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2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 5 KJV WEB See previous page 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 not yet known. How can we miss something we have never known? These things are written and we believe they are our destiny; also, God reveals them in the Spirit. We are able to discern the thoughts of God, who constantly reminds us of our future glory, filling us with hope through suffering. We need hope and this life offers very little, and our greatest hope is eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. (39b) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Characteristics of the resurrection – Jesus ate food to prove He could, but since our resurrected bodies will be devoid of the curse, we will never hunger again though we can eat if we wish, and we will not have to expel waste. There are many mysteries that will one day be reveled regarding our resurrected bodies, the exhilarating power of His coming kingdom radiating from us in an endless supply of energy originating from God. To call it a spiritual body is just that, equally and entirely spiritual and physical at the same time. There is currently no way to comprehend this, because we have no understanding of the spiritual realm, the looming threat of death being swallowed up by life. Cutting or smashing our fingers, getting bumps and contusions, all weaknesses, ailments and injuries so common to us will surrender to the life of God within us. (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 wrote 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 compared to our future glory, then we shouldn’t care to get too elaborate in this life; anything to keep off the rain will do. This suggests that this human existence is not very elegant or spectacular. Nevertheless, in the world we see people living as though it were the only body they will ever have, doing everything to make full use of this life, which goes against the teachings of Paul (1Cor 7,28-31). (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 body a tent, the contrast would imply that our future body will resemble a mansion (Jn 14-2,3), so we will live in a mansion within a mansion. Although we have no idea what it will be like to live in a spiritual body, it currently sounds to us like an oxymoron, because we don’t know how God could bring together the physical and the spiritual realms, yet this is our destiny who believe in Jesus. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 – Our bodies are naked underneath our clothes, but our resurrected bodies will clothe our spirit with endless life and power that is physical. Eph 4,22-24 says, “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 model of our future resurrected bodies; we are to put on this new man that God has instilled in us as the person we will be in heaven; we are to wear him in the form of works like our resurrected bodies that can effect the physical realm. What we say and do should reflect our inner person, as we continue to grow and mature, manifesting His Spirit who dwells in us, who will ultimately manifest in the natural realm on the day of the First Resurrection. (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. The human soul and the Holy Spirit have become inextricably woven together to become one spirit. The world is afraid of death; to the unsaved person it is his greatest enemy, but to Christians it poses no threat at all. In fact, some days we long for death, just to be rid of this body, for death holds promise of escorting us into God's presence, uniting us with Him and with the true Church in heaven. The day of the First Resurrection will be the best day our lives, because then we will finally be “clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” Death is on one side of the coin and the First Resurrection is on the other, affording our great hope of eternal life that Jesus promised to all who believe in Him. Every day we live in the flesh is an opportunity to invest in His Kingdom until the date set by the Father when He calls us home, and our spirit passes from our body and into His kingdom, a spiritual place of inheritance. (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, but a day is coming when we will receive bodies that are alive in a way that it will redefine the very meaning life. The English vernacular will not do justice to the word “life” after we receive our heavenly bodies; we will finally know what it is to be truly alive. Our earthly body is God’s handiwork; we are alive on a biological level, though the atoms that compose our bodies are not alive. He has set in motion eons ago the laws that govern His handiwork, and has determined that “life” should emerge from non-life, consisting of inert particles and that life should perpetuate itself through the process of proliferation. However, a day is coming when we will receive a body that is alive; the particles themselves that comprise our body will literally be alive! Such life will originate from God in His presence, whereas the life we now experience is apart from Him, because this natural realm is under a curse from the rebellion of both Satan and man. 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 longs to see God's kingdom bestowed upon it. The earth belongs to God, though He gave it as a gift to mankind, and it is still loyal to God, in a manner of speaking, and it earnestly desires to host the Kingdom of God. Therefore, 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 edifice 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 of both the righteous and the wicked, two days scheduled to occur with a thousand years between them. The resurrection of the righteous will occur on the day of the Rapture that ends the Great Tribulation of the saints, whereas the resurrection of the wicked, called the great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20,11-15), is a day that will occur after the Millennium. Those who die in the Lord are carried to heaven by the angels and enter His kingdom as a spirit. They will have not yet received a body, but since heaven is a spiritual place, they won't need a body. God will one day manifest heaven in the physical realm, first by giving us spiritual bodies, and then by making a new heaven and a new earth from the same kind of material as our bodies (Rom 8,19-22). The place where God dwells, the New Jerusalem, is a spiritual place, which refuses to interact with the natural realm because these are two separate realms, disconnected as a result of the curse. It says that on the day of the First Resurrection (the day of the Rapture) God will give us new bodies, so that on this current earth we will reign with Christ for a thousand-years, living in a body that is the same as Jesus’ resurrected body. For these things we long and earnestly desire with groaning too deep for words. See also: First fruits of the resurrection; Rev 3-14; 238d (113e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of the new creation – This is the greatest experience of heaven: we will be clothed in a spiritual body. 