For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. - Philippians 3:20-21
I hope that you and your family had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year celebration. Now that the holidays have passed us and we’ve begun to settle into 2024, we will resume our sermon series titled, “The Messed Up Church: Paul’s Letters to Corinth”. We will be in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 this morning.
As you may recall, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church to express his delight in the news that they have, for the most part, repented and turned from their season of apostasy back to the Lord. He is also vigorously defending his ministry and personal integrity from those who still have their doubts. Along the way, Paul seamlessly sprinkles in some theology and teaching as well.
This morning’s message is called, “Temporal and Eternal Bodies”. This is an issue Paul addresses in several of his letters, not just in Corinthians. We will be contrasting our present bodies and our future bodies.
I. TENTS OR HOUSES (2 Cor. 5:1-5)
Paul wrote that our physical, human bodies are like earthy tents that can, and someday will be, torn down. However, as Christians, we will receive new bodies which are like buildings from God, not made by human hands, that are eternal and will never be destroyed. In other words, our present bodies of flesh are temporary and susceptible to destruction, while our future bodies will be permanent and not subject to destruction.
We as Christians will be clothed with these eternal bodies, referred to purposely as houses rather than tents, when we dwell in heaven. In the meantime, while living in these earthly bodies, it is though we are naked. We are always exposed to and burdened by the damaging consequences of sin. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, this nakedness brings about shame and reproach. This being the case, Paul stated that he groaned for and longed to be clothed in his heavenly, sinless body rather than being unclothed in his earthly, fallen one.
Paul explained that, when we receive our eternal bodies, that which is mortal will be swallowed up in life. Scripture teaches that in heaven, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Our bodies will not age, ache, hurt, or grow weary. They will be spiritual bodies, imperishable, undefiled, and incorruptible, that are fitted for eternity.
God has prepared His children for this very purpose, to be clothed with these eternal bodies after our mortal bodies are torn down. In the meantime, He has given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge or guarantee of this glorious transition to come. All Christians, who have trusted in Jesus for the salvation of their souls, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of their salvation until their earthly bodies are destroyed. There will be no need for Him to continue indwelling our eternal bodies, as we will already be present with God in heaven.
II. AT HOME OR ABSENT (2 Cor. 5:6-8)
Having the promise of these future bodies in heaven, Paul told the Corinthians to be encouraged. He wrote that while we are at home in these earthly bodies we are absent from the Lord. In this condition, we must walk by faith and not by sight because we are not physically able to see Him yet. However, we can trust in His word and converse with Him in prayer, walking confidently in faith, until the day we behold Him face to face.
That said, Paul added that he and his colleagues were of good courage. In fact, he wrote that they would prefer being absent from their earthly bodies and being at home with the Lord. To be clear, Paul wasn’t being morbid or wishing for his own death, but rather was simply pointing out the obvious truth - being in heaven in the manifest presence of Jesus is exceedingly better than being here on earth apart from His manifest presence. For that reason, we as Christian should not fear physical death - because when we leave this life, we go to see Jesus!
Notice that Paul specifies only 2 realms of existence for Christians. They are either at home in the body and absent from the Lord or absent from the body and at home with the Lord. There is no in-between or intermediate step. There is no heavenly waiting room or lobby. When a Christian dies they go immediately into the presence of God in heaven. This is the clear and repeated teaching of scripture, in this passage and elsewhere. The doctrine of Purgatory is not found anywhere in the Bible and such a place does not exist.
III. GOOD OR BAD (2 Cor. 5:9-10)
In light of these wonderful truths, Paul expressed the shared ambition of he and his friends. Their joint desire was to be pleasing to God, whether at home in the body or absent from it. In other words, they sought to honor and faithfully obey God in both life and death. Friends, this should be our ambition too.
Paul declared that all Christians will someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be recompensed for all the deeds they've done while in their earthly bodies - whether good or bad. In theology, we refer to this as the Bema Seat Judgment. It is exclusively for Christians, as the unrighteous will be judged separately at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15). The primary purpose of this judgment is to bestow rewards, or crowns, to those believers who have served the Lord well.
CONCLUSION
The physical bodies we live in right now will someday be replaced by new, spiritual bodies. Theologians refer to this coming change as glorification. It is the final, climactic step in the process of redemption. Our present bodies are corrupted by sin and possess a carnal, sinful nature. Our new bodies will be pure, righteous, and conformed to the image of Christ. They will not be tainted by nor inclined to sin. They will be holy and undefiled, thereby allowing us to abide forever in the physical presence of God.
That said, we will still be human beings - not angels. Our glorified bodies will be like that of Jesus after He rose from the grave, but before He ascended into heaven. They will have remarkable qualities that are vastly superior to our current bodies. They will have spiritual attributes, yet still be physical, tangible, and able to touch. Each of us will still be the same person we are now and will retain our own individual identity. We will be restored, like Adam and Eve before the fall.
In closing, this glorious promise is for Christians only. It does not apply to those who reject Jesus. Scripture teaches that the lost will suffer pain and torment in hell. Their eternal bodies will be fashioned to feel and endure endless condemnation. No thank you! I will cling to Christ and the hope of a heavenly building to replace this tattered tent of mine. I’m ready for an upgrade!
