to avoid this, not because it's bad (Luke 16:25; Philippians 1:21-23), but because he wanted and longed for his final existence as a child of God, to be a reality as soon as possible. “Come Lord Jesus” was his desire (1 Corinthians 16:22). “True though it is that for the Christian the sting of death has been removed (1 Corinthians 15:55ff), yet death in itself is not something in which he takes pleasure. It still means a state of nakedness and a period of waiting until he is clothed with his resurrection body. Like the souls of the martyrs in the Apocalypse, there is a sense in which he cries, ‘How long?’ (Revelation 6:9ff)” (Hughes p. 171). 4
2 Corinthians 5:4 “For indeed we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but that we would be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life” “For indeed”: “We are not Stoic's, we feel the burden and we groan; not because we are cowards and just want to escape our burden, but because we want to put on the heavenly life” (Lenski p. 1003). “We that are in this tabernacle”: Christians still in the physical body. “Being burdened”: To be weighed down, and hard pressed. This would include the burden of persecution that especially impacted his physical body (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). “The almost intolerable burden of sorrow and suffering laid down him during his life in this tabernacle leads him indeed to groan (he would be less than human if it did not)” (Tasker p. 81). Paul is not saying that he complains all the time, rather Paul says that he fully feels the trials and pressures which come upon him. He felt every beating he was given, just like we would (2 Corinthians 11:25). He felt hunger, thirst, cold and heat (11:27), but none of these things moved him away from his dedication to God, rather he used everyone of them to serve as a reason why he should want to go to heaven. “Not for that we would be unclothed”: “Not because we want just to get rid of these ‘clothes’” (NEB). “He saw eternity not as escape into nothingness, not as release into permanent inaction, but as the entry into life and into a body in which service could be complete” (Barclay p. 229). Suicide would have been a repulsive thought to Paul. Paul's main goal was not to get rid of his physical body, rather Paul wanted to avoid death and the intermediate state of being without a body. Paul wanted to stay alive as long as possible, with the hope that he could live until the resurrection. He did not want to be without his body, he simply wanted to be in a changed body. “But”: This is what Paul desires. “That we would be clothed upon”: Explained in the next sentence. “That what is mortal”: The physical body. “May be swallowed up of life”: “So that our mortal part may be absorbed into life immortal” (NEB). See 1 Corinthians 15:53 “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immorality”. At the resurrection we will not be absorbed into God and lose our individual consciousness, as many Eastern religions teach. Rather our physical body will be completely renewed, nothing about it will remain mortal. 2 Corinthians 5:5 “Now he that wrought us for this very thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit” 5
“Now he that wrought us for this very thing”: “He who prepared us for this very purpose” (NASV). “For this, nothing else, God was preparing us” (Knox). “And he who formed us for this very purpose is God” (Wey). “Wrought”: “God has worked us out for this change” (Vincent p. 318). “This very thing”: That is, the transformation of our physical bodies. “Is God”: “In the Greek of this sentence the word God is in a position of emphasis: ‘But it is God who fashioned us for this very thing’” (Hughes p. 173). “The apostle now insists that nothing he has just said is the product of wishful thinking” (Tasker p. 81). This is the final goal, that His children could stand in His presence in glorified bodies and be with Him for eternity (Hebrews 2:10; Revelation 21:3). “That this process of ‘clothing’ is in no sense the product of man's workmanship. There can be no place for failure or frustration” (Hughes p. 174). This is in sharp contrast to those religious groups or teachings which claim that the believer can escape from his body through using the power of his own mind. Paul would say that such teaching is "wishful thinking". The power resides in God, not in us! “Who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit”: “Earnest”: A pledge, i.e. part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest. “We already have the deposit which guarantees the payment in full in due course” (Hughes p. 174). See Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22; and Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30. While various views concerning the "earnest of the Spirit" exist, let me offer the following comments. In the First Century the gifts given by the Spirit certainty proved that God was serious about keeping His promises. An objective manifestation of the Spirit still remains with us, that is, the New Testament (Ephesians 3:4-5). Every time I see the Bible, especially the New Testament it should make me think, “God's would not have gone to such trouble to reveal His will, unless He was really serious about wanting us saved”. 2 Corinthians 5:6 “Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord” “Therefore”: In light of all the facts just presented. “Always”: In whatever circumstances we find ourselves. External circumstances did not shake Paul's faith or his overall happiness and contentment as a Christian. In addition, this "always" could also mean, “Whether I die before Christ comes or remain alive, whether I get my wish or not”, the facts are I am always of good courage. “This confidence is constant it is not dependent on moods or circumstances, nor on whether the Lord 6
