Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.
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2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 5
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1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Cor 5,1-9
(34g) Gift of God
>>
God is willing to Give >> He is generous with
His spiritual blessings – In our spirit we groan, longing to be
clothed
with our future dwelling from heaven. We miss our spiritual bodies that we have never worn.
How can we miss something we have never experienced? God reveals all things to
us by the Spirit. We are able to discern the thoughts of God, who constantly
reminds us of our future glory, filling us with hope through our suffering. We
need hope because this life offers very little hope. The greatest hope we have
is heaven itself, eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven and all it entails.
(39b) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Characteristics of the
resurrection – Jesus ate food to prove He could, but since
our bodies are perfect we will never hunger again though we can eat if we
wish, and if we do eat, we will never have to expel waste. There won’t be
any sewer plants in heaven; there will not be any foul thing in heaven;
nothing filthy will ever breach the gates of His kingdom. There are many
mysteries that will one day be reveled to us, many of which will revolve
around our new bodies. It will be exciting to put them on for the first time
and feel the exhilaration and the power that will radiate from us in an
endless supply of energy originating from the throne of God. To call it a
spiritual body is just that; it is both spiritual and physical at the same
time. There is no way to comprehend this, because we have no understanding of
the spirit realm. When we finally put on this body, the looming threat of
death will be swallowed up by life. Cutting or smashing our fingers, getting
bumps and bruises, all these weaknesses and forces of destruction, the various
ailments and injuries that are so common to us will surrender to the life of
God in the essence of our new bodies.
(134e) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of
our bodies is from the earth >> We are
physically excluded from the spiritual realm – Paul talks about the earthly body, calling it
a tent. Our bodies may be very intricate and complex on a biological level,
but compared to our future heavenly bodies they resemble tents, which are most
often used as temporary dwelling places, assuming a nomadic lifestyle. The
Bible says we are just passing through (Heb 11,8-10). If Paul describes our
bodies as a tent in contrast to our future glory, then we shouldn’t care to
get too elaborate in our lifestyles. Anything to keep off the rain should do,
suggesting that this human existence is not very elegant or spectacular.
However, in the world we see people living as though it were the only body
they will every have, doing everything in their power to make full use of this
life, which goes against the teachings of Paul (see: 1Cor 7).
(205aa)
Salvation >> Verses useful in evangelism
2Cor 5,1-5
(92a) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
The good works that He prepared for us
(224a) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of
heaven >> Describing the kingdom after he makes
all things new >> Description of the
resurrection – Based on this concept, calling our bodies a
tent, the contrast would imply that our future bodies will resemble mansions,
and God has also prepared mansions for us in heaven (Jn 14-2,3), so we
will live in a mansion within a mansion. Although we have no idea what it
would be like to live in a spiritual body, which itself sounds like an
oxymoron because we don’t know how God could bring together the physical and
the spiritual realms, yet this is no less our destiny who believe in Jesus.
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2Cor 5,1-4
(33d) Gift of God
>>
God is our Father >> Kingdom belongs to the
children of God
(134a) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Your body >>
Mediator between the natural and the spiritual realms >>
Manifesting the Kingdom of God through obedience –
When it comes to putting on the new self in reference to our new life in
Christ, we received it on the day of our spiritual birth, according to Eph
4,22-24, “In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old
self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and
that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which
in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the
truth.” This new self follows the spiritual model of our future resurrected
bodies, suggesting that those who live and walk by the Spirit will be as
though clothed in the eyes of God. We are to put on this new man that God has
instilled in us as the person we have spiritually become, that we are to wear
him on our extremities as our works. What we say and do should reflect the
person we will be in heaven, as we continue to grow and mature, manifesting
His Spirit who dwells in us as an analogy for the first resurrection, when the
entire body of Christ receives an incorruptible body that cannot die.
(190f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >>
Undressing >> Dismantling the outer tabernacle
(226d) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >>
Our inheritance is reserved in heaven –
He calls our bodies a house, a dwelling place for the most high that we offer
Him. The human soul and the Holy Spirit have become inextricably interwoven to
become one spirit. The world is afraid of death; to the unsaved it is their
greatest threat, while Christians long for the day of their death, since it
represents “freedom from their body of sin, and released to the glory of the
children of God.” The day of our death will be the best day our lives,
because then we will finally be rid of our flesh and “clothed with our
dwelling from heaven” and united with God in His heavenly kingdom with His
people. It is our great hope, eternal life that Jesus promised all those who
believe in Him. Every day that God gives us is an opportunity to invest in the
Kingdom of God until the day set by the Father when He calls us home, and our
spirit passes from our bodies and we enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
(243i) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> The indestructible
kingdom >> The body of Christ is indestructible >>
Our spiritual bodies are indestructible – We say that our bodies are alive now, but a
day is coming when we will receive bodies that are truly alive in such a way
that it will encapsulate the very meaning life. The English vernacular will
not do justice to the word “Life” after we receive our heavenly bodies and
finally know what it’s like to be alive. The miracle of our earthly bodies
is that we are the result of God’s handiwork. We are alive on a biological
level, though the atoms and molecules that compose our bodies are not alive.
