1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
Commentary
Vs. 1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
The Apostle Paul now personalizes not only his own plight, but every believers, as we live in a hostile world in a temporary earthly body, while awaiting our Resurrection bodies and our glorious eternity with Christ in the Kingdom of God. And so knowing our Resurrection future with Christ; where we will have far more exceedingly beautiful and glorious bodies than we ever bore down here; Paul now uses metaphors, specifically of a tent, to describe this temporary dwelling that is our mortal life and bodies down here. And so it is even if our mortal bodies are destroyed; our persons and our standing with Christ is not, nor can we be; for as the Apostle Paul states here, "we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Thus in the midst of the Apostle's great trials and tribulations he is accessing both his, and our own glorious future, which is not just a place with Christ, but it is a quality of person and life that will be enjoyed by us all there. For there will be no suffering, no decay, no death of our bodies and persons to endure there (see Rev. 21:4). For God has not only prepared a place for us who believe in Christ as Lord (John 14:2-3), but He will also give us a Resurrection body that will be unique to each one of us, and yet will also reflect the glorious Resurrection body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so it is that since Christ's Resurrection body will never be subject to death, neither than will any of ours ever be again.
Vs. 2-3 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.
Therefore in light of our glorious future with Christ, the Apostle Paul does not long for his life down here, though we can certainly have enjoyment and pleasure in our lives down here, enjoyment of our our lives down here is neither our purpose, nor our hope, nor our finial destiny (consider Matt. 10:38-39). Now this desire for our heavenly habitation often grows as we age, and as we experience the many trials and tribulations, rejection and hatred, that we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ must all pass through in this life as we journey homeward (consider John 15:18; Acts 14:22; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 John 3:13-15). Therefore in light of his present sufferings, and the glorious future that awaits us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul does not long for his life down here. Instead he (and those with him) greatly longs to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. For now we only have this temporary body, that is born in sin, and is only subject to decay and death; which not only marks and mares our mortal bodies down here, but also this life, and sadly this world. While up there in the Kingdom of heaven there will not be seen, nor experienced any of the deperations and despair, the injustices and evil, that so often marks and mares this life for so many in this fallen world. And so it is up there we will all have a glorious body, that is neither subject to sin or death; that is not subject to sickness, disease, nor death. Neither we will ever again suffer cold or hunger, heat or thirst, hatred, persecution, rejection or injustice. For in the Kingdom of heaven our persons and bodies will not only be nurtured by the hand of God, but there we will all experience the healing that the Gospel so readily reveals Jesus Christ as our Great Physician doing. And so in the Kingdom of heaven our persons and bodies we will no longer bear any of the scars and wounds; the deformities and disabilities (both physical and psychological); the pain and suffering and ailments and aging that now mare our persons and bodies, and often mark this life's journey for so many of us.
Now the Apostle Paul statement that says of this desire of being clothed with his heavenly habitation, if having been clothed, we shall not be found naked (vs. 3). Which the Apostle Paul is saying to warn those amongst the Corinthians (most likely his own detractors) or anyone else who professes faith in Christ and yet has not yet been reconciled back to God; and thus it is stated so that those who do so do not deceive themselves into thinking that they will be there without first coming to genuine repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (in regards to this consider Jesus' own language and metaphors in Rev 3:18-20). For you can do all things that Christians are commanded to do and speak, and yet never come to the place of seeing your own need for Christ to personally come into your own heart and life, to not only save you from your own sins and transgressions, (and thus bring you into a personal relationship with God), but also too transform your person and life by His Spirit indwelling you here and now, which is the prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of heaven, and God giving you a eternal home and heavenly body with Christ there. Therefore the Apostle Paul by saying as much is warning us all to make sure that we have done as Jesus says for us all to do in Rev 3:18 and that is to buy from Him the silver and gold that does not perish, and get garments from Him so that we are not found naked on the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ. For too trust in ones own self and righteousness down here will only end in eternal nakedness and poverty and ruin there. Therefore be zealous and repent and invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life as He says for us all to do here and now and thus receive Him now as Lord and Savior so that He might receive you there as His own child (John 1:12). "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20
Vs. 4 "For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life."
And so it is the Apostle Paul does not long for death, he longs for the day when this mortal body and this life will be swallowed up by life, that is eternal life in the Kingdom of heaven with Christ.
Vs. 5 "Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."