comes before or after death; certainly not on a resigned stoical acceptance of whatever the future may bring” (Hughes p. 176). “Good courage”: This is opposed to losing heart (4:1,16). “We have an unfailing confidence” (Wey). “So I am always cheerful and confident” (Wms). “We take heart, then, continually” (Knox). “And knowing that”: Or because of what we know. “At home in the body, we are absent from the Lord”: “Lit., we live abroad” (Philippians 1:23; 3:20; Hebrews 11:13; 13:14)” (Vincent p. 319). “Absent from the Lord”: Only in the sense of compared to our final state with him. Even though Paul groans he does not despair. In fact, despair is not a Christian attitude, because it implies hopelessness, and one of the most foundational and fundamental truths in Christianity is hope. “We are even willing to die, if not privileged to tarry until the Lord comes. We can anticipate that experience with delight, since death will bring us into an even closer and more satisfying relation to Christ than we now enjoy” (Erdman p. 59). 2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight” “For”: Clarifying the last verse. “A parenthesis, making it clear in what sense we are ‘away from the Lord’--not absolutely, but in the sense that at present our communion with Him is maintained by faith” (F.F. Bruce p. 205). “Walk”: “For I have lead my life in faith, without seeing Him” (Mof). It is interesting to note what Paul did not say in this verse. He does not live by his feelings, emotions and neither does he let opinion, majority rule, or society dictate what type of life he will lead. Our relationship with God in this life is maintained by faith, that is, trusting that what God will keep His promises and that He can be trusted (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:60. The Christian always asks, “What has God said?” (1 Peter 4:11; Matthew 4:4). 2 Corinthians 5:8 “we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord” “We are of good courage”: Resuming the thought of verse 6. “But the good courage of Paul and of his assistants is not like that of worldly men who face misfortunes and dangers with head erect and flying colors and march right into the jaws of death. They face eternity blindly and rush to their doom. Paul and his helpers are not like that” (Lenski p. 1008). “And are willing rather to be absent from the body”: Deceased (James 2:26). “And to be at home with the Lord”: Compare Philippians 1:21, 23. Paul here appears to be speaking of the intermediate state following death, but before the judgment. Being closer to God will not be a strange experience. 7
Since we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27); our true home, and it will feel more like home than this place, is with God. “Even if we must die before the Second Advent, we would say, we are content, for this absence from the body will be presence with Christ (Luke 23:43)” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 67). “Again, there is no question of the Apostle courting death in a spirit of rashness. The wonder and sacredness of the ministry with which he had been entrusted never faded. It was a source of joy and encouragement to him (4:1); and he clearly saw himself as a runner with an earthly course to finish, not to abandon (2 Timothy 4:17), and a steward with a ministry to accomplish (Acts 20:24)” (Hughes p. 177). Also note again, how suicide finds itself in such contradiction with Christianity. Paul is concerned about "finishing”, “accomplishing", and not giving up. He sees that he is needed to remain to assist others, in contrast, usually when people commit suicide, they make it harder on those left, and not easier. Paul was committed to "wearing out" (2 Corinthians 12:15), and not taking himself out. 2 Corinthians 5:9 “Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him. “Wherefore”: “That is, because of his desire to be with the Lord--it is only natural that Paul should also wish to live in such a way as to please Him” (Hughes p. 178). “We make it our aim”: “We have as our ambition” (NASV). “Our one ambition is” (TCNT). “To act from love of honor, to be ambitious is the good sense” (Robertson p. 229). “We love it as a point of honor ever to be well-pleasing to the Lord, not only to do what he says, but to have Him take pleasure in us and in all that we do” (Lenski p. 1013). “In arresting contrast to the ambition of this world, it is centered, not on self, but on the Savior; its goal is to please Him (Colossians 3:17,23)” (Hughes p. 178). “Whether at home or absent”: In the body or out of the body (5:8). Or whether judgment day finds us in the body (alive) or departed. “To be well-pleasing unto Him”: The true lover of God is anxious to please God. Obedience to God's commands is not ridiculed or moved into a "second rate" type of spirituality. Is this our consuming ambition? 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad”