They are inanimate particles; so our life originated from non-life. However, a
day is coming when we will receive a body that is not only alive, but is made
of particles that are also alive! Such life will originate directly from the
throne of God, whereas the life we now experience is indirectly derived from
God. He has set in motion X number of eons ago the laws that govern His
handiwork, and has determined that “life” should perpetuate life in a
chain reaction through the process of conception, and then He exited this
natural realm, because it is under a curse from Satan’s rebellion and now
man’s. For this reason our life is an indirect result of God's hand, but in
the next life our living bodies will be the result of God’s hand directly
upon us, and for that reason we will be alive through and through.
2Cor 5-1
(35h) Gift of God
>>
God gives Himself to us >> The anointing
(140f)
Temple >> Temple made without hands >>
Hiding place >> God builds your spirit with His
own hands –
Paul said in Rom 8-19, “For the anxious longing of the creation waits
eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” So the creation itself is
anxious to see the Kingdom of God bestowed upon it. The earth belongs to God,
though He gave it as a gift to mankind. The earth still is loyal to God in a
manner of speaking, and it longs for His kingdom to be established on it. Just
as the earth longs for His kingdom, so do our bodies, which have originated
from the earth. We are anxious to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
anxious to receive our resurrected bodies, an indestructible body that cannot
die. God will give us one that cannot feel pain or negative emotions that
often afflict us in this life.
(170f) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Temporary >>
Whatever is temporary will perish
(189e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Martyr >>
Tested for faithfulness to the death
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2-4 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
2Cor 5,2-4
(95b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Positive attitude >> Speaking in tongues >>
Groaning too deep for words –
The
Bible says that there is a resurrection, a day scheduled for both the
righteous and the wicked, being two separate days. The resurrection of the
righteous will occur on the day of the Rapture, whereas the resurrection of
the wicked is the day of the great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20,11-15). Those
who die in the Lord and are carried to heaven by the angels, enter into His
kingdom as a spirit, who have not yet received a body, but since heaven is a
spiritual place, it will seem we have a body. God will one day manifest heaven
in as a physical realm, first giving us spiritual bodies, and then making a
new heaven and a new earth by the same material as our bodies. Currently, the
place where God dwells is a spiritual place, which cannot interact with the
natural realm because they are two separate realms that are disconnected from
each other as a result of the curse. It says that on the day of the
resurrection of the righteous (the day of the Rapture) God will give us new
bodies, which will be the first step in establishing His new creation, and he
will set us here on earth for a thousand-year reign of Christ in a physical
world living in a physical body similar to Jesus’ resurrected body. God has a physical heaven in mind for us. Heaven in eternity will not be a
spiritual place, but a physical place to the extent that our bodies will be
physical.
(113e) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >>
Garments of the new creation – One of the greatest experiences of heaven
will to be clothed in our spiritual bodies. This is something the Holy Spirit
often reminds us: our suffering will one day abruptly end and we will enter
into glory. All our limitations will cease; all our weaknesses will be made
strong, and all our fears will disappear, including and especially the fear of
death. “In as much as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked.” We
will be clothed like we have never been clothed. Our eyes will be opened, like
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, only the opposite, suddenly realizing we
have lived our entire lives naked. Putting on clothes does not heal our
nakedness before God; He can see through our thin gauze. People are only
concerned about outward appearances, whereas God sees the heart. Putting on
our spiritual bodies will be analogous to receiving a coat of fur, like all
the animals have in the mammalian family. We are naked even to
beasts! The clothes we wear are apart from us in contrast to an animal’s
coat of fur, making it that much more effective in the wintertime. However,
unlike a coat of fur that is only skin deep, one day, when we finally inhabit
our spiritual bodies, we will accurately portray an outward expression of our inward man. We will finally be clothed
with a body that will never deteriorate or die or feel pain or suffer again or
even get tired. Thank you Jesus!
2Cor 5-2
(24e) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Waiting creates
anxiety –
Waiting creates anxiety and anxiety is a sin, but there are other kinds of
anxieties that are not sin. Longing to be clothed with our dwelling from
heaven is not a sin. Normally, we are anxious because we have a lack of trust
in God; anxiety is linked to fear and fear is the root of sin, in that it
cannot believe in the promises of God. We fear that God has abandoned us; we
fear we are in a position that cannot receive God’s blessing; we fear that
God has prepared a test for us instead of a blessing and will make us go
through hard times before we will receive a blessing from God. In contrast,
the anxiety and the longing and the anticipation of receiving our resurrected
bodies is based on faith and expectation of God’s purpose for our lives.
2Cor 5-3
(63f) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Sarcasm >>
Minimize the truth to make a point –
Paul is talking about our resurrected bodies; after stepping into them, we
will not be found naked, suggesting that we are currently naked underneath our
clothes, naked before God as fallen creatures. This body that we are to
receive on the day of the first resurrection, which is also the day of the
Rapture of the Church, will be a body that once we “put it on” will no
longer be naked before God in the most literal and physical sense. We will be
clothed even by God’s standards, which will transcend all other coverings,
for God Himself will cover us, indicating that the animal God killed and used
its hide to cover Adam and Eve was analogous to our resurrected bodies. For
Paul to put it this way, “Inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be
found naked,” was to minimize the truth to make the point of just how well
clothed we will be on that day. A person can be scantily clad or dress for the
Antarctic, and they’re naked just the same to God, but our resurrected
bodies that we will receive will clothe us in a way that we will be able to
stand before God without shame.
