2 Corinthians, 5:5-9

2 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 1 through 4 was saying. And there are many different interpretations out there. So let's do this. Let's read. We're going to try to cover down through verse 9 this morning. If you'll open your Bible, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 1, we'll start.

For we know that if our earthly house in this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 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, for we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that has wrought us for the very same thing is God, who also has given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while 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, willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. Now I'm going to read verse 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 has done, whether it be good or bad." Okay, this morning, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take a look at the various interpretations in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 that are out there, and that were somewhat maybe even brought up last week. Then we're going to look at some difficult questions concerning these first four verses. Then go through 2 Corinthians 5 verses 5-9.

We're going to reserve 2 Corinthians 5.10 which is the Bema or the judgment seat of Christ as it as we just read, until a future date. And the reason is that just as there is all this controversy on the first four verses, there is also a lot of controversy on what does verse 10 really say. So this will be a separate study, and we'll take a look at the Bema, or the Judgment Seat of Christ, as it's called.

As we go through this, we're going to look at some of these interpretations in verses 1-4. And the first one is this. Verses 1-4 is talking about our heavenly house. And the interpretation goes like this, that our eternal heavenly house is referring to a dwelling place or an abode in heaven. And the passage that is used is in John 14 verses 1 through 3, where Christ said, In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

So the interpretation is that this heavenly house that 2 Corinthians 5.1 is talking about is equated to this place that Christ is going to prepare for us. So the two are equated. Well, there are some problems with it, and I've listed just a few as to why.

I think the most obvious thing is that in verses one through four, it is talking about our eternal house in heaven, which represents our physical body, or our future glorious body. And the comparison is between the two, between the physical body and this eternal future glorious body that is in heaven. not being found naked in verse 3 is talking about not having a body to clothe our soul and spirit in 12 by the Holy Spirit, as opposed to a place for them to dwell. As you go through the New Testament, the word place there, tapas, you could go through every passage of scripture in the New Testament and see if tapas refers to this body that we have or the heavenly body that we will have. And you won't find any connection. there are no passages of scripture that talk about the place, like in John 14 verses 1 through 3, referring to our heavenly body.

So I don't think that's a good interpretation. The next interpretation is that our heavenly house is referring to our heavenly life. So what you can do is equate house to life. So that in verse 4, you see in verse 4, it says, For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened that we would be unclothed but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. So that the equation is then equating life to house.

Is that a good interpretation? Well, Let me just go to the next page and just go through what some of the problems are with this interpretation. Now, there's some things that we can't say. Now, it is true that when we talk about this physical body, there's an associated life with this physical body. When we talk about our heavenly glorious body, there is a life that is associated with that body.

And the two lives are different, the two bodies are different. But, as we indicate here, it's incorrect to equate life with house or body. Number one, since the word life is never used except for verse 4 in the text. So does that life in verse 4 really mean life, that we can equate this heavenly house to heavenly life?

Now also note that that we have eternal life right now. The text says that we groan for this heavenly house. If we substitute life for house, heavenly life, eternal life, are we groaning right now for eternal life? Do we groan for eternal life? Question, do we have eternal life right now? Is it something in the future?

It's right now. First John chapter 5 says, for this is the record that God has given to us. What? eternal life. And this life is in the Son. He that has the Son has life right now. And these things are written that you may know right now, that you have, possess right now, eternal life. So we have eternal life. It's not yet something in the future. The other thing is this. It would seem logical to equate house with life because of verse 4. But in verse 4, it uses the word mortal. That mortality might be swallowed up in life.

And when you look at this word mortal, it only refers Let me see what I said here. Also, the scripture never, okay, never uses the word mortal referring to life. It only refers mortal to body. Okay? The word mortal is only associated with body. Never ever to life. Okay? We have a mortal body. We don't have a mortal life. Let's take an unbeliever.

Is his life mortal? What can we say about his life? He has life eternal, if you will, right? But where is he going to spend that eternity? okay okay but he's going to be living but living in a state of separation from God so eternal death but his soul is living it will never die right so he goes on for all eternity so his soul is there's nothing ever said in scripture about about his soul being mortal.