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“For”: “Paul was not a withdrawn mystic or cloistered visionary passively devoting his days to the rapt contemplation of the divine essence and the world to come. All that he writes is intensely practical and has vital bearings upon this present life” (Hughes p. 179). We should note that reality of a judgment day is not intended to take all the joy out of living. “It is not meant to cloud his prospect of future blessedness, but to act as a stimulus, as strong a stimulus as the most imperious of human ambitions. It should spur him on to scale the heights of Christian living” (Tasker p. 82). “We must all”: Paul as well as all his listeners. This is an appointment that none will miss or even be late, and even the most faithful of Christians are not excluded from this day (Romans 14:10). “Be made manifest”: “We must all appear in our true characters” (TCNT). “For we have all to appear without disguise” (Mof). “Appear is not strong enough, since it implies only presence at the judgment-seat. The important fact is our being revealed as we are” (Vincent p. 319). We will not be judged by our own opinion of ourselves, or what others thought of us. We will be judged for who we really are. “Laid bare, stripped of every outward facade or respectability, and openly revealed in the full and true reality of one's character. All our hypocrisies and concealments, all our secret, intimate sins of thought and deed, will be open to the scrutiny of Christ” (Hughes p. 180). “Judgment-seat of Christ”: See Matthew 25:31-32; John 5:27; Acts 17:31; Matthew 7:21-23. “That”: The purpose of the judgment. “Each one”: We will stand before Christ as individual's, and not nations, congregations, families or couples. “Receive the things done in the body”: “Lit., the things done by the instrumentality of the body” (P.P. Comm. p. 120). What one does with their body is very significant (James 1:26-27). “According to what he hath done”: I will answer for what I did. This verse is both positive and negative. Their are things that I should not do (Galatians 5:1921), and there are things that I should have done (Matthew 25:31ff). In addition, good intentions do not count, what counts is what I actually did. “Whether it be good or bad”: “It is important to see that the purpose of this tribunal is not positively penal (or only), but properly retributive, involving the disclosure not only of what has been worthless but also of what has been good and valuable in life” (Hughes pp. 181-182). At the judgment-seat of Christ God will give the final verdict on what was “good” and what was “evil”. The motivation of the evangelist: 5:11-15 9
2 Corinthians 5:11 “Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences” “Knowing therefore”: “Knowing then what the fear of the Lord means” (Wey). “Because of the conviction expressed in verse 10, the fear of the Lord, as Judge Hebrews 10:31” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 68). “The fear of the Lord”: “The thought of divine judgment engenders in the apostle a permanent feeling of awe and reverence. Paul's primary work is to persuade men of the truth of the gospel (Acts 18:4; 28:23) and had he not continually ‘walked in the fear of the Lord’, he might have yielded to the temptation to curry favor with his hearers by whittling down his message to suit their tastes. But the knowledge that his inmost motives were fully known to God, to whom alone he was responsible, and that they would stand the test of His scrutiny, acted as a brake upon the natural desire to please others, freed him from paralyzing inhibitions, and removed the undue sensitiveness he might otherwise have felt when subjected to the unjust criticism of his fellows” (Tasker p. 83). “Many today regard this as a played-out motive, but not so Paul” (Robertson p. 229). “This does not describe the fear of a dog who waits for a whipping. It is that reverence which keeps even a thoughtless man from desecrating a holy place. It is that fear which keeps a man from doing things which would break the heart of someone whom he loves” (Barclay p. 231). This fear is a "cleansing fear" (Proverbs 1:7; 16:6; Psalm 19:9). “We persuade men”: “We are trying to win men” (TCNT). Paul persuaded men with the gospel (Acts 17:2-3), and not with the persuasive words of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4). “Present tense, we try to persuade” (F.F. Bruce p. 206). “But we are made manifest unto God”: ”But our motives are plain to God” (TCNT). “What I am is plain to God without disguise” (Mof). Paul does not have to persuade God as to the sincerity of his motives or the truthfulness of the message he preaches (Hebrews 4:12-13). “And I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences”: Paul cannot look into their consciences, so he writes I hope. '”He hopes that they may be as transparent to his readers and as thoroughly approved by their consciences as they are in the sight of God” (Erdman p. 62). 2 Corinthians 5:12 “We are not again commending ourselves unto you, but speak 10
as giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf, that ye may have wherewith to answer them that glory in appearance, and not in heart” “We are not again commending ourselves unto you”: See 3:1. Paul responds to the charge that his enemies made against him, that his letters were only filled with selfpraise. None of what Paul has just said is intended as self-praise, rather: “But speak as giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf”: “Occasion”: “This word means both a starting point for an operation and the resources with which an operation can be launched” (Tasker p. 84). “A base of operations, material with which to glory” (Robertson p. 230). “Glorying on our behalf”: “He is merely giving his friends an opportunity and a basis for defending him against his opponents” (Erdman p. 62). “In other words, he is supplying them with an incentive to go proudly into the attack, and also with ammunition with which to fight, when they hear others running their apostle down” (Tasker p. 84). “That ye may have wherewith to answer them that glory in appearance, and not in heart”: “Who take pride in appearance, and not in heart” “To those whose boast is in their external advantages, so they have no moral character of which to be proud” (Erdman p. 62). “Who are constantly prating about external privileges and are not concerned about the state of the heart” (Wms). Paul's enemies had attacked his personal appearance (2 Corinthians10:10); and his lacking letters of commendation (3:3). 2 Corinthians 5:13 “For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you” “For whether we are beside ourselves”: Festus will accuse Paul of being mad (Acts 26:24), and the same charge was leveled against Jesus (Mark 3:21). “The fevour of the apostle, his absorption in his work, his visions, his indifference to externals, his bursts of emotion” (P.P. Comm. p. 121). “In this difficult verse Paul seems to be telling the Corinthians that they should gladly rally to his defense if only because, in all his dealings with them, he had never shown any sign of wishing to please himself. They had seen him in many moods. Sometimes, as he spoke at their meetings under the stress of great spiritual emotion. At other times he was quietly and soberly engaged in instructing and exhorting his converts but always for their benefit” (Tasker p. 84). “Unto God...it is unto you”: “His friends therefore could answer his enemies thus: ‘Viewed in one aspect, Paul's life is wholly devoted to the glory of God, and viewed in another it is utterly sacrificed for us and our salvation’” (McGarvey p. 196). The lukewarm among Christians are often offended or 11
embarrassed concerning those Christians who are zealous to do God's work. One would think that Christians would appreciate such diligent workers, if not catch such zeal themselves. We need to restore the feeling of respect that should be shown towards those who devote themselves to good works (1 Corinthians 16:15-16). 2 Corinthians 5:14 “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died” “For”: The explanation of his activities and motives can be summed up in one phrase. “Love of Christ”: Christ's love for us (5:15). “Constraineth”: “The idea is not urging or driving, but shutting up to one line and purpose, as in a narrow, walled road” (Vincent p. 320). “So fully does he realize this love that he is limited to one course of action. He can turn aside neither to the right hand nor to the left for any selfish purpose” (Erdman p. 63). “Compels us” (TCNT). “Controls me” (Gspd). “Leaves us no choice” (NEB). “Because we thus judge”: “Having concluded this” (NASV). “And this is the conviction we have reached” (Knox). Paul is telling us, that when he realized the love that Christ had for him, manifested in the crucifixion, such love forced him to reach the following conclusion. “That one died for all”: Christ died for all mankind. No limited atonement or atonement only for those predestined in this verse (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:6). “For”: Hughes offers the following comments on the significance of this one word: “Christ's death was the death of all, in the sense that He died the death they should have died; the penalty of their sins was borne by Him; He died in their place. Paul means that Christ bore voluntarily a doom that should have been ours. The ‘for’ must reach deeper than this mere suggestion of our advantage. He is not simply a person doing us a service; He is a person doing us a service by filling our place and dying our death” (p. 194). “Therefore all died”: All who were living at the time Christ died, and all who would ever live, all of every race, culture and ethnic background. “As Christ had died as the head of the race, therefore all men had died with him to their sins, and so were obligated to lead self-sacrificing, unselfish lives (Romans 6:1-11; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3)” (McGarvey p. 197). “That Christ's death was the death of all, in the sense that He died the death they should have died; the penalty of their sins was borne by Him; He died in their place; and this is why His love has such a compelling power over the believer, and engenders in him such undying gratitude” (Tasker p. 12