(212h) Sovereignty >>
God is infinite >> God is all knowing >>
Nothing hidden >> God exposes things hidden in
darkness –
An interesting verse in the Old Testament is about Aaron, the first high
priest (Moses’ brother), who was commanded by God to put on some underwear
before he practiced his high priestly role and climbed the stairs to the old
covenant temple, lest the Lord see his nakedness (Exodus 20-26). One of the
primary attributes of God is that He knows everything and can therefore see
everything, like the cherubim of Ezekiel and the four living creatures of
Revelation. Living creatures is an interesting description in that it
lacks description, suggesting that these creatures are indescribable. The
primary attributes of these four living creatures is that they are alive and
can see (Rev 4,6-9). These all-seeing creatures are used to protect God’s
throne from invasion, not that God needs the help, but delegates every aspect
of his authority, giving Him reason to reward His creation that He puts in
charge of His kingdom. They are also placed there to give His kingdom the
sense of a tertiary layer of security, a visual for His loyal servants to know
that they will never have reason to look behind them, because someone has
their back and because there will never be any danger in the first place. The
throne of God is a place of absolute peace and safety for those who have
permission to be there, but for those who don’t have permission, they will
never see His glory.
2Cor 5-4,5
(8d)
Responsibility >> Prepare to interact with
God >> Entering the realm of the Spirit
–
This verse indicates that when we get to
heaven God will cloth us with His life, but presently we are dressed in death
(See Genesis 3-21). We
should consider this term "clothed" at least two ways. Some people complain about multiple interpretations of the same Scripture,
but it is often essential to understanding it (especially since Paul intended it to have multiple
meanings). First,
consider that our soul wants to be clothed with a body, in this case a
spiritual body. Second, consider that we don't want to enter heaven in a naked
body, but to be clothed when we get there with the deeds of righteousness that
we have done in this life.
2Cor 5-4
(6d)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >>
Jesus’ yoke of death
(254h) Trinity
>>
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Holy
Spirit is life >> Spirit of God is the life of
Christ
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5-9 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and 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 of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
2Cor 5-5
(91c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> God’s purpose is an inherent
component of His calling >> His purpose is for
us to be vessels of mercy
(132f) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is
in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a
pledge >> God pledges His Spirit – In heaven God will be directly linked to us
by the Spirit He has given us in this life when we are born again. We have all
heard the phrase: body, soul and spirit. The man who is not born of the Spirit
has a soul but no spirit, making it the missing piece of mankind, meaning that
the spirit of man is the Spirit of God. It also means that every man, woman
and child who is born of God has the same Spirit, linking them all together,
and for this reason there should be unity in the Church. This missing piece is
the most important part of mankind, for it is the part that is deity, which
has raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with Him in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2-6). God has given us a tremendous gift when He made
a way for us to receive His spirit through the blood of the cross. The Holy
Spirit is God's very essence who dwells in our soul, and without this other
person dwelling in us, we would be incomplete. The Holy Spirit is given to us
as a pledge of our inheritance, indicating more blessings that God wants to
rain on us throughout eternity, many more.
2Cor 5,6-9
(224h) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of
heaven >> The joyful kingdom >>
Heaven is better than earth
–
Some say that the dead are asleep. This may have been the case in the days of
the old covenant, but things are different in the new covenant for those who
have died in faith. The Old Testament spoke very little
about the afterlife, and what little was mentioned is now obsolete. Since Christ
rose from the dead and ascended to heaven it says, in Eph 4-8, “When he
ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives.” This refers to Abraham's
Bosom, mentioned in Lk 16-22,23. Jesus said about them in Jn
10-16, “I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will
become one flock with one shepherd.” This other “flock” that Jesus
mentioned is in reference to Old Testament believers who died in faith, who have
existed in a sleep state, until Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to the
Father, and brought them to heaven.
Paul taught that any new covenant believer who dies in the Lord will immediately
go to heaven to enjoy the presence of Jesus in a fully conscious state. If we don’t interpret
these verses, they mean exactly what they say.
2Cor 5,6-8
(57f)
Paradox >> Opposites >> To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
– It is a spiritual
principle that one of two things must be true, like a light is either
switched on or switched off at any given time, or like two people on a
see-saw, when one is up, the other is down.
We are either at home
in the body and absent from the Lord or we are absent from the body and at
home with the Lord. There is no gray area (or purgatory). “To
be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.” This verse has an
on/off quality, indicating that if the condition is unmet in one means by
definition is met
in the other. There is also the passage of Jesus proving to the Pharisees that
the fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, do not exist in a dormant state, but
are alive, saying in Mat 22-32, “He is not the God of the dead but of the
living.” Also, Paul said in Phi 1,21-23 that to die is gain. What gain is
there in death if it means sleeping for centuries in awaiting the First
Resurrection? If people who have died in Christ have been sleeping all these
thousands of years, it isn’t much of a life. They might as well be dead! A
person in a coma might technically be alive, but he is not living as we know
it. People pull the plug on their loved ones because they see no value in
living this way. We know
that demons are disembodied spirits and that they are active in the world,
doing things, such as creating false doctrines in the minds of people who would
believe them, so why is it so hard to believe that those who die become
disembodied spirits actively living in heaven? The Bible says that God is
Spirit, therefore His home is a spiritual place. Those who die in faith go to
heaven as disembodied spirits, not dormant, but actively living in a spiritual
world.