Now here's the other thing. As we've read in the text, we groan that we'd be clothed upon with this heavenly house. If you go through all of Scripture and you look at the word clothed, it talks about being clothed upon, just like we think, just putting a coat on and being wrapped in something, so that when it talks about John the Baptist, he was clothed with camels here. And if you want to go to the end of the New Testament, we're going to be clothed with linen. We're going to be clothed with linen of righteousness. White represents righteousness. So it always talks about a garment.

So in the context, house never means life. Alright, there's another interpretation out there. That our eternal heavenly house is referring to a temporary body. So now this heavenly house, so house and body go together, we would agree with that. But it says that it's temporary, that this house, this heavenly house, is temporary. And when a person dies, it will house the soul and the spirit of that person until the rapture, or until Christ comes in the clouds. that does sound like a reasonable interpretation. If you're kind of leaning this way, you're in good hands. If you read Dr. Lewis Barry Chafer, this is what Dr. Lewis Barry Chafer believes. Here's the problem I see. How is it ever possible to equate temporary with eternal, because it says that we have this eternal house in heaven. How can you equate the two? I just can't get past that one step. So I said, you've got to throw out that interpretation.

Okay. He didn't know, he can't talk to him about it. Yeah, he does know now. Okay, the last interpretation we'll go through. That our eternal heavenly house is referring to our future glorified spiritual body. And this is what Jim taught last week. This is what we went through. And we had a lot of discussion. concerning some of those first three interpretations and this interpretation. So, what I want to do is just repeat some of the things that Jim said last week and just maybe add one or two things.

When it says, we are having this residence, right? It says, we are having this residence in verse 1. back to verse 1, 2 Corinthians 5, for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, or a residence of God.

And remember we saw that was the present tense, we are having, like sounds like we're having right now. Now, I have to tell you this, in the present tense in Greek The present tense is used in many different ways. There's what is called an historical present tense when it's referring back to something in the past and it wants to highlight it in the present. There is a futuristic present tense, which I think this is, a futuristic present tense, which when the Greeks want to show the reality of something in the immediacy of something, that hasn't happened yet, but that will happen in the future. They'll use the present tense. to emphasize the reality of it, and to emphasize the imminency of it. So I think that's what we have here, is this futuristic present tense.

It's the indicative mood, which is a mood of reality, that it's real. It's a certainty. So that if we look at this, then we can say this, that this is a present possession of a future reality. It's like we have it right now, it's a present possession, but a future reality. And what it's emphasizing, is the certainty of it. And that's why it's used in the present tense, to emphasize the certainty, even though it's yet future. Is that okay? So we can say this, that this is a positional truth. This is our position. It's a done deal. And we'll become our conditioning imminently. And when Paul taught Did Paul teach, number one, so, for example, let me give you an example of a futuristic present tense.

Over in John, it says that Messiah is coming, or Christ is coming. Now, He hadn't come yet, but what it's saying is that There's the reality of it, and it's imminent. When Paul taught about the coming of Christ at the rapture, in Paul's mind, was it yet in the by and by, sometime in the way out, distant future? What did he teach? Did he teach about the imminency of His coming? the reality of it, and the immanency of His coming.

So when you go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, it says, when he says, we who are alive, when Christ returns, Christ shall come in the clouds and trump shall sound, and we who are alive shall be changed, right? we, including himself. He was expecting Christ to come while he was yet alive. So you see the use of this futuristic present tense to show the reality of it and the imminency.

Paul always talks about the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Last week the question was, well, do we have our spiritual bodies floating around there and out in heaven, and then either we go to be with the Lord or at the rapture, then this body is going to be combined with the resurrected body. So the thing is this, no, there are no bodies floating around out there in heaven. And somebody said, are they stacked up? But it is saying that there is a certainty that we will have them in an instant of time when the Lord so determines. I mean, it's going to be an instant of time.

So, if you go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, where it talks about the resurrection, and especially when you go to verses 51-52, why don't you turn there? Because I can't quote it. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 51 Paul writes, Behold, I show you a mystery. Now, here's my question before we even start. What's a mystery? Something that hasn't been revealed. Keep that in mind. He says, Behold, I show you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Now, question. When it says in verse 52, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, Is that a mystery? Is that something that hasn't been revealed?

Did the Old Testament teach about the Resurrection? Sure! Sure! I mean, you had the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the Pharisees believed in the Resurrection, and the Sadducees did not believe in the Resurrection. But it was taught, right? It was taught in the Old Testament. David, when the Lord took his son, said, I will see him in the resurrection. So the resurrection was taught in the Old Testament.

