Verse 1. “For 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.” In this passage our body is looked at as the tent or house in which we dwell; it may return to dust, but we have in view our new resurrection body, which will be eternal in the heavens, bearing the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49). There is no uncertainty about it. “We know” is full assurance, given us from the Word.
Verses 2, 3. “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.” This is supposing us to be children of God. The unconverted dead must also be raised, that is, clothed in the body, but will be found naked in their sins before God. “Naked” applies to their state before God. as in Genesis 3:10,11; and Revelation 3:17, 18.
Verse 4. “For 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.” The groaning here is not to get rid of the troubles of life, nor because of any uncertainty as to the future, but because the body was a hindrance to the full enjoyment of the divine life, and tended to depress the spirit. The apostle saw by faith, and longed for the glory that he knew awaited the children of God when the Lord comes. His desire was not to be unclothed, but clothed upon with the resurrection body, when mortality will be swallowed up of life. What a triumph over all the ruin and bondage that sin had brought! His hope was not to die, but to be with and like Christ in heavenly glory.
Verse 5. “Now He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing, is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.” Here we are told that God has begun the work in us already, and in all that we pass through in His dealing with us, tend to the same blessed end, to be companions with Christ in glory; it is of necessity that we be formed after His pattern. Here it is not that our souls are resting on His finished work, though through grace we do that also, but here it is His Work in us— “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10). And in order that we might have this blessed hope of being with and like the Lord ever consciously before us, God who wrought us for this self-same thing, hath also given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. He is the pledge and proof to our souls that all His purpose will be accomplished in us. We know that the Lord has gained the victory over sin and death and Satan’s power, and now after going through death, He lives to die no more.
He but awaits the moment purposed of God when He will come, and we who are living shall then be changed into His likeness in glory, and be with Him without dying, as we saw in 1 Corinthians 15. “This mortal,” “the living ones,” shall put on immortality; and this “corruptible,” the bodies gone to dust, shall put on incorruption. Mortality shall be swallowed up of life.
We may die, but there is no necessity. Whether living or dead, the result through Christ’s work will be the same. What grace to us this is!
Verses 6-8. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. (For we walk by faith, not by sight.) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” We do not speak now of being in hades—the unseen—but rather we know that we are absent from the Lord while still in the body, and the apostle puts it as walking by faith and not by sight; that he was, willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. The Lord has indeed lifted the veil, so that now we speak of being with Christ when we die, and we know that it is far better than any life here. To die is gain (Phil. 1:21-23).
Verse 9. “Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be acceptable to Him.” “We are accepted in the beloved.” (Eph. 1:6). Here it is the thought of being zealous to be well-pleasing to the Lord, so that whether in the body or out of the body when He comes, we might have His approval of our ways.
Verse 10. “For we must all appear (be manifested) 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.” We are already brought into the light of God’s presence as believers, and have seen in the finished work of Christ, the judgment of all our sins. The light of God’s holy presence can find not a spot on those washed in that precious blood, and we are to have our glorified bodies like our blessed Lord. Yet assuredly the Lord means us to think of that manifestation when we shall each one see our past life on earth in that holy light. Are we afraid of it? No, how could we be afraid? Yet we think of all our crookedness, and it should have a salutary effect on us now, to see that our ways in the present are such that we would not be ashamed to look at, up there in the glory. It is great gain to the soul to have everything out with God. We could not then fear the judgment seat, for in the light of God’s presence we see that, all is forever settled and put away. We have not to be judged for anything. Christ has settled it all long ago, but this is stated to have its present effect on the conscience. If we have failed to judge ourselves, and judge others wrongly, and allowed evil in any way, the thought of this rightly leads to heart searching, and to a solemn reverence for God and His holiness that should produce an exercised conscience and a careful walk.
Verse 11 leads us to think of the unsaved who will have to stand at the great white throne and be judged for all the sins they have committed. It is profitable to the soul to have a sense of the judgment of God against sin, and it is only under grace that it could, be maintained in its truth, for who otherwise could bear the thought of receiving that which he had done in his body? None but one who is completely blinded.
We stand at the judgment seat in bodies like Christ’s body of glory. Grace has triumphed and put us there; there are no traces of sin in us then. We can look back at all the way God has led us, in grace, helped, lifted us up when falling, kept us in the way. What a tale of grace and mercy! If we look back now, our sins do not rest on our conscience. We hate them, but they are all put away, and we know that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ. We have the sense of God’s love and patience, goodness and grace, and this blessed effect on the soul will be ours perfectly when all is manifested.
The apostle not only says, “We persuade men” but also “We are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” He does not fear being manifested, it will give him to see more of God’s ways toward him when he is in the glory; but he was living in it at that moment; the sense of God’s eye upon him had its sanctifying power in his walk here on earth.
Verses 12, 13. He would not commend himself to the saints again, but he gave them occasion to glory in his behalf, to answer those who blamed him wrongly, and who boasted in appearance and not in heart. He then said, “Whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.” He walked soberly for their good. He had in view the glory of God, and the good of the saints.
Verses 14, 15. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and 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.” The love of Christ witnessed in His atoning death, was a fresh motive to make known to men their state and need, for if one died for all, it declared that all were in that dead state, and it became a fresh motive for the believer’s living, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again. This is a new order of things; believers are living, all else are dead; they are alive in Christ risen, it is a new creation of which Christ is the type and the head. He was once known to some as Messiah of Israel. They were men on earth and in the flesh.
Verses 16, 17. “Wherefore 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. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (there is a new creation. N. T.): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” It is a new heavenly order of things to which every believer now belongs. In this new order of things,
“All things are of the God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, but the world would not have Him, yet He did not judge them, did not impute their transgression to them, but made atonement for sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and now in divine righteousness, gives to the apostles the ministry of reconciliation. This makes them ambassadors for Christ, so they, as though God did beseech by us, we pray in Christ’s stead “Be ye reconciled to God.” For He hath made Him sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. God had set His love upon us where we were in our sins, and gave His Son, who was without spot or motion or principle of sin, to be a sacrifice for sin, that we should be made the righteousness of God in Him. Man has no righteousness for God. God has made the saints in Jesus, His righteousness; in Christ first and then in us as in Him.
And now, a righteousness divine
Is all my glory, all my trust;
Nor will I fear since that is mine
While Thou dost live and God is just.
Clad in this robe, how bright I shine!
Angels possess not such a dress;
Angels have not a robe like mine,
Jesus, the Lord’s my righteousness.