(60g) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> At home in the body—Alive
in mortal flesh / Comfortable in mortal flesh
(237l)
Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >>
Transformed from death to life
2Cor 5-7
(114e) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy
Spirit >> Obeying the revelation from heaven >>
Obeying the revelation by putting away the flesh
(118c) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes
of your spirit -- This verse goes with verse 16. People who claim to regularly
see visions from God breed skepticism in those who walk by faith.
2Cor 5-8,9
(187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him
-- These verses go with verses 14-17
(237j) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
Citizens of heaven
2Cor 5-9
(81b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Prayer >> The priesthood >>
Striving to please Christ –
There are many verses in the Bible that correlate with the statement in the
Lord’s prayer: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is
in heaven” (Mat 6-10). Here Paul is saying that whether we are at home or
absent from the Lord we have as our ambition to be pleasing to Him. Whether
those who have already gone to heaven or are still alive in the flesh, our
objective is to be pleasing to Him; nothing has changed in that respect. As
many transformations we will undergo between this life and the one to come,
some things will remain the same, such as our heart. God has already
instilled His Spirit and His word in our hearts with a desire to please Him,
and these are the most important aspects of heaven, so all we really need is
a new body. A physical paradise wouldn’t mean anything if paradise
didn’t also exist in our hearts. If we died and went to heaven and were
full of angst that never went away, we could never enjoy heaven. It would
all unfold before our eyes, and we couldn’t appreciate any of it if our
heart wasn’t right with God. It is like a person with a terminal disease
on his deathbed; though he may have millions of dollars he couldn’t enjoy
a nickel of it. Money is the world’s definition of paradise; if we had
enough money, they say, we could carve an isle of paradise in the earth,
live in a mansion, drive a fast car, attract beautiful women, afford a
family of children and have it all, but if we’re not healthy enough to
enjoy it, what good is it? The same is true in heaven. If an unsaved person
somehow got in heaven, he would long for earth and to be back in the flesh,
so he could live how he wanted, instead of living the way people do in
heaven, and it is even possible they would be happier in hell. Heaven is a
place of worship, which is something the sinner’s rebellion has vowed
never to do, so to find himself in the place of ultimate worship would be
worse than hell to him. The people of heaven have been given a Spirit that
corresponds with their heavenly home, and their greatest joy will be to
worship Him, because then they will be doing what they were created to do.
Imagine making a squirrel act like a kangaroo or a rabbit like a cat; they
would dread their lives, but they are happier when they act as they were
designed, and that is the same with us. Unsaved people are as happy as they
can be, because their flesh is designed to rebel against God as sinners, but
those who are born of God are happiest when they are serving Him against the
wishes of their flesh. They serve God in a body that hates Him, preferring
that over obeying their flesh, because it proves they really do love Him.
(95h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Ready to do God’s will
(102b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambition >> Ambitious to fulfill God’s
calling >> To please Him
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10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
2Cor 5-10,11
(88g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear the judgment of God is the beginning of wisdom >>
Fear the consequences of your disobedience
2Cor 5-10
(45a) Believers’
Judgment
(Key verse)
(45b)
Judgment >> God judges us for not judging ourselves
>>
Believer's judgment >> Judged According to our deeds
(48j)
Judgment >> Levels of judgment
>>
Judged by withdrawing rewards – Many Christians believe that because they are
children of God they have circumvented His judgment, but that is not true. Paul
promises that there will in fact be a believers’ judgment, and God will repay
us for our deeds of the body, “according to what we have done, whether good or
bad.” So how does our judgment differ from the White Throne Judgment of the
condemned? God will add judgment to them, while he takes away rewards from us.
Therefore, the loss of reward is our judgment. Paul said in Eph 2-10 that God
has prepared a trail of good works for us and expects us to follow it, and to
the degree that we follow this trail is the degree to which we will be rewarded,
but to the degree that we don’t follow His designated path is the degree that
we will suffer loss. This concept is also implied in 1Cor 3,12-15, which refers
to being burned up, yet being saved as through fire. Each person has the choice
of building his house from various materials, some being fire resistant while
others are flammable: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw.
Depending on the quality of the building material is the likelihood of surviving
God’s judgment, also symbolizing each person’s investment into the Kingdom of God. When we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, He will show us the
life He intended for us to live and the rewards we could have had, and will
proceed to take away those things we could have possessed for eternity, but
instead chose our own way and forfeited the reward. That will be our judgment.
It will not be a judgment that determines whether we go to heaven or not;
rather, it will determine how we experience eternity in heaven. Our rewards are not for us, but for
God, that we may reflect His glory through the gold, silver and precious stones,
forever communicating to our fellow saints that God is worthy of our service.
(90i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Keeping the law >> Righteousness of the law >>
All righteousness is covered by the law
(134c) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Mediator between
the natural and the spiritual realms >> Your body
manifests whatever is in your heart
(227e) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >>
God rewards endurance >> Keeping our rewards
through endurance
11-13 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
2Cor 5-11
(6k) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the Gospel >> Persuade men that
Jesus is the Christ – This verse goes with verse 20. Paul
the apostle and evangelist spoke to a church that already believed and
explained to them his ministry to the world. The Corinthian Church was born
by the message of the gospel coming through Paul in like manner. Paul was
reliving for them their experience of the gospel as seen through his own
eyes. He came to Corinth in the fear of the Lord to persuade its inhabitants
of his gospel message, whom God had manifested in the world and sought to
manifest also in their conscience. His hope when he preached the gospel to
the Corinthians for the first time was that they would see him as though he
were an angel, or at least something more than just a man with a message,
but a man possessed by that message, who followed an inner light that shone
on his hearers. He strove with all his heart to remove his flesh, so the
Corinthians could see the light that emanated from his mouth and to hear the
voice of God speaking through him and believe in their hearts and be
delivered from a crooked and perverse generation, among whom they too would
appear as lights in the world.