So what's the mystery? It was revealed in the Old Testament, so what's the mystery? The mystery is that we shall not all sleep, right? The word sleep is a soft term for physical death. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. So the mystery is the fact that there are some of us, maybe all of us, hopefully all of us, maybe, who will be living when Christ returns, and we will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, this physical body will be changed into our heavenly, glorious body. And the word moment is the smallest amount of time. You cannot divide it. It's so fast. It's like that. So keep that in mind as we go through this.

And now the question is, well, you know, here's this physical body, and there's this spiritual body. What's the connection between the two? Are they one and the same? Do we have two bodies? The spiritual body is yet future. We'll talk about it when we get to the questions here. Let me just finish this.

So, the point I want to make here though, which was brought up in one of these interpretations in terms of, doesn't physical body, spiritual body really mean physical life, spiritual life? True that there are two kinds of bodies associated with two kinds of life. And we won't go through 1 Corinthians 15, here are the references, but you can look look them up, it talks about the physical and spiritual body and it talks about the earthly and heavenly life. There's a connection between the bodies and life. The physical body has an earthly life. The spiritual body has a heavenly life.

So there is a connection. verses 1-4 when it talks about our earthly house or tent, as it's referred to. It's made without hands. It's interesting. Vern is going to be teaching next week on Colossians 2.11 and he's going through all these passages made without hands. And so as he's gone through his study, made without hands, he's seeing that when it talks about made without hands, that God, whenever he does something in the spiritual realm, it's talking about something made without hands. When God does something in the physical realm, it talks about God doing something made with hands. So the heavens and the earth, there's a reference, is made with hands, made with God's hands.

Now, I want you to think about our bodies. Where did they come from? Okay, dust to the ground. What did God do with the dust to the ground? He formed, sculpted, he took the dust of the ground and he formed it. In the Hebrew word Yatsar, there in Genesis 2.7, and he formed man out of the dust of the ground. And that word Yatsar means intricately sculpted man.

Every detail about our body. Now, did the body have life? Okay, so what did God do? Okay, God, it says, and God breathed the breath of life into man. Now in the Hebrew, the word life, yachim, is plural. God breathed the breath of lives into man. So, when it talks about the breath of lives, plural, what lives are we talking about?

Okay, soulish life? Because it goes on to say, God and man became a living what? Soul. Okay. Now, did Adam have fellowship with the Lord? What kind of life must he have had? Spiritual life. So when God breathed the breath of lives into Adam. He certainly had physical life or soulish life. He had spiritual life. He had body, soul, and spirit. Those three lives.

So, I think the contrast in 1 Corinthians 5, 1-4 is the contrast that here we are in this tent, which implied made with hands, heavenly body made without hands. I think that's what the contrast is. Okay, when it talks about our heavenly house, it's a building of God, as Jim said last week, it's a building of God made without hands, eternal in the heavens, and it's suited out for heaven and the associated spiritual life. This earthly tent is suited out for earth and its associated soulish life.

And if we look at 1 Corinthians 15.44, it says it's sone, natural, and the word natural means is psuchikos, or soulish, sensual. and it's raised a pneumatikos, a spiritual body. And so there's the difference between earthly and heavenly. The other wonderful thing is, scriptures say that Christ will change our lowly bodies to have a life form with his glorious body.

I'll put a note here. We believe that number four, in terms of what Jim went through last week, is the more accurate translation. Now all of those who want to form that cult we were talking about last week can come over here on this side. Does that clarify things any?

It takes care of the floating body. Just one question with Adam. God breathed into him the breath of life. You're saying the physical life and the spiritual life? Physical life and soul-ish life. Right. Here are some questions. Questions, some of which may have been asked last week.

Is there a difference between our eternal heavenly house spiritual body and our resurrected body? Next question. Are church-age believers who are now with the Lord possessing their spiritual bodies right now? Or are they awaiting the resurrection to possess them? Next question. Believers who are asleep do not possess their spiritual bodies until the resurrection.

So if the answer in number two is no, they aren't possessing their spiritual bodies, then number three, then are there soul and spirits right now without a body? Yeah, that would be the nakedness spoken of. Okay. Anyone want to try and tackle any of these questions?

