Not A Poster Person [2 Corinthians 5]

6Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-- 7for we walk by faith, not by sight-- 8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.

2 Corinthians 5 contains so many profound things, that I hesitate to hone in on any at the exclusion of the rest! I hope and pray that you will spend time reading and rereading this passage today and in the years to come in the context of the entire book of 2 Corinthians. Both Verna and I have been deeply blessed as we invite God to write this blog through us because we get to spend more time than usual praying and pondering each chapter.

After praying, reading and thinking, there are a couple of reasons I chose to focus on verses 6-12. The word "therefore" is repeated three times in these 7 verses. When we see a "therefore" in scripture, we should look to see what the therefore is there for because that word is always followed by some sort of summing up or conclusion from what was previously written. In verses 1-5, Paul explained that our earthly bodies are just a temporary home, much like a tent, while we are alive on earth. God is preparing eternal bodies or permanent homes for us. I hope your response is something like..."How cool is that!" to this information whether it is the first time you have read it or the 20th time. We don't have to worry so much about these tents that are going to be discarded. Obviously, since we have to live in them for the duration of this life, it would be prudent to take care of them, but not to be so invested in them that we miss the eternal view of things.

The eternal is what we live for as Christians and it is better to be out of this earthly body and be present with the Lord, but while we are in these temporary tents, Paul concludes in the verses above that there are some things to keep in mind. First, he says, "walk by faith and not by sight." That means, my focus needs to be on God and not on anything else as I figure out what to do each day and all day. Unfortunately, I wake up in the morning with my focus on me and what I want and even after my reading and prayer time, my focus gets back on me all throughout the day. However, as I invite God to cause me to look at Him more, He is growing me in walking by faith and not sight. Often, this is a woefully slow process, but never never never never never NEVER never give up!!!! You will be tempted to quit this impossible journey of faith, but remember, that when you are tired, it is because you are doing it in your own strength and need only to ask God to keep you going. He is the God of the impossible!

The second "therefore" brings to light a strong motivation for keeping going on this God journey and that is for the reward. As believers, we are already judged as far as sin and salvation goes, but there is another judgment concerning how we lived this earthly tent life. Did we live it focused on ourselves doing what we wanted, or did we focus on God and what He wanted? We will receive rewards for doing God's work in His strength or grace. All of the things that we have done in our own initiative and own strength will not result in reward.

In the final "therefore" we have an answer for the Poster Person, Christian or not, who takes pride in their appearance of good and fail to pass the heart test. It is natural and often easy to act good or Christian in our normal everyday circumstances as we stuff our true feelings and tell ourselves "I shouldn't do that or think that way because I am a good Christian" not realizing that this sort of lifestyle is not walking by faith, but walking in the flesh. Paul explained in verses 11 and 12 that it is our responsibility to persuade men concerning Christ and the eternal home and to show them the difference between being a Poster Person and being a true believer from the heart of God and not of appearance.

Father, thank you for preparing our eternal home, for your Spirit that lives in us and for the gospel of Jesus so clearly given in 2 Corinthians 5. You, alone are our strength and wisdom to live well so as to receive Your reward. Cause us to live well by Your grace from the heart and not from appearance.

Beth Warlick, 6/22/2009