(11k) Servant
>>
Paul’s example of God’s standard
(109d) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Revelation
of the true children of God
(148i) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Obligation to preach the gospel >> Ambassador
in chains -- This verse goes with verses 18-20
(155c) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> Conscience >>
Having a good conscience >> Conscience bears
witness that we obey God’s law
(245o) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm
superimposed upon the natural realm >> The
natural manifesting into the spiritual
KJV
NAS
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2Cor 5-12
(78e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Sincerity >> Taking God to heart >>
Having pure motives and desires
(83l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >>
Be ready
(84d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Words of your mouth >> Boasting >>
It needs to be said and no one is saying it >>
Boasting of my accomplishments in Christ
(167e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Walking
outside the realm of faith -- This verse goes with verse 16.
Paul
used the word “we”. He never considered himself alone in his endeavor to
bring the gospel of Christ to the world but had a lot of help. Paul and his
team of helpers were all in agreement with each other and on the same page
with God, and they all commended themselves to those they served, giving
them an answer to those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. This
is in reference to charlatans who also existed in Paul’s day, who had
already begun to see a market in the gospel. They dressed themselves in
appearance to flatter people with all the outward manifestations
of success and appealed to them with the idea that if they listened to them,
they would be successful too. Does this sound familiar? It should! The
gospel is meant for anybody who would believe in Jesus, regardless of
appearance. It appeals to the heart and we believe it from the heart, so
appearance has nothing to do with it, otherwise the old and the ugly and the
deformed would not be eligible for heaven. All we need is a sincere faith in
Jesus and a willingness to live for Him in obedience to the truth, but to
focus on appearance is to walk outside the realm of faith and into the realm
of carnality and secularism, which is the mindset of the world. Everything
to the world is physical, and anything beyond the physical that is so-called
spiritual, if it does not correspond with Scripture, is new-age and
witchcraft, based on superstition and various forms of religion that has
never saved anyone. Instead of focusing our attention on physical
appearances, He is calling us to focus on finishing the course.
(171f) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate
the inside >> Playing the part to be accepted by
men
2Cor 5,13-20
(228i) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> God works in the new creation
2Cor 5-13
(79f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind through prayer
(81c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Prayer >> The priesthood >>
Ministering to God
(97g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attention >> Facing the direction of God’s
will >> Focusing your attention on finishing the course
(236a) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
All things are for your sake >> We are fighting
for you >> Our suffering is for your sake –
A person who is beside himself normally is crazy, and we can hardly say that
he knows God, so what did Paul mean by "beside ourselves"? Paul knew
and loved God with all his heart, but there were times when he was beside
himself, as though he had lost his mind. The circumstances of his life became
so severe that he lost touch with himself, and when this happens, those times
are reserved for God. They are times in our lives that God loves the most, not
because He likes to torment us or see us suffer, but when we are beside
ourselves, we are completely dependent on Him and can’t do anything for
ourselves; we’re lost, battered, delivered to death, overcome with excessive
sorrow, all our bones ache, our mind is tortured. To simply get through those
moments takes an act of God. He strengthens us with His grace so when we
emerge on the other side, we retain the grace He used to strengthen us and now
it is part of our arsenal, so when we return to a sound mind, we can use that
grace in our ministry that God used on us to get us through hard times.
14&15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
2Cor 5,14-20
(191j) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >>
Set apart from the world
KJV
NAS
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2Cor 5,14-17
(187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him
-- These verses go with verses 8&9
2Cor 5-14,15
(38f) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> God judged the world,
the flesh and the devil
(53a) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Of life and death >>
Die in order to live –
It says, “One died for all, therefore all died.” This uncovers a fallacy
in the Church that resides at the very heart of Christianity today. We say
that Jesus died for us; that is right; we also say He died in our place,
taking our sin upon Himself; that is right too; He did it so we can live
anyway we want; that is false! The implication that the Church makes about the
gospel is that Jesus died for us; therefore, we have been forgiven. Yes we
have, yet the implication Paul makes is that Jesus died for us, therefore we
have died with Him. Paul was saying that Jesus represented us on the
cross, and this we concede that He represented us before the Father as our
Great High Priest, but Paul is saying that Jesus also died as a model for us,
that we should take up our cross and follow Him to Calvary and die with Him,
not for salvation’s sake but for the sake of repentance. The Church
doesn’t like the word “repentance”; it has been all but extricated from
religious terminology. In 2Cor 4-10,11, the chapter before this, it says,
“Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being
delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be
manifested in our mortal flesh.” This is the reason we take up our cross and
follow Him, that the life of God might be manifested in our mortal flesh, that
we might put the Kingdom of God on display through an anointing that God would
give us for obeying the Holy Spirit through faith.
(68f) Authority
>>
Jesus Delegates the Holy Spirit to us >> He
guides you into all truth
(124c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Acts of love >> Love is the proper motive for
all you do
(156b) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> Loving God is evidence of salvation >> Keeping His commandments
(192a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Life for life >>
Losing your life to gain God’s life -- These verses go with verse 21.