I hope that you and your family had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year celebration. Now that the holidays have passed us and we’ve begun to settle into 2024, we will resume our sermon series titled, “The Messed Up Church: Paul’s Letters to Corinth”. We will be in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 this morning.
As you may recall, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church to express his delight in the news that they have, for the most part, repented and turned from their season of apostasy back to the Lord. He is also vigorously defending his ministry and personal integrity from those who still have their doubts. Along the way, Paul seamlessly sprinkles in some theology and teaching as well.
This morning’s message is called, “Temporal and Eternal Bodies”. This is an issue Paul addresses in several of his letters, not just in Corinthians. We will be contrasting our present bodies and our future bodies.
I. TENTS OR HOUSES (2 Cor. 5:1-5)
Paul wrote that our physical, human bodies are like earthy tents that can, and someday will be, torn down. However, as Christians, we will receive new bodies which are like buildings from God, not made by human hands, that are eternal and will never be destroyed. In other words, our present bodies of flesh are temporary and susceptible to destruction, while our future bodies will be permanent and not subject to destruction.
We as Christians will be clothed with these eternal bodies, referred to purposely as houses rather than tents, when we dwell in heaven. In the meantime, while living in these earthly bodies, it is though we are naked. We are always exposed to and burdened by the damaging consequences of sin. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, this nakedness brings about shame and reproach. This being the case, Paul stated that he groaned for and longed to be clothed in his heavenly, sinless body rather than being unclothed in his earthly, fallen one.
Paul explained that, when we receive our eternal bodies, that which is mortal will be swallowed up in life. Scripture teaches that in heaven, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Our bodies will not age, ache, hurt, or grow weary. They will be spiritual bodies, imperishable, undefiled, and incorruptible, that are fitted for eternity.
God has prepared His children for this very purpose, to be clothed with these eternal bodies after our mortal bodies are torn down. In the meantime, He has given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge or guarantee of this glorious transition to come. All Christians, who have trusted in Jesus for the salvation of their souls, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of their salvation until their earthly bodies are destroyed. There will be no need for Him to continue indwelling our eternal bodies, as we will already be present with God in heaven.
II. AT HOME OR ABSENT (2 Cor. 5:6-8)
Having the promise of these future bodies in heaven, Paul told the Corinthians to be encouraged. He wrote that while we are at home in these earthly bodies we are absent from the Lord. In this condition, we must walk by faith and not by sight because we are not physically able to see Him yet. However, we can trust in His word and converse with Him in prayer, walking confidently in faith, until the day we behold Him face to face.
That said, Paul added that he and his colleagues were of good courage. In fact, he wrote that they would prefer being absent from their earthly bodies and being at home with the Lord. To be clear, Paul wasn’t being morbid or wishing for his own death, but rather was simply pointing out the obvious truth - being in heaven in the manifest presence of Jesus is exceedingly better than being here on earth apart from His manifest presence. For that reason, we as Christian should not fear physical death - because when we leave this life, we go to see Jesus!
Notice that Paul specifies only 2 realms of existence for Christians. They are either at home in the body and absent from the Lord or absent from the body and at home with the Lord. There is no in-between or intermediate step. There is no heavenly waiting room or lobby. When a Christian dies they go immediately into the presence of God in heaven. This is the clear and repeated teaching of scripture, in this passage and elsewhere. The doctrine of Purgatory is not found anywhere in the Bible and such a place does not exist.
III. GOOD OR BAD (2 Cor. 5:9-10)
In light of these wonderful truths, Paul expressed the shared ambition of he and his friends. Their joint desire was to be pleasing to God, whether at home in the body or absent from it. In other words, they sought to honor and faithfully obey God in both life and death. Friends, this should be our ambition too.
Paul declared that all Christians will someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be recompensed for all the deeds they've done while in their earthly bodies - whether good or bad. In theology, we refer to this as the Bema Seat Judgment. It is exclusively for Christians, as the unrighteous will be judged separately at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15). The primary purpose of this judgment is to bestow rewards, or crowns, to those believers who have served the Lord well.
CONCLUSION
The physical bodies we live in right now will someday be replaced by new, spiritual bodies. Theologians refer to this coming change as glorification. It is the final, climactic step in the process of redemption. Our present bodies are corrupted by sin and possess a carnal, sinful nature. Our new bodies will be pure, righteous, and conformed to the image of Christ. They will not be tainted by nor inclined to sin. They will be holy and undefiled, thereby allowing us to abide forever in the physical presence of God.
That said, we will still be human beings - not angels. Our glorified bodies will be like that of Jesus after He rose from the grave, but before He ascended into heaven. They will have remarkable qualities that are vastly superior to our current bodies. They will have spiritual attributes, yet still be physical, tangible, and able to touch. Each of us will still be the same person we are now and will retain our own individual identity. We will be restored, like Adam and Eve before the fall.
In closing, this glorious promise is for Christians only. It does not apply to those who reject Jesus. Scripture teaches that the lost will suffer pain and torment in hell. Their eternal bodies will be fashioned to feel and endure endless condemnation. No thank you! I will cling to Christ and the hope of a heavenly building to replace this tattered tent of mine. I’m ready for an upgrade!