Assurance of resurrection and hope of dwelling eternally with the lord

One of the things that are apparent in studying 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 is how churches are notorious for focusing on earthly material, which is all temporary, and ignoring or forgetting the life after death or eternal dwelling place. It impacts how we live, deal with, and view each other. We often consider ourselves immortal on Earth and act selfishly, hurting others and Ignoring God, frequently dependent upon our pride, ideas, and strength. But it should not be, according to the text, that one day, we all will die and dwell with the lord permanently. Which means the earth is not our actual dwelling place.  The whole chapter is profound. However, I would like to focus on verses 1-10, which state the unmistakable outline of “Assurance of resurrection and hope in Christ.”  2 Corinthian 5:1-10

1. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2. For in this tent, we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling—
3. if indeed, when we have taken it off, we will not be found naked.
4. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6. So, we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord—
7. for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9. So, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
10. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each may receive compensation for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

I want to draw your attention to the ancient Greco-Roman period; Paul’s metaphor of the “earthly tent” versus the “building from God” (5:1) reflects a distinctively Jewish-Christian belief in bodily resurrection, contrasting sharply with the Greco-Roman disdain for the physical body. The influence of Greek Philosophers like Plato and Epicureans denied an afterlife, asserting that death was the end of both body and soul, leading to the idea of nonexistence after death.  The community was diverse, complicated, and even divided on issues like “Assurance of resurrection and hope in Christ.” In the early Corinthian churches.

However, Paul emphasized and drew the church in Corinthian with an idea of Jewish roots—the concept of resurrection and hope in Christ during the turmoil and confusion of the Greco-Roman period. Referring to Daniel 12:2-3, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

I want to take time and delve into the verses with interpretative questions, focusing on specific words and their meaning in our understanding and possibly based on early and recent context. How does Paul’s metaphor of the “earthly tent” versus the “building from God” shape our understanding of the Christian perspective on mortality and the afterlife or we believe in eternal life, and how does this metaphor compare with other biblical and cultural conceptions of life after death?

Paul uses the metaphor of an “earthly tent” to describe our physical bodies. This metaphor reflects the temporary and fragile nature of human life, similar to a tent, which is portable and not permanent. In contrast, the “building from God” signifies a permanent and eternal dwelling, symbolizing the resurrected and glorious body believers will receive for those who put faith in Him (John 11:25-26). “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” The distinction between something “not built by human hands” and something divine underscores the divine origin and permanence of the resurrection body.

The term “tent” in Exodus 25, especially verses 5 to 9, could also evoke the imagery of the Tabernacle, God’s temporary dwelling place among the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. This temporary nature anticipates a more permanent dwelling, paralleling the believer’s earthly and heavenly bodies. N.T. Wright (Nicholas Thomas Wright is a prominent British New Testament scholar) writes that “Paul: In Fresh Perspective” explores Paul’s theology of resurrection and the transformation of the body,” emphasizing this point, Paul elaborates on the nature of the resurrection body, contrasting it with the natural body. 1 Corinthians 15 is more straightforward and affirms the ultimate destination of the Christian life after death to the Corinthian church and also to us. The resurrection body is imperishable and glorious, a transformation that reflects the new creation in Christ (V 17). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  Church, do you believe this?

In Exodus 34, the Tabernacle “tent” has no value until the presence of the Lord, the Glory of the LORD, is revealed above the “tent” so people can have hope and life again. Paul emphasizes the metaphor “earthly tent” as the dwelling temple of the Holy Spirit. One day, the mortal body will transform into His glory, according to 1 Thes 4:13-17. It is an exclusive claim as believers in Christ; we do likewise as Christ died and rose again.

In verses 2-4, Paul expresses a deep yearning for the heavenly body, depicting the human condition as groaning and burden due to its mortality. The desire “to be clothed” with the heavenly dwelling (eternity) signifies a longing for transformation and immortality. Being “found naked” implies a state of incompleteness or vulnerability, which contrasts with being fully clothed in the heavenly body, symbolizing a state of completeness and forever life, which means the glorious body in Christ. That Adam and Eve’s loss in Genesis 3 and realization of their nakedness after the Fall represents a loss of eternity and introduces to the mortality, fall sort of the glory of God, but restored to it through only Jesus Christ.

In verse 5, my attention drawn to the term “deposit” or “guarantee” (Greek: “arrabon”) is used. This term, used in commercial transactions to indicate a pledge or down payment, signifies assurance and security of the future resurrection and eternal life through Christ. God’s way of preparation for his people is guaranteed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s a matter of being aware of His presence and a solid willingness to transform in Christ’s image. In Ephesians 1:13-14, “Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as a seal and guarantee of the believer’s inheritance until redemption.”

When we reflect on verses 6-11 as believers in Christ, Paul conveys a dual reality for believers: being in the body means being away from the Lord, the question of what and who is our priority in our physical need and daily living on Earth, yet there is confidence and preference for being “at home with the Lord.” This confidence is rooted in faith, living not by what is seen but by the assurance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). The motivation for pleasing the Lord stems from the impending reality of judgment. All believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, emphasizing accountability and the reception of recompense for earthly actions. This judgment is not about salvation, which is secured in Christ, through Christ, but about evaluating one’s life and works for rewards in heaven.

In conclusion, I want to leave you today with this understanding that challenges us to re-evaluate our priorities. Examine ourselves, recognizing the importance of living not for the seen and temporary things but for the unseen and eternal. As we anticipate the daily life when we will be “at home with the Lord” or away from home on earth, we must strive to live lives that reflect His glory, aware of the reality that our actions will be judged, not for our salvation, but for the eternal rewards that await us in Christ.

Church, do you genuinely believe in the promise of transformation and resurrection? Are you living each day aware of the eternal glory that God has prepared for those who love Him? Let us, therefore, fix our eyes on the reconciliation work done on the cross also not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Live with the assurance and hope in Christ, for the new creation has come, and the old has gone. The news is here: as ambassadors for Christ, we are spreading the message of God’s grace and forgiveness to all around us—a responsibility we must commit to. Would you evaluate your priority and share the good news of resurrection, life, and reconciliation with God?