We
don’t die to self for masochistic reasons but to transcend the barrier
between the natural and spiritual realms. Unfortunately, the Church is not
interested in this; instead, we sacrifice the revelation of God’s kingdom in
order to maintain our worldview in the flesh. People are anchored in this life
and the things that make sense to the natural mind, and we are unwilling to
rise above it to believe in God the way we were called. Most Christians are
unwilling to adopt the mind of Christ but believe more that what God has in
mind for us is less than what the world offers. Most of us live and operate
under the old adage, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.” That is,
we are not willing to let go of the mindset of this natural realm in order to
obtain the mind of Christ, especially not after we realize that we must die to
self in order to do it. Someone might say, ‘I thought it was a free gift.’
Salvation is a free gift, but maturity is not, and if we stay babes in Christ,
then how do we know we even received this gift of salvation?
(213j) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >>
His will becomes our will >> As a master owns a
servant –
God has sovereign authority over His creation in every area except man, and He
is working to gain supreme authority over us too. He told us this in such a
forward manner that it causes most of us to cringe, in the very first
commandment (Exodus 20-5) when He said, “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous
God.” This divine statement is so forthright that many people who do not
understand God or don’t believe in Him think He is being trifle, for
jealousy is normally considered a fault and a sign of immaturity, but God was
saying that He is unwilling to share His glory with anyone, and he condemns
anybody for acting on his own authority. Most people regularly act on their
own authority; in fact, the whole world is based on this very premise, but the
world is temporary. There is a day when the world will come to an end; man’s
reign on earth will suddenly cease; God will establish His kingdom on this
very planet for a thousand years, and He will demonstrate His sovereign
authority over all things by stamping out all forms of rebellion. After the
Millennium He will create a new heavens and a new earth, and all creation will
be eternally subjected to the Father’s supreme authority. He then will divvy
out His authority to His creation to do His will, for He is the Lord and
Master of His creation, just as He was Lord and Master over Paul.
2Cor 5-14
(216b) Compelled By The
Spirit (Key verse)
(216g) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over
man >> Compelled by the Spirit >>
God forces us by His love –
It says, “The love of Christ controls us.” We could start a running list of
the reasons Jesus went to the cross and keep adding to it for the rest of our
lives, but one of the main reasons Jesus went to the cross was to show us the
Father’s love, and that is our motivation to pick up our cross and follow Him.
We must know that what He is asking us to do will be worth the sacrifice of
spiritual maturity. Only a person who loves us would ask us to do something
hard, and only a person who knows God would pick up his cross and follow Jesus,
but most people in the Church today don’t die to self for the very opposite
reason, because they don’t know Him. Obviously they say they believe, but the
fact is they don’t believe in God’s love enough to obey Him and die to the
sinful passions and desires of the flesh. Paul was God’s bondservant, and God
would have us all be just like him.
2Cor 5-15
(38c) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection
overcomes death
KJV
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16&17 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
2Cor 5-16,17
(6i) Responsibility
>>
Ministering to people by being in the Spirit
–
In the Spirit you see
things differently. Paul says he doesn’t look at a man the same after he has
promised his life to God, because he expects the way he lives to change. Paul begins planning for
the person to obey God and to let the transformation occur, because he knows a
little of what God plans to create in each person. You don’t build a house in
the path of an active glacier. Although you don’t see
the glacier moving because it moves slowly, yet you know it will eventually
reach the spot where you were thinking of building, and thus putting an age
limit on your house. In the same way we must plan our lives around the way we
expect God to change us in the future according to God’s word, and to not
build things that will eventually get in the way and ultimately have to be
torn down.
(71h) Authority >>
Ordained by God >>
Ordained by His sovereign will >> God
chooses to work in you
(156f) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> You will know them by their
repentance
2Cor 5-16
(11b) Servant
>>
Standard for a servant >> A Spirit-filled life
– A person who is "spirit-filled" is someone who is not only
saved, but is also pleasing God with the way he/she is living. Those who are
born again have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them like a seed, yet some
people let that seed grow by nurturing it, while others do not. The spirit-filled person’s seed has
spouted and growing large branches while others are producing fruit. A spirit-filled person is someone who got saved and is now
growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
(118c) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes
of your spirit -- This verse goes with verse 7
(167e) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >>
Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world)
>>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Walking
outside the realm of faith -- This verse goes with verse 12
(222f) Kingdom of God
>>
The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give
what is holy to dogs >> God does not entrust
his treasures to dogs >> Do not recognize dogs
(240f) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >>
Limitations of the flesh
2Cor 5-17
(43b) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Conform to the character of Christ >> Conform to His nature
(166l) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >>
>>
The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >>
The old mind
(238aa) Kingdom of God >>
Pursuing the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to the Church >>
Born again by the will of Christ
(238d) New
creation (Key verse)
(238f) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >>
The kingdom is transferred to the Church >> New
creation >> The new creation is our spiritual
composition – When we pass from this life and shed this
body, the old things will have passed away, and new things have come. However,
God expects us to begin this process of transformation even now, not waiting to
receive our new bodies, but living as new creatures, destined for eternal life,
waiting patiently for a body that cannot sin, not continuing to live according
to our old way of life before we met Christ. New things have come; therefore, we
need to shed our life of sin and unbelief in the flesh and put on our new life
of righteousness and faith in the Holy Spirit, and begin living as though we
have already received our new bodies, as though we have already ascended into
heaven. We want to minimize the contrast between this life and the next one. We
don’t want to make full use of this life and or this body, nor to exploit its
lusts and its corrupt desires from an over-inflated ego, from pride and
covetousness of materialism. All these things pertain to the poverty that dwells
in us. God has called us to focus on His treasure trove He has entrusted to us,
and to share them with whomever will receive us.
