2 Corinthians 5:1-8 KJV: The Promise of Eternal Glory
The Old Tabernacle vs. The New Heaven
In 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, the Apostle Paul writes about the contrast between the earthly body and the heavenly dwelling place that awaits believers in Christ. This passage is a beautiful description of the Christian's hope and the promise of eternal glory.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1 KJV)
Paul begins by saying that we know that our earthly bodies (the "tabernacle") are temporary and will one day be dissolved. However, we also know that we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling place in heaven that is not made by human hands.
Longing to be Clothed with Our Heavenly Body
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (2 Corinthians 5:2 KJV)
Paul expresses the deep longing of the Christian's heart to be clothed with our heavenly body. We groan, or sigh, because we are not yet in the presence of the Lord, and our earthly bodies are subject to sin and suffering.
Mortality Swallowed Up by Life
If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. (2 Corinthians 5:3 KJV)
The Greek word for "naked" here implies not only physical nakedness but also spiritual vulnerability. Paul is saying that when we put on our heavenly body, we will not be found spiritually naked or vulnerable.
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (2 Corinthians 5:4 KJV)
We groan because we are burdened with our earthly bodies, but we don't want to be unclothed (i.e., die) without having received our heavenly body. Instead, we want to be clothed with our heavenly body so that mortality might be swallowed up by life.
Confidence in the Promise
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:5 KJV)
Paul expresses his confidence in the promise of eternal life because he knows that God, who has prepared us for this very thing, has also given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee or earnest of our inheritance.
Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (2 Corinthians 5:6 KJV)
As long as we are in our earthly bodies, we are absent from the Lord's presence. However, we are confident that when we leave our earthly bodies, we will be present with the Lord.
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:7-8 KJV)
We live by faith, not by what we see, and we are willing to leave our earthly bodies behind in order to be present with the Lord.
In conclusion, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 is a powerful reminder of the Christian's hope and the promise of eternal glory. We long to be clothed with our heavenly body, and we are confident that when we leave our earthly bodies, we will be present with the Lord.
