2 Corinthians — Chapter 5

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

2For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,

3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

4For while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life.

5And it is God who has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come.

6Therefore we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.

7For we walk by faith, not by sight.

8We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

9So we aspire to please Him, whether we are at home in this body or away from it.

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.

11Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.

12We are not commending ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in appearances rather than in the heart.

13If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

15And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

16So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

18All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

6Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

9Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

12For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

13For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1For 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.

2For verily in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven:

3if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

4For 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.

5Now he that wrought us for this very thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

6Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

7(for we walk by faith, not by sight);

8we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

9Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto him.

10For 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.

11Knowing 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.

12We are not again commending ourselves unto you, but [speak] 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.

13For whether we are beside ourselves, it is unto God; or whether we are of sober mind, it is unto you.

14For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died;

15and 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.

16Wherefore 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.

17Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.

18But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation;

19to 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.

20We 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.

21Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

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

2For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling,

3if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked.

4For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

6Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord—

7for we live by faith, not by sight.

8Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

9So then whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him.

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

11Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too.

12We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in what is in the heart.

13For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

14For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died.

15And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.

16So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer.

17So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!

18And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

19In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation.

20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!”

21God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

1For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.

2For most certainly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven;

3if so be that being clothed we will not be found naked.

4For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.

6Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord;

7for we walk by faith, not by sight.

8We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

9Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.

10For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

11Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.

12For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance, and not in heart.

13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.

14For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.

15He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.

16Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.

17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

18But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Paul explains that our earthly body is like a temporary tent, and though we groan under its weakness, we long for the eternal, heavenly dwelling God has prepared, walking now by faith rather than sight (vv. 1-7). Since everyone will one day stand before Christ's judgment seat to give account, Paul's aim is simply to please the Lord (vv. 8-10). Christ's love, not human approval, compels his ministry, and he no longer judges anyone by outward appearances (vv. 11-16). Anyone in Christ becomes a new creation, the old life gone and a new one begun (v. 17). God reconciled the world to himself through Christ without counting people's sins against them, entrusting believers with that message and making them his ambassadors, pleading with others to be reconciled to God (vv. 18-20). Finally, God made the sinless Christ to be sin for us so we might become his righteousness (v. 21).

Authorship & Background

Author: Paul (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 5 is one of the richest theological chapters in Paul's letters — covering the resurrection body (vv.1-10), the motivation of ministry (vv.11-15), the new creation (vv.16-17), the ministry of reconciliation (vv.18-20), and the great exchange (v.21). It contains some of the most quoted and theologically significant verses in the New Testament.
Classification: Epistle — Pauline
Key Themes: A body compared to a tent groaning for a building not made with hands, love constraining a ministry between only two possible motives, a new creature declared rather than an old one merely improved, reconciliation described twice in three verses as both a ministry and a message not of Paul's own invention, and Christ made sin for those who never sinned so they could be made righteousness they never earned
The Resurrection Body (vv.1-10): Paul compares the current body to a "tent" (temporary) and the resurrection body to a "building of God" (permanent). We "groan" in this body — not wanting to be disembodied but to be "clothed upon" with the resurrection body (v.4). Meanwhile, we "walk by faith, not by sight" (v.7) and aim to please Christ (v.9).
The Love of Christ Constraineth Us (vv.11-16): Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Paul is answering the charge that he commends himself, and his reply is that the motives are only two and both are outside him: whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. Then the sentence that gives the section its name, for the love of Christ constraineth us, with the logic set out plainly, if one died for all, then were all dead, and he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves. The consequence is a change in how people are assessed, henceforth know we no man after the flesh.
The New Creation (v.17): "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." One of the most powerful statements of transformation in Scripture. In Christ, you are not improved — you are new.
The Ministry of Reconciliation (vv.18-20): All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. The same thing is said twice in three verses, once as a ministry and once as a word committed, and the content is stated in a clause easy to read past, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Then the office described in terms of diplomacy, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, and the appeal itself, be ye reconciled to God. An ambassador does not invent the message and cannot alter it.
The Great Exchange (v.21): "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." The most concise statement of substitutionary atonement in the Bible. Christ became what we are (sin) so we could become what He is (righteous).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the resurrection body, walking by faith, the judgment seat, the new creation, reconciliation, and the great exchange.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

The New You - 2 Corinthians 5:17
David Guzik

God's Heart for Urban Ministry - 2 Corinthians 5:13-15
David Guzik

2 Corinthians 5:1-11 – Our Eternal Destiny
David Guzik

2 Corinthians 5:12-21 – Paul Defends & Describes His Ministry
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Corinthians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Walking by Faith, Not Sight (v.7) — Paul describes the Christian life as trusting what God has promised rather than what can currently be seen. Where in your life right now are you leaning on what you can see instead of what God has said?
  • Living With Eternity's Accounting in View (v.10) — Paul says everyone will appear before Christ's judgment seat to give an account of how they lived. Does that truth mostly produce fear in you, or does it motivate how you spend your days?
  • Compelled by Christ's Love (v.14) — Paul says it is Christ's love, not obligation, that drives his entire ministry. What actually motivates your service and obedience to God — love, or something more like duty or guilt?
  • A Genuinely New Creation (v.17) — Paul declares that anyone in Christ is not improved but made new, with the old having passed away. What old identity or pattern are you still clinging to instead of living out of who you now are?
  • Ambassadors Carrying the Great Exchange (vv.20-21) — Paul calls believers Christ's ambassadors pleading with people to be reconciled to God, on the basis that the sinless Christ became sin so we could become His righteousness. Who in your life needs to hear that appeal from you?