When Christ has not yet ascended to the Father, or is resurrected by Him, how long did He have? I mean, there was a period of time there. Okay, good question. There was 40 days. that resurrected Christ bent on earth, right? Before he was taken up. The ascension. What kind of body did he have? Okay. Okay, so question. Did he have a physical body or did he Did he have a heavenly body? A physical body like you and me? He was able to be seen and recognized. Touched. Put your hand holes in the side. Ok. Ok. Ok. And somebody said he could go through walls or doors, locked doors. He went through the tomb, right, that big stone, went through the tomb.

So what kind of body was that, that wasn't restricted by the physical laws of this earth? What kind of body? It had to be a spiritual body. But hold it, Thomas thrust his hands in his side, you know, and Jesus ate. What kind of body was that? Physical. It had flesh and bones that we know of, right? So, do you see how the physical and the spiritual, if you will, were one and the same? Just one body, right? They were one and the same. So let's do this. As I say, these are tough questions, and what we can't do is – the only thing that we can do is – if we're going to say anything categorically, it has to be in Scripture. Anything else is a guess, right? It's just a guess.

So the things that we can say for certain is this, that at the rapture, every church-age believer will possess his or her spiritual body, and that spiritual body is the has the characteristics of a physical body, flesh and bone, and people can recognize us, etc., will possess a spiritual body either by resurrection or by this instant change, being changed in the moment, those who are alive when Christ returns. So those who are asleep in Christ will be resurrected through spiritual bodies.

And we just went through some of these passages of scripture. Now, those who are alive will be changed in a moment, the twinkling of an eye, as we've read. And as I've indicated, they will be instantly changed in form, of the physical body to the spiritual body. And scripture is, I think, clear about that. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them, and we're going to be caught up together with them and with our spiritual body. Behold, I show you a mystery in 1 Corinthians 15. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment. We just read in twinkling of an eye.

So we can say this, that our heavenly spiritual body will be just like Christ's glorified body, which will take on the characteristics of our physical body, flesh and bone, just like we talked about in the answer to Wayne's question. And then as you look at scripture, wonderful passage of scripture and in first John 3 2 Beloved now we are the sons of God and does 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 in Philippians 3 21 who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

So we're going to be fashioned unto His glorious body, just like His glorious body. And we have borne the image of the earthly, right? We have borne the image of the earthly, Adam, in terms of this physical body. We shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

So, that we know for sure. So now, if we go back to the questions, what can we say? Is there a difference between our earthly and heavenly house, spiritual body, and our resurrected body? We know that they're going to be one and the same. That we know. that one body, which is the spiritual body, is going to take on the physical characteristics of this present body. That we can say.

How about church's believers with the Lord? Are they possessing, are their souls and spirit in this in the spiritual body, but the spiritual body doesn't have the characteristics yet of flesh and bone because the resurrection or the translation hasn't occurred yet. So if they aren't, then their souls and spirits are with the Lord, not without a But as Wayne said, boy, you look at the text, it says that we'd not be found naked.

So it would be conjecture, you know, at this point, to say we can definitely answer these questions. Now I have my own personal... If you want to be right, you can... No. My leaning is that, and I don't know how, I don't understand it all, but that we're going to be clothed. That we will never be naked. is defined without clothes, and without clothes in terms of the soul and spirit not having clothes, it needs a body. So, if you want my leaning, that's the way I lean, but I can't prove that to you from scripture.

When you think about the illustration of the pan and eternity, where there's no time, I'm often thinking, I mean, to the people that have already gone before us, isn't it like the same thing? I mean, they're not aware of passage of time. There's no time there. So, in essence, it might be they're there and we're all there at the same time. They are in eternity. Absolutely right. So, there isn't really the passage of time here, that they've been in heaven before us. In their eyes, it's not going to be that.

Right. And that's the hard thing to comprehend. Here we have these finite minds, and here are these infinite truths. And to comprehend these infinite truths with a finite mind, it... Yeah. Okay. Verse 5 in 2nd Corinthians. Chapter 5. It says, Now he that has wrought us for the very same thing as God, who has also given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Here's my question, without looking at your notes.

