2 Corinthians 5 - How Can I Be Assured I Am Going to Heaven When I Die?

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Awaiting the New Body

Having just finished my mom's funeral this verse gives me great comfort. Paul continues his focus on the bodily resurrection of Christ, and our hope for a bodily resurrection. The other heresy in the Corinthian church was that Jesus only appeared to rise from the dead, but it was only spiritual in nature. 

The Greek philosophers thought that a bodiless spirit was the highest level of existence. They thought of the body as a prison for the soul, and saw no advantage in being resurrected in another body. - Guzik

Paul thinks of our bodies as tents – temporary structures that cannot be thought of as the whole person. If the tent is destroyed, we still have an eternal hope: a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.- Guzik

In the Old Testament when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness and God provided tabernacles in the desert for them to live in. The tabernacle was a dwelling place for God, which was replaced by the temple. 

So we long to go to heaven, but how do we know we are going to end up there. Verse 5 tells us. 

Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

This verse tells us two very important things. One, God created this desire in us to go to heaven when we die. God wants to spend eternity with us. There is a hole in our soul that can only be filled by God. But God also knew that we wanted to be assured that this was our destination, so he gave us His Holy Spirit. 

The Spirit reminds us of who we are and whose we are. The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are saved not because of the righteous things we have done but, because of Jesus' death on the cross. The word for "deposit" is also a translated "down payment".  The Holy Spirit is God's down payment on our future inheritance GUARANTEEING what is to come. We can be sure we are going to go to heaven because God said so. God does not go back on His promises. 

So while we live on this earth, we live in confidence knowing that our home is in heaven. We keep our eyes on Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father and has prepared a place for us. So while we don't get to heaven based on our good deeds Paul says, 

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 

When we know we are going to heaven pleasing God is motivated by gratitude for the grace he has given us. And then Paul adds something which can be misconstrued but is very important to remember. 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

You might say, "Wait a minute, are not we are saved by grace not works what is Paul saying here!" 

Just because we don't earn our salvation doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't promise rewards for faithfulness. Jesus talked several times about when we are faithful with what God has given us, we will be given more. We call this Stewardship. See Parable of the Talents. We also know that when we come into the Lord's presence, we will long to hear the words, 

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things."

We must live understanding that what we have done will be judged. It is possible to have a saved soul and a wasted life, and that will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. This should be an encouragement in our service to the Lord. Paul knows that the troubles of this life are worth it because he will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. - Guzik

Do you have confidence that when you die you will go to heaven? What do you base that confidence on? Do you look the Spirit for your assurance of salvation, or trying to do enough to merit God's approval. 

The Ministry of Reconciliation

The truth above is why Paul can so unabashedly preach the gospel. Though the Corinthians criticized him, Paul kept reminding them that it was not about him. Some people said Paul was out of his mind but he didn't care. He was happy to be called a "fool for Christ", if he might win one more person for Christ. 

This verse sums up Paul vision and direction for his ministry. 

 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. and he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Paul is motivated – even pushed on by – the love of Christ, that is, Jesus’ love towards him. Paul had to do what he did in ministry, because he received so much love from Jesus that it compelled him to serve others. - Guzik

Paul's whole ministry life and his mission to preach the Gospel to the whole world was motivated out of love for others. His love for others was fueled by God's love for him. You can't give away what you don't have. You can't preach the Good News unless you have received the Good News. As someone has said, "It is one beggar giving another beggar a piece of bread." 

This actually takes the pressure off of us and we don't have to try and be super religious or super spiritual. We are all the same. We have all sinned against the glory, but we have all been given the grace of God in Christ. 

Finally, Paul gives this promise. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 

Though we live in an old and decaying body, in Christ we are a new creation. We are born again, not of the flesh but of the Spirit. We have been reconciled to God. Reconciliation is an accounting term. To be reconciled to God means our accounts have been settled before God. Though we were in debt to God because of our sins, Jesus paid the price on the cross so that we could be set free. 

Someone has said, "Jesus paid a debt he didn't owe for we who owed a debt we couldn't pay." 

Though I am saddened by the loss of my mom, I know she has been clothed with a new heavenly body. She is literally a New Creation in Christ. She has a new body in heaven because of the bodily resurrection in Christ. If you heard the testimonies about her today at the funeral, you can be assured when she died and came into our Lord's presence she heard the words, "Well done good and faithful servant, come and enter Your master's rest!"