Scripture
New Bodies
1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.[1] 4While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
We Are God’s Ambassadors
11Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,[2] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[3] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.[4] 15He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[5] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Translation notes (5)
- 5:3 Greek we will not be naked.
- 5:12 Some manuscripts read proud of yourselves.
- 5:14a Or urges us on.
- 5:14b Greek Since one died for all, then all died.
- 5:21 Or to become sin itself.
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
Conflict is bound to occur in relationships. When we live life closely alongside others, we are bound to have disagreements and frustrations. While most of us would likely say that we do not like conflict, as followers of Christ, Scripture calls us to be people who navigate conflict well. We are called to be about the ministry of reconciliation.
The apostle Paul encouraged believers to focus on reconciliation and restoration in 2 Corinthians 5. He explained in this chapter that Christ came to reconcile people back to God. Jesus' reconciliation means we can have new life in Him if we place our faith in Him (verse 15). Paul did not stop there, however. He continued explaining that reconciled people reconcile people. He wrote, "God has given us this task of reconciliation" (verse 18). We get to encourage people to turn back to God. We get to share with them the message that God allows everyone to turn back to Him. We can also work toward reconciling our relationships with the people around us. We can have needed conversations and quickly offer love and forgiveness instead of bitterness and anger. As we do this, we model God's love.
Friend, you and I have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. How are we carrying it out? Are we, most importantly, pointing people to Christ? Are we sharing with them that Christ wants to reconcile humanity back to Him? Are we also quick to seek reconciliation in our struggling relationships, offering peace instead of fueling the fire of conflict? Let's be people who are known for our reconciliation.
Moving toward action
Memorize 2 Corinthians 5:18. Let this verse remind you that we are called to reconcile people first to God and second to each other. Let this verse guide you as the conflict occurs so that you can honor God as you navigate the conflict you face.
Going Deeper
2 Corinthians 5:1-21 (NLT)
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