KJV
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18-20 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2Cor 5,18-21
(31h) Gift of God
>>
Grace >> Salvation >>
The ministry of reconciliation –
Whatever God gives us, is for the purpose of giving to others. We are supposed
to act like conduit and let His gifts flow through the body of Christ, a
spiritual principle that runs throughout the New Testament, spilling into the
world by the evangelist. The last thing God wants is for us to become a Cul de
Sac of His grace and mercy. The words of the gospel become an opportunity to
believe in God’s love, who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 10-9,10). God
will reveal to them that no truer words will ever be spoken to them of God’s
salvation, love, kindness, mercy and grace. They only need to receive it by
faith and God will convert the words of the preacher into a revelation of
Jesus Christ that transcends the simple act of believing. God makes an appeal
to the hearers of the gospel through the evangelist, hearing it as though they
were the words of men, but in reality they are the words of God. When the Holy
Spirit falls upon them and persuades them to believe in Jesus, He will convert
the words of the preacher into the word of God by associating with His word in
the man’s heart. For every group who listens to the preacher there are two
subgroups: those who believe the gospel of Christ and those who don’t. Those
who don’t believe have had one more common experience in life, but those who
do believe have had their first experience with God, which if they continue in
Him will grow and increase according to the grace that they have been given,
according to their willingness to walk in that grace.
(114i) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Jesus does God’s
work >> All His works are what the Father does
(116c) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through worship >>
Through our relationship with Him
(253h) Trinity
>>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Father
and Son glorify each other >> Father and Son
represent each other
(253k) Trinity
>>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is
subject to the Father >> Jesus is subject to God’s
ability
2Cor 5,18-20
(5e)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause
>>
Disciples preach the gospel – Paul was an ambassador for Christ through the
grace of God. The beauty of this lies in the fact that Paul actually had a
ministry, whereas Jesus never really did, because His blood had not yet been
shed. That is, there really was no actual gospel of the kingdom that Jesus
preached until He went to the cross. His preaching was of a gospel that had not
yet come to fruition, so His ministry was not in that sense legitimate. He spoke
about a kingdom and a gospel that was to come, but Paul preached a gospel that
had actually come to pass through the blood of Christ, who had already made
propitiation for the sins of the world. Old covenant believers had to believe
that messiah would come, whereas we new covenant believers are beyond that,
making faith that much easier for us, yet look at the world today how hard faith
is to some people. This has become man’s world like no other time in history.
When we look at the technology of our civilization, we see man’s fingerprints
all over God’s creation, so that God’s fingerprint has been almost erased,
or so it may seem. Man thinks that everywhere he goes he erases God’s
fingerprint, but he has only managed to putter in his contraptions around his
own solar system, leaving the rest of the universe intact. It is impossible to
erase what God has done. He has a whole universe proving Himself, and man
hasn’t even gotten off home plate, and it is therefore to that degree he must
still answer to God. Christ is also in us still reconciling the world to
Himself, yet man’s pride in his own technology has hardened his heart, causing
him to believe more than ever that he is a god unto himself, yet Paul's cry can
still be heard, "I beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
(32i) Gift of God
>>
Father will honor you if you die to self >> Honor
His word in you
(67n) Authority
>>
Doing God’s work under His authority >> Ministry
of helps >> Help God
(71a) Authority
>>
Believer’s authority >> We have authority from God to
evangelize the world >> We have an anointing to preach the gospel
(71j) Authority >>
Ordained by God >>
God ordains us through His commandments
(81e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Prayer >> The priesthood >>
Ministering the gospel
(110d) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spirit speaks through His
ministry in us
(115d) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >>
Through your calling >> In preaching the gospel
(123a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Boldness to speak the
word by the Spirit
(147h)
Evangelism
(Key verse) –
We
really learn a lot when we evangelize, but nowadays when we attempt this, we
could get hurt, whereas back in the 80’s and 90’s people were more open; we
could talk to strangers about God.
(148i) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Obligation to preach the gospel >> Ambassador in
chains -- These verses go with verse 11. God has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
commissioning us to bring the world to Christ through the word of His
cross.
(213e) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >>
We are his instruments >> We are tools in the hand
of God >> We are transmitters of His kingdom
(216c) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over
man >> Compelled by the Spirit >>
God takes advantage of your love for Him >> He
forces you by your desire for His calling
(236i) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Invest in the treasures of the kingdom >> Invest
in the gospel
2Cor 5-19,20
(111b) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spirit and evangelism
(153a) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the
father >> Church bears witness of the Father
through Christ
(210d) Salvation
>>
The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >>
Jesus is the savior of the world
2Cor 5-19
(120f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >>
Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> God passes
over our sins – We should be grateful that God has not
counted our trespasses against us, or holds our sin over us. In a million
years from now He won’t bring up something evil we did and hold it against
us. He will never make us feel guilty; therefore, we should never make
ourselves feel guilty or anyone else. If we feel guilty about something, it is
not God convicting us, unless we have not yet repented of it. Guilt and
conviction are two different things. Guilt will never go away, continuing even
after we have stopped sinning, whereas conviction of the Holy Spirit seeks to
lead us to repentance. Once we have repented, God will immediately drop it, so
if we still feel guilty, it’s not God, because He only wants us to stop
sinning. He has no interest in making us feel bad about our sin. Therefore, we
should never allow ourselves to be enslaved to a sense of guilt, no matter
what we have done. We should have the mind of Christ and forgive ourselves,
and if a spirit continues to make us feel guilty, then we should live for
Christ all the more just to spite the demonic entity tormenting us.