How sure are you, how sure am I, that all of this is going to happen. Here's the word of God saying this, how certain are you that it's going to happen? That we're going to be... Okay, and how do you get that certainty? His spirit bears witness with our spirit that these things are so. Okay. His spirit bears witness with our spirit. Okay. And that's exactly right.

Without the Spirit of God, you would not ever have that certainty. And so what God has done, He's guaranteed us that all of this is true, and He's given us His guarantee. And the word guarantee is the word earnest, the earnest of the Spirit, or the pledge of the Spirit. And that word can be translated down payment, that He's given us, and where is that Spirit? within us. It indwells within us. It is the Spirit of God that bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and that all these truths are going to be true of us.

Without the earnestness of the Spirit or that down payment, we would never know. Just to say one thing, God is the one who has fashioned and King James is wrought, the new American standards has prepared us for our heavenly home. Now I won't go through cumulative errors tense.

I want you to go to verse 6 and I want you to see in verse 6 through 9 talking about the body and where home is. Verse 6, therefore we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. What body is it talking about? This physical body. Verse 7, it's a parenthetical thing here, we'll talk about it in a minute. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Verse 8, we are confident, I say, and willing, rather to be absent from the body, what body is that talking about? A present body, and to be present with the Lord. Okay? Wherefore, we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. Verse 9, present or absent. Present or absent from what? Physical body. OK. That we may be accepted. King James has accepted. Better translation, well-pleasing to him. Now, I just want you to take a look in terms of summarizing this.

Verse 6 is talking about our confidence, that we can have absolute confidence, that being at home, it says being at home in the body. en de meo, en de meo, that's what that word means, to be at home. So while we're being at home in the body, we are absent. The word absent is ek de meo. So I want you to see the contrast. En de meo, ek de meo. Ek means out of, right, away. away. In means in, or at, or at home. Ek means to be away from home. So when it talks about the word absent, it's ek de meo, to be away from home.

And it says we are absent from the Lord. Where is home? The Lord. Home is not necessarily a place. Home is wherever the Lord is. So, if the Lord is in the heavenlies, and we're in the heavenlies with Him, that's home. Now, our citizenship is there, but our home is with the Lord. So, if He's here for a thousand years, and we're here ruling and reigning with Him, where's home? wherever he is, wherever he is, our home is with the Lord.

And then in verse 8, it talks about our confidence and preference. Where would we rather? What's our preference? It says, our preference is to be absent, listen, it's ek de meo, to be away from home. Which home? this home here, and it's defined from the body, out of the body, soul and spirit being out of the body, it defines ekdemeo, being absent, so to be absent from the body, that's our preference, and to be present, and the word present is this word endemeo, to be at home, with the Lord.

So, home is wherever the Lord is. And this word with, pras, means face-to-face. That we're with Him, face-to-face. And then, in verse 9, it says this, whether present, endemeo, or absent, And it's talking about whether present, endemail, to be at home in the body, going back to verse 6, or absent, ectemail, to be away from home, that is, ect, or out of the body, talking about verse 8. So either to be at home in the body or to be away from home, from the body. So whether these things are true, whether this is true or this is true, okay, the thing is our ambition, our desire is one thing, to be well-pleasing to Him.

And the thing is this, as Hebrews 11.6 says, that for without faith is what?

Is it impossible to please God. So if we're going to be well-pleasing to Him, then what's the, I don't want to say what must we do, but what's the response? Yeah, what's our response? I mean, we have to walk by faith, right? Our walk is by faith, and walking by faith is pleasing to Him. Let's close. Can I make a prayer request?

Sure. Today is the scheduled birth of my daughter-in-law's baby. Exactly nine months today. Rika, who lives in London, England. Pray for good health, the mother and baby. Okay. Scheduled, not born yet. I am, as far as I know. I assume I would have heard it if they hadn't been. Do we know that it's going to be a girl? They won't tell them. They won't tell them in England.

Our Father, again, we're thankful. We just are thankful for Your Word. We thank You, Father, that the Spirit of God is the one who leads us and guides us in Your Word and reveals the person of Christ, that we may grow in the grace and knowledge of Him. that we may have, Father, that intimacy with Him. And Father, we just lift up to you Harry's son and daughter-in-law in this expected birth. And we just pray, Father, that they would just take comfort in the Lord through all of this. And we give you thanks now in Christ's name. Amen.