2 Corinthians 5 - Are You Ready for Judgment Day?

2 Corinthians 5 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 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.

Paul describes our earthly body as an earthly tent. It is temporary. It provides a place of shelter. Like a regular tent it gets torn and tattered and eventually needs to be replaced. But our heavenly tent, which he also calls our "heavenly home", is our permanent and eternal dwelling place.  Though there are many great things about our earthly home, our heavenly home will be much better. Paul says that we groan now and desire to be in heaven not only because it is eternal, but most importantly because the Lord is there. 

Although are many great depictions of what heaven will be like, the best part of it is according to 1 John 3:2, 

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

We know when Jesus rose from the dead he received a glorified body. When we are given new bodies after our death, we too will be glorified in Jesus' presence. So what is a glorified body?

"A glorified body is a transformed, immortal human physical form promised to believers in Christian theology, modeled after the resurrected body of Jesus Christ. It represents the final state of human redemption where the soul and a perfected, physical body reunite for eternity." - GotQuestions.org

Then, Paul turns to practical matters. If this is the case, how should it affect the way I live now? Should I just sit and wait for Jesus to return, or me to die, whatever comes first? 

Paul says, "So we make it our goal to please him." 

What then does it mean to "please him"? 

I think the first way we please God is by having faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, 

"Without faith it is impossible to please God!" 

Our obedience pleases God. When we choose to do the things Jesus told us to do, we show that we trust in God. Obedience is not always easy. The nature of our "flesh" is to do what we want to do, when we want to do it. It naturally resists God's rule in our lives. While our faith trusts in the promises God has made to us, obedience trusts in the how I am going to live my life today. The apostle John, the disicple who Jesus loved said,  

"And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth." 1 John 2:3-4

Finally, we please God when we love others with the same love he gave us. In the bible this is called "agape love". Agape love is not given based on what we can get back in return. It is the kind of love Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Jesus gives this command to his disciples in John 13:34

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

You might ask what is so new about this love? Jesus says you must love one another as I loved you. This is a pretty tall order considering Jesus gave his whole life to us and died in the cross in our place. 

These are the ways in which we can make it our aim to please the Lord. 

Paul adds one more thing, which is very important. He says, "We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." 

Wait a minute, I thought Jesus took the judgment I deserved on the cross. And you would be right! This is not judgment for salvation but a judgment for what we did with our lives after we were saved.

If we lead a life pleasing to God we will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. Jesus will say to us, "Well done my good and faithful servant come and enter your rest!" 

See Jesus' "Parable of the Talents" in Matthew 25. 

Questions for Reflection:

Are you living a life pleasing to the Lord? 

If you were to come before the judgment seat of Christ would you be ready?

In what ways to need to change in order to be more faithful, more obedient, and more loving? 

Take a moment to write down these down and share them with a friend. 

Jesus, you have given us everything we need for a life of godliness and purpose. Help us to live our lives here on earth so that we might be prepared to come before your judgment seat on the day we meet you face to face. Amen.  

 

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