2Cor 5-20
(6k) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the Gospel >> Persuade men that Jesus
is the Christ – This verse goes with verse 11.
KJV
NAS
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21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2Cor 5-21
(35a) Gift of God
>>
God is willing to Give >> He is generous with the
flesh of His Son
(37a) Jesus Is Judged By God
(Key
verse)
(37a) Judgment
>>
The cross >> God judged the sin of the world
through Christ –
The message of the evangelist to the world is contained in this verse. In
the same way that God was able to heap upon His Son the sins of the whole world, so He
was able to forgive us after the Father raised Him from the dead. When it says that the Father made Him who knew no
sin to be sin on our behalf, He accomplished this by the simple fact that Jesus
was God in human flesh. The worst sin that man could commit was
crucifying the Son of God, which represented every sin that man has ever
committed, thus heaping them all on Jesus at the moment of His death on the
cross. This suggests that the Father also experienced sin in the same sense that
Jesus did by abandoning His own Son. Sin separates us from God
and Jesus was separated from His Father, so the Father also was separated from
His Son. Since both Father and Son are personages of the Godhead and were separated
from each other, both experienced the effects of man’s sin. The cross is
a process of substitution, putting us in Jesus’ place, and putting Jesus in
our place, so He became a sinner while we became the righteousness of God
in Him. This entire process happens through a simple act of faith that we offer
God in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
(39k) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated the law of
sin --
Jesus' sinless life
contradicted the law of sin in His flesh and broke the power of death by evidence of His resurrection. That is what
He came to do. Heb 2-14 says, "Since then the children share in flesh
and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He
might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the
devil." The Father placed upon His Son the sin of the world, thereby
setting us free from the power of death, but making Christ the very definition
of sin. 1Pet 2-24 says, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on
the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." When the Father
went to judge His Son, He found that none of His sin was His own, so He
forgave Jesus for our sin and raised Him from the dead. His righteousness
became our life. In His very death He destroyed the power of sin which is
death, by maintaining the righteousness of God in the members of His earthly
body. His blood is therefore the essence of life, and His flesh is the veil
through which we must pass by faith that God incarnate came to take away
our sin. Now that Christ paid our penalty, He made it illegal for sin to have
jurisdiction over anyone who would believe in Him for eternal life.
(41e) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
Jesus knew no sin
(41g) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >>
God’s righteousness is His doing
(58g) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Jesus becomes sin that we might
obtain His righteousness – The only way to understand this verse is to
take it literally, that God has took the sin of the world and nailed it to the cross, so that
Jesus actually became sin. This verse requires
no interpretation; there is nothing figurative about it, nor is it a metaphor
for something else. Jesus somehow literally became sin on the cross, which is a
mystery. A spiritual transaction took place between the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit
and between mankind and his enemy the devil. The Father made His Son take the punishment
of our sin. The moment Jesus needed His Father most, Christ was
separated from the Holy Spirit. He was thus alienated
from God, who placed all our sins on Christ at that moment, paying the full penalty for
our sin.
None of my righteousness is required for His grace, for it
is the righteousness of faith that taps into the mercy of the cross. Therefore, faith is the only missing ingredient that
we provide. It is the
righteousness of faith that bonds with the sacrifice of Jesus’ cross that
gives us access to Him and to all His promises, including and especially the
promise of eternal
life. We worship God for His
generosity and willingness to go through His trials for all mankind. This is the beauty and
wonder of the cross: the moment of Christ’s condemnation was also the
moment of Satan’s demise. God has been dismantling Satan in stages, first
after his initial rebellion when he fell from heaven, second at the cross, third
in the last days when God will demonstrate that the weakness of human flesh
coupled with the power of the Spirit is greater than all the power of darkness
and evil. Finally,
in the book of Revelation we see a mighty angel throwing him into the lake of
fire, sealing his eternal fate.
(124a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Acts of love >> Love takes from the rich and gives
to the poor >> Love takes sacrifice –
By this verse we know that Jesus literally became our sin on the cross. Before
He did, it was God’s will that He sent His Son to become the propitiation for
our sins in the first place. At the premise of the cross is the love of God; if
He didn’t love us, we would be alone as mere objects without meaning. With His
love, though, we are alive and significant. If we applied meaning to ourselves,
we would be alone in it, and if God did not see value in us, our significance would
die with us. As it is, God loves us, and we mean something to Him, above the
meaning we attribute to ourselves, so much more that we would be wise to dispose
of our own self-worth and make God’s worthiness our own. Many people wrestle
with depression; they need a vision of God’s love. We can tell them about it,
and they can even believe it, but they need a revelation of it before the
knowledge of God’s love will do them any good.
(192a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Life for life >>
Losing your life to gain God’s life -- This verse goes with verses
14&15
(227f) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >>
Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending
on Jesus to receive us
(237n) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >>
Transferred from lawlessness to righteousness
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