5:1-10 Paul contrasts our earthly bodies and our future resurrection bodies. Paul clearly states that our present bodies make us groan, but when we die we will not be spirits without bodies. We will have new bodies that will be perfect for our everlasting life.
Paul wrote as he did because the church at Corinth was surrounded by Greek culture, and many believers had difficulty with the concept of bodily resurrection because the Greeks did not believe in it. Most saw the afterlife as something that happened only to the soul, with the real person imprisoned in a physical body. They believed that at death the soul was released; there was no immortality for the body, and the soul enters an eternal state. But the Bible teaches that the body and soul are not permanently separated.
Paul describes our resurrected bodies in more detail in 1 Corinthians 15:46-58. We will still have personalities and recognizable characteristics in our resurrected bodies, but through Christ’s work, our bodies will be better than we can imagine. The Bible does not tell us everything about our resurrected bodies, but we know that they will be perfect, without sickness, disease, or pain (see Philippians 3:21; Revelation 21:4).
5:4 Paul’s knowledge that his dying body would be swallowed up by eternal life, is a universal hope. Human beings have an innate sense of transcendence and longing for ultimate reality experienced only in the eternal presence of God. This spiritual desire is addressed by every world religion and cult and (at least secretly) desired by every person. What occurrences in daily life can provide you an opportunity to witness God’s solution to this universal spiritual search? A baby’s birth, a parent’s death, or the death of a dream all can be springboards for sharing the hope you have in Christ. Spread the gospel!
5:5 The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of what will come. His work in our lives today assures us that the healing process will be thoroughly completed in Christ’s presence. Each time the Holy Spirit reminds you of Scripture, convicts you of sin, restrains you from selfish behavior, or prompts you to love, you have evidence that he is present. You have the Spirit within you beginning the transformation process. Whether you deal with aches and pains or even disabling limitations, trust God that his total renovation of your body and soul is in process.
5:6-8 Paul was not afraid to die because he was confident of spending eternity with Christ. Of course, facing the unknown may cause us anxiety, and leaving loved ones hurts deeply, but if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can share Paul’s hope and confidence of eternal life with Christ. Death is only a prelude to eternal life with God. We will continue to live. Let this hope give you confidence and inspire you to faithful service.
5:9, 10 While eternal life is a free gift given on the basis of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9), each of us will still be judged by Christ. He will reward us for how we have lived. God’s gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience. All Christians must give account on the day of judgment of how they have lived (see Matthew 16:27; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
5:11 “Knowing . . . the terror of the Lord” does not mean that believers become paralyzed. On the contrary, knowing God’s perfection and that he will judge everyone’s actions (5:10) should spur Christians to good deeds, to what pleases our God. The fear of the Lord also frees believers from all of life’s anxieties and worries. Knowing that God is “for us” (Romans 8:31) can keep believers unafraid of earthly powers—people, governments, or the forces of nature (Proverbs 3:25, 26). God takes care of his own. The fear of God gives us uncommon courage in the face of life’s troubles.
5:12 Those who “glory in appearance, and not in heart” are the false preachers (see 2:17), who were concerned only about getting ahead in this world. They were preaching the gospel for money and popularity, while Paul and his companions were preaching out of concern for eternity. You can identify false preachers by finding out what really motivates them. If they are more concerned about themselves than about Christ, avoid them and their message.
5:13-15 Everything that Paul and his companions did was to honor God. Not only did fear of God motivate them (5:11), but Christ’s love controlled their actions. The word for “constraineth” means “to hold fast.” In other words, the love of Christ was constraining them to certain courses of action. They knew that Jesus, out of his great love, had given up his life for their sakes. He had not acted out of his own self-interest, selfishly holding on to the glory of heaven that he already possessed (Philippians 2:6). Instead, Jesus had willingly “died for all.” Because Christ died for us, we also are dead to our old lives. Like Paul, we should no longer live to please ourselves; we should spend our lives pleasing Christ.
5:17 Christians are brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated—we are re-created (new creations), living in vital union with Christ (Colossians 2:6, 7). At conversion we do not merely turn over a new leaf; we begin a new life under a new Master.
While this newness is true individually, Paul is saying much more. Not only are believers changed from within, but a whole new order of creative energy began with Christ. There is a new covenant, a new perspective, a new body, a new church. All of creation is being renewed. So take notice. This is not a superficial change that will be quickly superseded by another novelty. This is an entirely new order of all creation under Christ’s authority. It requires a new way of looking at all people and all of creation. Does your life reflect this new perspective?
5:18, 19 God brings us back to himself (reconciles us) by blotting out our sins (see also Ephesians 2:13-18) and making us right with him. When we trust in Christ, we are no longer God’s enemies, or strangers, or foreigners to him. Because we have been reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same, and thus we are those who have the “ministry of reconciliation.”
5:20 An ambassador is an official representative of one country to another. As believers, we are Christ’s ambassadors, sent with his message of reconciliation to the world. An ambassador of reconciliation has an important responsibility. We dare not take this responsibility lightly. How well are you fulfilling your commission as Christ’s ambassador?
5:21 When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange: He takes our sin and makes us right with God. Our sin was laid on Christ at his crucifixion. His righteousness is given to us at our conversion. This is what Christians mean by Christ’s atonement for sin. In the world, bartering works only when two people exchange goods of relatively equal value. But God offers to trade his righteousness for our sin—something of immeasurable worth for something completely worthless. How grateful we should be for his kindness to us.