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 give way to our status as sons and daughters of the infinite, and all our fears will disappear. 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 this life 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. One day when we finally inhabit our spiritual bodies, we will take on the image of the underlying soul. We will finally be clothed with a body that portrays our heart, and we will never die or deteriorate or feel pain or suffer again or even get tired. Thank you Jesus! See also: Resurrection (Spiritual body will take on the image of the underlying soul); 1Pet 1,21-25; 238c 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, such as longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. Normally, we are anxious because we have a lack of trust in God; anxiety is linked to fear and fear is the root of all sin, in that it cannot believe in 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 that we cannot pass, instead of preparing a blessing, and we fear He will make us go through hard times apart from any hope of promise. In contrast, the anxiety and the longing and the anticipation of receiving our resurrected body is based on faith, patience and the expectation of fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. 2Cor 5-3 (63f) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Sarcasm >> Minimize the truth to make a point – 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 a point. He was talking about the resurrected body; after stepping into it we will not be found naked, suggesting that we are currently naked underneath our clothes, naked before God as fallen creatures. The resurrected body is such that once we “put it on” we will no longer be naked before God, clothed even by His standards, which transcends all other coverings. God Himself will cover us, indicating that the animal God killed and used its hide to cover Adam and Eve was analogous to the resurrected body. A person can be scantily clad or dress for the Antarctic, and they are equally naked before God, but in our resurrected body 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 protect God’s throne from invasion, not that God needs the help, but that He 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 another layer of security, a visual for His loyal servants to give them confidence that they will never have reason to watch their backs, for 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 those who don't have permission will never see His glory. See also: Cherubim protect the saints; Rev 4,1-11; 28b 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 about God killing the beast and clothing Adam and Eve with its hide). We should consider this term "clothed" in at least two ways. Some people complain about multiple interpretations of the same Scripture, but it is essential to understand that Paul intended multiple meanings in many of his statements. Consider that our soul wants to be clothed with a body, in this case a spiritual body. Also, consider that we don't want to enter heaven in a naked body, but to be clothed when we get there with 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 in his life, 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, who 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 the Spirit through the blood of His 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 the pledge of our inheritance, indicating that there are 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 with Him. 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 that is either switched on or switched off at any given time, or like two people on a see-saw: one is inversely proportional to the other. 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 with no gray area (or purgatory). “To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord,” period. The on/off quality of this statement means we will be escorted into the presence of the Lord at the moment of our death. There is also the passage where Jesus proves to the Pharisees that the fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, do not exist in some dormant state, but they 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 waiting for the First Resurrection? If people who have died in Christ have been sleeping all these thousands of years, 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 this 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. As many transformations we will undergo between this life and the next, some things will remain the same, such as our heart. God has already instilled His word and His Spirit, giving us a desire to please Him, these being the most important aspects of heaven, so all we really need is a new body. A physical paradise would do us no good if we didn't have a heavenly body to enjoy it, and if paradise didn’t also exist in our heart we would feel out of place. If we died and went to heaven and were full of angst that never went away, heaven would not be very heavenly, like a person with a terminal disease on his deathbed who owned millions of dollars and couldn’t enjoy a nickel of it. Money is the world’s definition of paradise; if we had enough money, they say, life would become a paradise; we could live in a mansion, drive a fast car, attract beautiful women, afford a family of children and have it all, but if we were not healthy enough to enjoy it, paradise would slip through our fingers. The same is true about heaven; if an unsaved person suddenly found himself there, he would long for his old life back in the flesh, so he could do what he wanted, instead of living the way people do in heaven. It is even possible he would be happier in hell. Heaven is a place of worship, which is something the sinner’s rebellious nature would find odious. People in heaven have been given a Spirit that corresponds with their heavenly home, and their greatest joy is to worship God, 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 happiest when they act as they were designed, and that is the same with us. Unbelievers are happy in the flesh to rebel against God as sinners, but those who are born of God are happiest when they are serving Christ against the will of their flesh. They serve God in a body that hates Him, preferring that over obeying their flesh. (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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 5-10,11 (88g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Fearing God's judgment 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 >> 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 there will be a believers’ judgment, and God will repay us for our deeds in 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 wicked? 