WE ARE RECONCILED TO OUR GOD

2 Corinthians chapter 5

This passage is a continuation of chapter 4 where Paul is talking about the two natures we have.

1/ Our outer earthly nature (our body)

2/ Our inner nature (our spirit)

4:16 says “Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.”

Chapter 5 starts with, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in, (our body), is destroyed, we have a building, (a new body), from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” He goes on to say that while we are groaning and struggling on the earth, we inwardly long for the new body awaiting us in heaven, so we make it our goal to please him, because we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due for our actions on earth.

Paul says ‘we are always of good courage’ (verse 6), because we know we have the Spirit of God in us and we walk by faith.

Since we know it is good to fear our God, *(Yahweh), we try to persuade others. This is not lost on our God. He sees what we do and hears what we say, even if it is rejected by the listener. He goes on to say that because we are changed in Christ and have therefore become a new creation, we no longer see Christ, (nor the world or the people around us), in the same light. We see Christ as our Saviour and Redeemer, and people around us not as enemies, but as lost sheep whom God loves as much as he loves ourselves.

Verse 17- 21. The old is gone, the new is here! Thanks to our God who **reconciled us to himself through Christ. Our sins are not counted against us because Christ became our sin perfect offering to God and made us the righteousness of God in exchange.

How brilliant is our God and how can we ignore such an offering? I will praise him as much as I can!!

This is how I understand my God. Read for yourself, see what you think.

*Yahweh is the name of our Heavenly Father and we are called to know his name. He will hold people to account who misuse (Profane) his name, (this may also apply to the name of Jesus which is used as a swear word by many in ignorance!). (Genesis 21:33, Deuteronomy 5:11, Psalms 20:5 & 68:4, Isaiah 50:10, Micah 5:4, Phillipians 2:10 )

There is much more on the name of God. I think It is an important thing to research and get your head round.

**Reconciled means; To restore friendly relations between/make consistent with another, especially by allowing for transactions begun but not yet completed. (If I understand it right, our transaction with Yahweh will be completed when Christ returns).

Notes

Profane means; not relating to that which is sacred or religious/not being respectful of religious practice, irreverent/treating (something sacred) with irreverence or disrespect.

Irreverence means a lack of respect for things that are generally taken seriously.

(I have to look these words up because I don’t use them in my everyday speech and, sometimes, they have been sort of downgraded or changed in our current society).