The Holy Spirit is the Person of God who not only transforms our persons and lives through His regeneration of our persons down here (see Titus 3:4-7), but He is the Person of God who seals us for the Day of Redemption (Eph. 4:30), and thus as the Apostle Paul says of Him here, He is the Person and indwelling Presence of God in our persons as the guarantee from God to us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have not only been reconciled back to God (and thus are now His children) but we will forever remain His child and be forever with Christ in the Kingdom of heaven. No Christian anywhere then should ever fear being rejected by God at the Judgment seat of Christ because we have been given by God the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our redemption.
Vs. 6 "So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord."
And so it is, because we have the Holy Spirit in us as God's guarantee to us, that we are His redeemed children and people, we can all be confident while at home in the body here and now because of our assured futures with Christ in the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore our being at "home" here in the body, and absent from the Lord, obviously does not mean that this earthly body is our finial home. Nor does our currently being absent from the Lord mean that we are without His continuous Presence and Help while we are at home in this earthly body. It means though we have not yet come to the state and place where He currently is; where He resides at the right hand of the Father waiting till all His enemies are made His footstool; we can all be confident about our finial dwelling place with Christ Himself.
Vs. 7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
And so it is all that we have and are, and are going to be, can only be seen by faith. Yet for those who walk by sight, all that they have, and will be, is only what they can now see, and thus the diminsihing returns of this perishable life.
Vs. 8 "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."
The Apostle Paul now concludes verse six's thought by again saying that we are confident; that is confident about our standing and future with the Lord; and thus well pleased to be absent from this body and to be present with the Lord.
Now the Apostle Paul statement that says of this desire of being clothed with his heavenly habitation, if having been clothed, we shall not be found naked (vs. 3). Which the Apostle Paul is saying to warn those amongst the Corinthians (most likely his own detractors) or anyone else who professes faith in Christ and yet has not yet been reconciled back to God; and thus it is stated so that those who do so do not deceive themselves into thinking that they will be there without first coming to genuine repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (in regards to this consider Jesus' own language and metaphors in Rev 3:18-20). For you can do all things that Christians are commanded to do and speak, and yet never come to the place of seeing your own need for Christ to personally come into your own heart and life, to not only save you from your own sins and transgressions, (and thus bring you into a personal relationship with God), but also too transform your person and life by His Spirit indwelling you here and now, which is the prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of heaven, and God giving you a eternal home and heavenly body with Christ there. Therefore the Apostle Paul by saying as much is warning us all to make sure that we have done as Jesus says for us all to do in Rev 3:18 and that is to buy from Him the silver and gold that does not perish, and get garments from Him so that we are not found naked on the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ. For too trust in ones own self and righteousness down here will only end in eternal nakedness and poverty and ruin there. Therefore be zealous and repent and invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life as He says for us all to do here and now and thus receive Him now as Lord and Savior so that He might receive you there as His own child (John 1:12). "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20
Vs. 4 "For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life."
And so it is the Apostle Paul does not long for death, he longs for the day when this mortal body and this life will be swallowed up by life, that is eternal life in the Kingdom of heaven with Christ.
Vs. 5 "Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."
The Holy Spirit is the Person of God who not only transforms our persons and lives through His regeneration of our persons down here (see Titus 3:4-7), but He is the Person of God who seals us for the Day of Redemption (Eph. 4:30), and thus as the Apostle Paul says of Him here, He is the Person and indwelling Presence of God in our persons as the guarantee from God to us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have not only been reconciled back to God (and thus are now His children) but we will forever remain His child and be forever with Christ in the Kingdom of heaven. No Christian anywhere then should ever fear being rejected by God at the Judgment seat of Christ because we have been given by God the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our redemption.
Vs. 6 "So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord."
And so it is, because we have the Holy Spirit in us as God's guarantee to us, that we are His redeemed children and people, we can all be confident while at home in the body here and now because of our assured futures with Christ in the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore our being at "home" here in the body, and absent from the Lord, obviously does not mean that this earthly body is our finial home. Nor does our currently being absent from the Lord mean that we are without His continuous Presence and Help while we are at home in this earthly body. It means though we have not yet come to the state and place where He currently is; where He resides at the right hand of the Father waiting till all His enemies are made His footstool; we can all be confident about our finial dwelling place with Christ Himself.
Vs. 7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
And so it is all that we have and are, and are going to be, can only be seen by faith. Yet for those who walk by sight, all that they have, and will be, is only what they can now see, and thus the diminsihing returns of this perishable life.
Vs. 8 "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."
The Apostle Paul now concludes verse six's thought by again saying that we are confident; that is confident about our standing and future with the Lord; and thus well pleased to be absent from this body and to be present with the Lord.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. (1982). (2 Co 4:16–18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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