• Here are some tools to help you with the devotionals:
  • A Guide to Journaling & Prayer
  • A Guide to Self-Reflection
  • A Chart to help articulate feelings

vv.1-4  “In 5:2, Paul’s confidence in God’s future provision (4:13–5:1) causes him, like all believers, to ‘groan’ in the midst of his present suffering as he longs to inherit the glory God has in store for him in Christ—that is, ‘to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling’ (see Rom. 8:22–25).  Hence, the ‘building from heaven’ that is the object of Paul’s longing in 5:2 is the same ‘building from God’ referred to in 5:1, namely, resurrection life in the eternal age to come.

“Paul’s point is that the groaning of anticipation that comes from this longing is itself evidence that God has promised believers more to come than the moaning of suffering and death.”[1]

vv.6-9 “Verses 8–9 restate verses 6–7, unpacking the implications of what it means to know that one is still ‘away from the Lord’ and of what living by faith looks like. In regard to the former, viewing the present from the perspective of the future means that our values and desires are radically altered. Instead of desiring a prolonged life on earth, we prefer to be ‘at home with the Lord’ (cf. Phil. 1:23). Concerning the latter, living by faith is being confident that the eternal glory of ‘what is unseen’ is certain and secure for believers and that it ‘far outweighs’ any suffering of this world (4:17–18), so that the believer would trade this world for the world to come in a moment (5:8). Hence, to live by faith also means that, ‘whether we are at home in the body or away from it’—that is, whether we live or die—we aim to please the Lord, not ourselves (5:9; cf. 5:15; Phil. 3:1–13; cf. Rom. 12:1–2; 14:17–18; Eph. 5:10; Phil. 4:18; Col. 3:20).”[2]

vv.6-10 “Paul’s declarations of his confidence for the future, of his ambition in the present, and of Christ’s role as universal judge are as significant today as they were in the materialistic and pluralistic world of the first century. In view of our culture’s belief in some kind of universal spiritual future for all humankind, combined with a growing New Age emphasis on reincarnation, the challenge of pluralism, and the lack of consistent teaching in many churches, we must once again stake out four important boundary markers of a distinctively Christian worldview:

There is a universal judgment to come, not just for some people, but for all, including Christians.

Christ alone is the One who judges.

Only those who have experienced the mercy and power of God in Christ can have confidence as they anticipate this coming day of reckoning.

The only basis of confidence on the Judgment Day is the good deeds that constitute living by faith.

“These points need to be driven home in a culture in which 85 percent of Americans consider themselves to be Christian, even though half of all adults believe you can lead a full and satisfying life without spirituality of any kind.”[3]

v.13  “More than once Paul was thought to be crazy (Acts 26:24).  He was suffering the same misunderstanding as Jesus suffered (Mark 3:21).  The real enthusiast always runs the risk of seeming crazy to lukewarm people.”[4]

5:16-17  “Paul’s statement in 5:16a most likely refers back to the practice of his opponents, who continue to criticize Paul’s ministry because of its lack of worldly status due to his suffering and apparent lack of spiritual power (cf. 10:1–6, 10). Paul understands this way of thinking, since he himself ‘once regarded Christ in this way’ (i.e., ‘according to the flesh’). Apart from the resurrection, Jesus’ death on the cross could only mean that he had been cursed by God for his own sin (cf. Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13).” [5]

[1] Hafemann, Scott J. ‘Original Meaning’ In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: 2 Corinthians. By Scott J. Hafemann, 209. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.

[2] Hafemann, Scott J. ‘Contemporary Significance’ In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: 2 Corinthians. By Scott J. Hafemann, 227. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.

[3] Hafemann, Scott J. ‘Contemporary Significance’ In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: 2 Corinthians. By Scott J. Hafemann, 227. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.

[4] William Barclay, The Daily Bible Series (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press 1956)

[5] Hafemann, Scott J. ‘The Consequences of Paul’s Ministry (5:16 – 6:2)’ In NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: 2 Corinthians. By Scott J. Hafemann, 242. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 2000.

Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (ESV)

¹ For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home 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 put on our heavenly dwelling, ³ if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would 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.

Reflection & Application   

2 Corinthians 5:1-5

• Reflect on the imagery of the tent as our body or ”earthly home,” and the expression “what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
• Write out a prayer of thanksgiving for the promise of “our heavenly dwelling” and for the assurance provided in v. 5.