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. To the degree that we follow this trail is the degree to which we will be rewarded, but to the degree that we do not follow this designated trail is the degree that we will suffer loss. This concept is also stated in 1Cor 3,12-15, which refers to being saved as through fire. Each person has the choice of building his house from various materials, some fire proof: gold, silver, precious stones, and others combustible: wood, hay and straw. Depending on the quality of the building material is the successfulness of surviving God’s judgment, also symbolizing our 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 and the rewards we could have had, and then He will proceed to take many of them away, things we could have possessed in eternity but 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 hell but one that determines how well we experience heaven in eternity. Our rewards are not for us but for God, forever communicating to His creation that He 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 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 the Corinthian Church and explained to them his ministry in the world, reliving for them their experience of the gospel as seen through his 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 in their consciences. His hope when he preached the gospel to the Corinthians 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, following an inner light that shone on his hearers. He strove with all his heart to remove his flesh from the equation, 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 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 testifies 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 WEB / Navigation Bar 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 and on the same page with God, and they all commended themselves to those they served, giving them an answer who take pride in appearance and not in heart. In the same way, charlatans focus their attention on appearances, who also existed in Paul’s day, who had already begun to see a market in the gospel, dressing themselves to flatter their audience with all the outward trappings of success with the idea that if they listened to them, they could be successful too. On the contrary, the gospel is meant for anybody who would believe in Jesus from the heart, regardless of financial status, and appearance has nothing to do with it, otherwise the old and the ugly and the deformed would not be eligible for heaven. We only need a sincere faith in Jesus and a willingness to obey the truth, but to focus on appearances is to walk outside the realm of faith and into carnality and secularism, which is the mindset of the world. (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 (53m) Paradox >> Opposites >> God is made strong in our weakness – A person who is beside himself normally is crazy, 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 unbearable, so severe that he lost touch with himself, and when this happened, God could work His power into Paul's life. The Lord doesn't like to see us suffer, but when we are beside ourselves, we are completely dependent on Him. These are times when we are lost, battered, delivered to death, overcome with excessive sorrow, all our bones ache, our mind is unable to reason. 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, a new arrow in our quiver, a step higher in our ability to minister, so when we return to a sound mind, we can use His grace to help others. (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 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 WEB / Navigation Bar 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! Paul makes the point that Jesus died for us, therefore we have died with Him. We concede that Jesus represented us before the Father as our Great High Priest, but if Jesus represented us on the cross, then we should take up our cross and follow Him, not for salvation’s sake but for the sake of repentance and faith. The Church doesn’t like the word “repentance”; it has been all but truncated 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, so 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 mind and spiritual mind. Unfortunately, the Church is not interested in this; instead, we sacrifice the knowledge and wisdom of God in order to maintain our worldview in the flesh. Most Christians are unwilling to let go of the mindset of the world and rise above their secularism and adopt the mind of Christ if they must die to self, thinking the world offers more than Christ. Someone might say, ‘I thought it was a free gift.’ Yes, salvation is a free gift, but maturity is not, and if we stay babes in Christ, then how do we know we 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 currently working to gain supreme authority over man. 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 edict is so forthright that many people who don't believe in God think He is being trifle, for jealousy is normally considered a fault and a sign of weakness and immaturity, but God was saying that He is unwilling to share His glory with anyone. The world is temporary. There is a day when the world will come to an end; man’s reign on earth will cease, and 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 of creation will be subject to the Father’s supreme authority. He will then divvy out that authority to His creation to do His will, for He is Lord and Master of creation. 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 – Paul said, “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 the main reason 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 the sacrifice of pursuing spiritual maturity will be worth the effort, or we won't pursue it. Only a person who loves us would ask us to do something hard, and only a person who knows Jesus would pick up his cross and follow Him, but most people in the Church today don’t die to self for this very 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. 2Cor 5-15 (38c) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection overcomes death KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 5-16,17 (6i) Responsibility >> Ministering to people by being in the Spirit – In the Spirit we see things differently. Paul said he didn’t look at a man the same after his conversion, because he expected the way he lives to change. Paul planned for the person to obey God and knew a little about what God intended to create in him, being outlined in the Scriptures that reads the same for every person. That is, we don’t build a house in the path of an active glacier. Although we don’t see the glacier moving because it moves slowly, yet we know it will eventually reach our house, thus giving it an age limit. In the same way we must plan our lives around the way we expect God to change us in the future according to His word, and to not build things that will eventually get in the way of God's plan and ultimately need to be scrapped. (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; some let the seed grow by nurturing it, while others do not. One seed has spouted and is growing large branches while another is 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 >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> 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 to the next and shed this body, old things will have died, and new things have spouted. God expects us to begin this process of transformation now, living as new creatures, destined for life eternal, waiting patiently for a body that cannot sin. Old things have passed away and new things have come; therefore, we need to shed unbelief and the sins that go with it and put on a new life of righteousness and faith in the Holy Spirit, and begin living as we will in heaven and minimize the contrast between this life and the one to come. We don’t want to exploit the lustful desires of the flesh through an inflated ego and covetous materialism. All these things pertain to the poverty that dwells in us. God has called us to focus on His treasure that He entrusted to us, and share it with whomever will receive us. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 5,18-21 (31h) Gift of God >> Grace >> Salvation >> The ministry of reconciliation – Whatever God gives 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 through the evangelist. The last thing God wants is for us to become a Cul de Sac of His grace and mercy. (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. He 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 been ratified, 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 already arrived through the blood of Christ, who made propitiation for the sins of the world. Old covenant worshippers had to believe in a Messiah to come, whereas we new covenant worshippers believe in a Messiah that man has already seen and touched and heard, making faith that much easier for us, yet look at people today how hard it is for the world to believe in God. 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 fingerprint all over God’s creation, so that God’s fingerprint has been all but erased, or so it seems. Man has only managed to putter his contraptions around his own solar system, leaving the rest of the universe a testimony to God's power and greatness. It is impossible to erase what God has done. He has a whole universe proving His immensity that is on a scale infinitely higher than man. Therefore, man must answer to God. Christ is in us still reconciling the world to Himself, yet man’s pride has hardened his heart. Paul cries still harder, "We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." See also: Creation is evidence of God; Phi 3-20,21; 226d (32a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Grace >> God’s grace seeks man (32i) Gift of God >> Father will honor you if you die to self >> Father honors 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 – God reconciled us and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that others may be saved. Anyone who is born-again and a member of His True Church have been forgiven all their sins, and at the same time God calls them to become fellow workers with Him, that we should go into the world and preach the gospel of forgiveness, salvation and hope to those who are perishing. However, many Christians get saved and just wait to die so they can inherit eternal life and bypass the ministry and calling that God has for them. Instead, they live not much different than before they were saved, refusing to let God tell them what to do. This is simply not biblical. We are His hands and feet in the world; He cares about other people too, who would believe in Him if they heard the good news. There are many people who have never heard the gospel preached in truth and power. Most have heard bits and pieces of it, much of which was not accurate, so it is up to us to tell them the truth about God’s love for them, that they may believe in the gospel and become fellow workers with us. This is what the Bible teaches, but it is not how most people believe it. These things are conducted through an environment of prayer. We don’t just go and start preaching Jesus; rather, we immerse our ministry in prayer, not just that God would produce the fruit in our labors, also that He would change our thinking about His cause and purpose for our lives. (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) (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 (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. In a million years from now He won’t bring up something 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. Guilt and conviction are two different things. Guilt is the work of the devil, the accuser of the brethren, 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 others, and if a spirit continues to make us feel guilty, we should take it to prayer. 2Cor 5-20 (6k) Responsibility >> Protecting the Gospel >> Persuade men that Jesus is the Christ -- This verse goes with verse 11. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 possibly commit was accomplished by crucifying the Son of God. This one sin became the trash bin in which God would dump all other sins that man would commit, thus heaping them all on Jesus at the point of His death on the cross. Sin separates us from God and Jesus was separated from the Father, so the Father was also separated from the Son. Since both Father and Son are personages of the one and only God 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 at the same time that 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 whole 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 His Son 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 in order for God 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 became sin that we might obtain His righteousness – The only way to understand this verse is to take it literally; God has taken 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 Him. He was thus alienated from God, who placed all our sins on Christ at that moment, paying the full penalty for our offense. 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 our sake. This is the beauty and wonder of the cross: the moment of Christ’s condemnation was also the moment of Satan’s demise. God is 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 God's strength is greater than all the power of evil. Finally, in the book of Revelation we see a mighty angel throwing Satan 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 – God sent His Son to become the propitiation for our sins, and by this verse we know that Jesus literally became sin on the cross. At the pinnacle of the cross is the love of God; if He didn’t love us, we would be mere objects without meaning, hopeless and alone, but with His love we are alive and significant. If we applied importance to ourselves, we would still be lost and alone, and if God did not see value in us, our importance would die with us. As it is, God loves us, and we mean something to Him, so we would be wise to center our value system around His worthiness and dispose of our own self-worth. Many people wrestle with depression; they need a vision of God’s love. We can tell them about it, and they can believe it, but they still need a revelation of it before His 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 See next page