5:1 ¶ 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. 2 For in
this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is
from heaven: 3 If so be that being
clothed we shall not be found naked. 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. 5 Now he that hath
wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us
the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore 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:) 8 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to
be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we
labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For 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. 11
Knowing 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.
Here is a reference to our resurrection bodies, the body that we
will have after we are glorified by God. The promise of this body is found also
in the doctrine of Adoption.
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now. 23
And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Paul refers to our current bodies as earthen vessels in 4:7, if you recall. Job’s friend, Eliphaz,
called our bodies houses of clay.
Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth
Peter also called his body a tabernacle.
2Peter 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this
tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you
in remembrance; 14 Knowing that shortly
I must put off this my
tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
The body we will receive will be eternal, a spiritual body,
incapable of death.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection,
and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live:26 And whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
To repeat what I wrote for chapter 1, verse 22, another reference
to the deposit on our salvation, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Paul makes
the declaration that they and, of course, we, are sealed by God and the Holy
Spirit indwelling us is our earnest money, the deposit, if you will, on our
salvation. Again, he reinforces this in other places.
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Romans, chapter 8, contains some important thoughts in this
regard.
9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of his.
10 ¶ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the
Spirit is life because of
righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth
in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 ¶ And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together. 18 For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God. 20 For the creature
was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God. 22 For we know that
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
While we have the Spirit of God dwelling inside each of we
believers we know that while we are in this flesh we are not going to be in the
Lord’s physical presence, but we are willing and desirous to put off this body
of flesh and be in His presence for eternity.
All believers must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to
answer for the truth behind what we have done, to answer for our walk with
Christ. Paul discussed this previously in the first letter and in Romans.
Now, most evangelicals believe that the Judgment Seat of Christ is
a reference to the judgment of Christians upon their decease or rapture. Older
commentators often believed this was the same thing as the Great White Throne
judgment of Revelation for all people. Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary;
There are
many things relating to this great matter that should awe the best of men into
the utmost care and diligence in religion; for example, the certainty of this
judgment, for we must appear; the universality of it, for we must all appear;
the great Judge before whose judgment-seat we must appear, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who himself will appear in flaming fire; the recompence to be then
received, for things done in the body, which will be very particular (unto
every one), and very just, according to what we have done, whether good or bad.
The apostle calls this awful judgment the terror of the Lord (v. 11), and, by the consideration
thereof, was excited to persuade men to repent, and live a holy life, that,
when Christ shall appear terribly, they may appear before him comfortably. And,
concerning his fidelity and diligence, he comfortably appeals unto God, and the
consciences of those he wrote to: We are made manifest unto God, and I
trust also are made manifest in your consciences.(6)
Again, in another reference to the Judgment Seat of Christ in
Romans 14:10
We shall
all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, 2 Co. 5:10 . Christ will be
the judge, and he has both authority and ability to determine men’s eternal
state according to their works, and before him we shall stand as persons to be
tried, and to give up an account, expecting our final doom from him, which will
be eternally conclusive. (7)
And then, for Revelation 20:11 that mentions a Great White
Throne.
“This will be a great day, the great day, when all shall
appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. The Lord help us firmly to
believe this doctrine of the judgment to come.” (8)
I bring this up to point out that there are differences of
opinion and some of the commentators we respect from olden days did not agree
with our appraisal that the Judgement Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne
are two separate events although logically I have a problem with them not being
separate. I believe that Christ’s Judgment Seat is for His people only and then
we shall be present with Him at the greater judgment of mankind. Still,
whatever you believe about the order of things at the end of human history it
should not affect your daily walk with Christ and your submission to Him in
your life. We know for sure that judgment is coming and in fact, like Benjamin
Franklin admitted at the Constitutional Convention that the affairs of men are
judged now.
“Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing
proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a
sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an
empire can rise without his aid?”(9)
Several points from this passage are worth noting. Our bodies
will dissolve, return to their constituent elements, at some point. But we have
a body prepared for us and waiting in the world of spirit, to use in eternity. Did
not Jesus say that He was going to prepare a place for us?
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
A mansion is a dwelling place, something you inhabit, and is
not necessarily what we think of when we think of a mansion, like a 5,000 sf
house bordering the golf course in a gated community or the fictional Downton
Abbey on TV.
There we will be with the Lord and we will have to give an
account of ourselves. I am not sure how this will work out but all indications
seem to be that the emphasis will be on our motives and our faithfulness to God’s
doctrines and God’s truth, the gospel. I believe that because Paul keeps
emphasizing belief in the Resurrection and laments that there are those who
deny it and subvert or water down God’s truth.
(6)Matthew
Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/2-corinthians/5.html
(9)
John R. Vile, The Constitutional
Convention of 1787 (Denver, CO: ABC-CLIO, 2005), 451.
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