New Testament in a Year

Chapter 5

¹ Now we know that if the earthly tent in which we live is destroyed, we have a dwelling prepared for us by God, a dwelling in the heavens, not made with human hands, that will be eternal. ² While we are in this earthly tent, we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling; ³ for when we have put it on, we will not be naked.^[a]

⁴ While we are enclosed in this earthly tent we groan, burdened because we do not wish to be stripped naked but rather to be further clothed, so that our mortal state may be swallowed up by immortality. ⁵ God is the one who has prepared us for this destiny, and he has given us the Spirit as a pledge of this.

⁶ Therefore, we are always confident, even though we realize that as long as we are at home in the body, we are exiles from the Lord, ⁷ for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ Yet we are filled with confidence, even as we long to be exiled from the body and be at home with the Lord.

⁹ For this reason, whether at home or away, we strive to please him. ¹⁰ For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive suitable recompense for his conduct in the body, whether good or bad.

¹¹ Well Known to God. And so, with this fear of the Lord always foremost in our thoughts, we try to persuade others. We ourselves are well known to God, and I hope we are also well known to your consciences. ¹² We are not once again commending ourselves to you, but we are rather affording you an opportunity to boast about us. Then you will have an answer to those who boast of external appearances and not the heart. ¹³ If, indeed, we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are rational, it is for your sake.

¹⁴ The Ministry of Reconciliation. For the love of Christ urges us forward, once we conclude that one has died for all, and therefore all have died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sakes died and was raised to life.

¹⁶ Therefore, from now on we will not regard anyone according to human standards. Even though we once judged Christ from a human point of view,^[b] we no longer do so. ¹⁷ Consequently, anyone united to Christ is a new creation. The old order has passed away. Behold, all has become new.

¹⁸ All this has been done by God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹ In other words, God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, and not holding people’s transgressions against them, and he committed to us the message of reconciliation.

²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is appealing to you through us. We implore you through Christ to be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made him who did not know sin to be sin for our sake, so that through him we might become the righteousness of God.^[c]