86). 2 Corinthians 5:15 “and He died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto Him who for their sakes died and rose again” “And He died for all”: The benefits of Christ's death are available for everyone (Mark 16:15-16). “That they that live should no longer live unto themselves”: “While still in life, should cease to live for themselves” (NEB). “So that being alive should no longer mean living with our own life” (Knox). “But unto Him”: That is, live unto Him (Romans 6:6,11; Galatians 2:20). “And rose again”: Without the resurrection, such a death has no meaning (Romans 4:25). When Paul considered what had actually happened, what had really took place upon Calvary, he was compelled to reach the conclusion, that such a demonstration of completely unselfish love, morally and ethically demanded, that he could no longer live a life in which self was the center.” “However, this death was in order to make possible a larger life. He died for them that they should no longer live for themselves (a very narrow life)” (Erdman p. 63). The death of Christ was meant to deliver us also from our narrow little world of ourselves, to open our eyes to the fact that many others need our time and help, and to make us realize that true life is more important than having a good time, being entertained, or being comfortable. 2 Corinthians 5:16 “Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know Him so no more” “Wherefore”: Here is yet another conclusion that we are forced to reach, in light of such unselfish love. “Henceforth know no man after the flesh”: '”From now on we recognize no man according to the flesh” (NASV). “We refuse to regard anyone from the world's standpoint” (TCNT). “With us therefore worldly standards have ceased to count in our estimation of any man” (NEB). “His own judgments of men have been greatly influenced by his Christian experience. Since the beginning his new life in Christ, he has had little regard for mere human distinctions, or natural gifts and abilities, or outward and worldly advantages” (Erdman p. 63). “He no longer judges things by the standards which the world uses. He no longer sets on things the values the world sets on them” (Barclay p. 233). “Typical worldly distinctions, such as those of race, social status, wealth, and title, should no longer govern the Christian's estimate of his fellow-men (cf. Galatians 3:28)” (Hughes p. 197). “Even though we have known Christ after the flesh”: “Though once my view of 13
Christ was carnal” (Con). “Even if we once thought of Christ from the standpoint of the world” (TCNT). “Even though I once estimated Christ by what is external” (Mof). “In his pre-conversion days he had judged Jesus by external considerations in the light of the prejudices of his upbringing, and had concluded that it was impossible that one born in such obscurity, living in such restricted circumstances and dying such a humiliating death, could be the Christ that the Jews were expecting. Consequently, he had dismissed Him and persecuted His followers” (Tasker p. 87). 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new” “Wherefore”: Since those who are Christians no longer live for themselves or are impressed with the world's value system, a radical change must happen at conversion. “If any man is in Christ”: This level of dedication of God (5:14-16) is demanded of all Christians, and not just an apostle. “In Christ”: Galatians 3:26-27 “He is a new creature”: “He becomes a new person altogether” (Phi). The word "creature" or "creation" suggests a major change, a complete renewal, a major overhaul. When one becomes a Christian, it involves major changes in thinking, attitudes and conduct from the ground floor up (Galatians 6:14; Eph. 2:10; 4:24-32). “This is no mere mending or improvement but an actual ‘creation’” (Lenski p. 1039). It also suggests that God is the "foreman" in this building project. The new Christian must use God's blueprint for changing his or her life (2 Timothy 3:16). We do not recreate ourselves, rather we cooperate with God's plans for a new life, because He tells us what needing changing. This process equally involves removing and tearing down certain aspects of our lives (Romans 6:6). “The old things are passed away”: “The old standards of judgment, the old distinctions between men, the old dependence upon ceremonies and rites (and self), the old purposes and aims, the old weaknesses and faults, the old pride and conceit, the old hypocrisies and sins” (Erdman pp. 63-64). Much like the language of putting on and putting off the old man (Ephesians 4:22-5:20; Colossians 3:1-17). “Behold”: “Sounds an unmistakable notice of spontaneous jubilation” (Hughes p. 203). The Ministry of Reconciliation: 5:18-21 2Corinthians 5:18 “But all things are of God, who reconciled us to Himself through 14
Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation” “But all things are of God”: No place for self-praise or congratulation, because God is the source behind this new creation. God is the author of the gospel, God gave His only Son, and God had even reached out to Paul. “Who reconciled”: “To reestablish friendly relations between two parties who are estranged (Matthew 5:24)” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 72). “Us to himself through Christ”: See Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:22. This once again stresses that Christ is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). We were the ones with the problem (Colossians 1:22). We were the ones who had caused the rift between us and God (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:1-3). Man could have never reconciled himself to God by his own efforts. All religions besides the religion of Jesus Christ are human attempts to approach God on mans terms. “And