Bible Study 5: Living now and living then (2 Corinthians 5:1-15)
Introduction
It has been said that there is one thing that both non-Christians and Christians do not like about Christianity - evangelism or sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. Some Christians do not believe evangelism is for them. They see it as optional extra. Yet what was the first thing Jesus said to his first disciples? “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4v19)
Yet Christians just want to be keepers of the aquarium. Or, changing the picture, we just want to talk to other rabbits. But what was the last thing Jesus said to his disciples following his death and resurrection, in the same Gospel? Surely it was a call to share the gospel with a watching world.
This passage begins with Paul's candid description of the experience of life in our world. Paul refers to our temporary bodies as "tents," implying that they are not meant to last. During our earthly life, we withstand suffering and long for our permanent home with God and our eternal, freed bodies. For believers in Jesus, Paul describes death as the transition where mortality is overcome by life. God has prepared eternal bodies for all who are in Christ and has given them the Holy Spirit as a down payment of what will be received after death (v1–5).
Paul acknowledges his readiness to be at home with the Lord, free from his earthly body. However, Paul is not suicidal. No, he recognizes the greater glory of that experience. In the meantime, this knowledge gives Paul the courage to take risks for the mission God has entrusted to him. He walks by faith knowing his future is secure, rather than according to the physical reality seen by his eyes. This makes Paul's goal clear; he wants to please God as long as he lives. He is motivated in part by an understanding that Christians will be judged by Christ. This judgment will not determine their eternal destiny but will impact the rewards for their earthly actions, whether good or bad. (v6–10).
In this final part, Paul then focuses once again on the Corinthians. Given this truth, he writes that he and his co-workers remain driven to persuade others to believe the gospel. Paul contends that God knows his intentions are pure and hopes the Corinthians who know him are convinced as well. This knowledge should empower them to defend Paul against critics who judge him based on outward appearances. Some may have questioned Paul's mental health because he continued to preach the gospel despite persistent suffering. Paul emphasizes that he is compelled by Christ's love to continue proclaiming that Christ died for all, enabling others to live for Christ (v11–15).
Paul concludes by telling us that anyone who is in Christ becomes like Christ. That person is a new creation. The old version of who they were is gone, replaced by the new Christlike version.
A vicar once received a letter from a little girl named Susie, saying she hoped to go to heaven someday, but not soon. This sentiment is common; most people want to go to Heaven later rather than sooner. However, Paul thought differently; he hoped to get there sooner rather than later.
The Aims of the Chapter
To understand Paul's hope during suffering
To learn what inspired Paul as a minister
To value the gospel as a ministry of bringing others together.
Bible Study Questions
Breaking the Ice: Some things we anticipate in excitement, such as a birthday, and others with dread, like a visit to the dentist. What are you excited about facing and what are you anxious about experiencing?
Q1. How does Paul describe our earthly and heavenly bodies? What does Paul mean by the “tent that is our earthly home” and a “building from God . . . eternal in the heavens” (v1). Why might Paul have used this comparison? What 21st-century picture might be used today?
Q2. The Bible teaches that believers who die today exist in the intermediate state, living as disembodied spirits in the presence of God in heaven. But this is not our final state. Our final, permanent state after Jesus returns to earth will be an embodied physical existence with eternal bodies. How does Paul speak of the intermediate state in v2–4& 8? What does he consider to be the best state of existence?
Q3. In v5 Paul says the Spirit is a downpayment. What is the consequence of the Spirit as our down payment or first instalment? (See Eph 1:14) What is Paul saying?
Q4. How does Christ’s love shape us in our actions and attitudes v5?
Q5. What are the everyday outcomes that Paul sees in v6–7 as the result of the promise of future resurrection?
Q6. How and in what ways can we live today in 2025 to please the Lord? V8,9
Q7. Looking at v10, why is it important to realize and know that we will be judged by God (See Matthew 25v14-30)? What difference should this make to how we spend our time and resources?
Q8. Acts 2:40 it says that Peter pleaded with people to save themselves from this sinful generation. Pleading implies passion. What does Paul show us in v11-12 about how evangelism is a combination of both reason and passion?
Q9. Look at v14-15 and how would you put this in your own words? Does this description of the Christian life match the way you normally think of life in Christ?
Q10. What is a big takeaway from these Bible studies in 2 Corinthians for you to act on?