gave us the ministry of reconciliation”: “Has permitted me to be a minister of his reconciliation” (Mof). “And gave us the work of making friends of enemies” (Beck). There is no work more important than helping people reconcile with God. God has tremendous confidence in what man can do. God has committed the task of spreading this message of reconciliation to human beings, mere men. 2 Corinthians 5:19 “to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation” “To wit”: “Namely” (NASV). “What I mean is that. In other words, Paul is here explaining more fully the implications of what he has said in the previous verse” (Tasker p. 89). “That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself”: “God was in Christ”: “Hardly to be distinguished from ‘through Christ’ in verse 18, expect in so far as it emphasizes how completely God and Christ are at one in this work of reconciliation” (F.F. Bruce p. 209). God took the initiative and reached out to mankind and not the reverse. Christ is the means of reconciliation that God used, the only means. There is no other Savior. “Not reckoning unto them their trespasses”: Reconciliation means that God no longer counts our sins against us, therefore reconciliation takes place when one is forgiven of his sins (Romans 4:6-8). Yet one is forgiven at the point of baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16), thus prior to baptism one is not as yet reconciled to God. “Committed”: “Lit., lodged in us” (Vincent p. 321). “And had placed in our hands” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 72). “Literally, who also deposited in us, as though it were some sacred treasure” (P.P. Comm. p. 122). Compare with 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Timothy 6:20. Often we fail to 15
realize that has been entrusted to us. We who are Christians know the truth. We know how a person can find reconciliation with God! Well, what are we going to do with that knowledge? Keep it to ourselves? Neglect it? Remain silent? 2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God” “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ”: “We are”: Especially referring to those that God spoke through, that is, the Apostles and other inspired men. “Ambassadors”: “An ambassador acts and speaks not only on behalf of but also in the place of the sovereign from whom he has received his commission. It is his duty to proclaim faithfully and precisely the message entrusted to him by his sovereign” (Hughes pp. 209-210). “He does not speak in his own name. He does not act on his own authority. What he communicates is not his own opinions or demands, but simply what he has been told or commanded to say” (Tasker p. 89). If the Apostles faithfully presented the exact message from the King of kings, how much more are uninspired men under such an obligation to preach from the revealed word (2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2; 1 Peter 4:11). Paul did not view any one man as being the sole personal representative of Christ, rather, Paul said "we". In a more limited sense, every Christian is to represent God (Matthew 5:16). “Here is the Christian proud privilege and almost terrifying responsibility. The honor of Christ and of the Church are in his hands. By his every word and action he can make men think more--or less--of the Church and of the Master whose he is and whom he must ever seek to serve” (Barclay p. 235). “As though God were entreating by us”: “God, as it were, appealing to you through us” (TCNT). “Seeing that God makes His appeal through me” (Gspd). “We beseech you”: “Implore” (TCNT). “I beg you” (Wms). God does not want to see anyone lost (2 Peter 3:9); and Paul has that same love for souls. “On behalf of Christ”: “Here there is food for thought. How dare we alter, change, reduce the word committed to us? How dare we act as if we were dealing with men or let men think they are dealing only with us” (Lenski p. 1049). “Be ye reconciled to God”: “The aorist (tense) implies an immediate acceptance of the offer of reconciliation” (P.P. Comm. p. 123). Such a message demands a sense of urgency to respond to it. “Get reconciled to God, and do it now” (Robertson p. 233). 16
2 Corinthians 5:21 “Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” This verse sums up in one simple statement the message of reconciliation. 'Him who knew no sin”: Jesus was sinless (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26). Jesus knew what sin was, and sin surrounded Him when upon the earth, yet He never sinned. “He made to be sin on our behalf”: That is, He bore our sins in the sense that (1 Peter 2:24) He became the sin-offering for the world (Isaiah 53:5-6; Galatians 3:13). “The righteousness of God in Him”: Only "in Christ" can a man or woman be viewed as "righteous", that is, right with God. The righteousness is the result of forgiveness (Romans 4:6-8), yet forgiveness can only come about when one obeys Jesus Christ and His will (Acts 2:38), and this is found in the gospel message (Romans 1:16-17). Much of what Paul had said is intended as a rebuttal to his opponents. “Surely such an ambassador is not to be criticized carelessly or to be slandered rashly; he is a representative of the King. Nor is his message to be lightly received; it is Christ Himself who pleads” (Erdman p. 67).
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