2 Corinthians 5 (NIV) (2024)

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Awaiting the New Body

5For we know that if the earthly^(A) tent^(B) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ²Meanwhile we groan,^(C) longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,^(D) ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan^(E) and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,^(F) so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now 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.^(G)

⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷For we live by faith, not by sight.^(H) ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.^(I) ⁹So we make it our goal to please him,^(J) whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us^(K) for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹¹Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord,^(L) we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.^(M) ¹²We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again,^(N) but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us,^(O) so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³If we are “out of our mind,”^(P) as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.^(Q) ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves^(R) but for him who died for them^(S) and was raised again.

¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly^(T) point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,^(U) the new creation^(V) has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!^(W) ¹⁸All this is from God,^(X) who reconciled us to himself through Christ^(Y) and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.^(Z) And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,^(AA) as though God were making his appeal through us.^(AB) We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.^(AC) ²¹God made him who had no sin^(AD) to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.^(AE)

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 5:17 Or Christ, that person is a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:21 Or be a sin offering

Cross references

2 Corinthians 5:1 : 1Co 15:47
2 Corinthians 5:1 : Isa 38:12; 2Pe 1:13, 14
2 Corinthians 5:2 : ver 4; Ro 8:23
2 Corinthians 5:2 : ver 4; 1Co 15:53, 54
2 Corinthians 5:4 : ver 2; Ro 8:23
2 Corinthians 5:4 : ver 2; 1Co 15:53, 54
2 Corinthians 5:5 : Ro 8:23; 2Co 1:22; Eph 1:13, 14
2 Corinthians 5:7 : 1Co 13:12; S 2Co 4:18
2 Corinthians 5:8 : S Jn 12:26
2 Corinthians 5:9 : Ro 14:18; Eph 5:10; Col 1:10; 1Th 4:1
2 Corinthians 5:10 : S Mt 16:27; Ac 10:42; Ro 2:16; 14:10; Eph 6:8
2 Corinthians 5:11 : Job 23:15; Heb 10:31; 12:29; Jude 23
2 Corinthians 5:11 : 2Co 4:2
2 Corinthians 5:12 : S 2Co 3:1
2 Corinthians 5:12 : 2Co 1:14
2 Corinthians 5:13 : 2Co 11:1, 16, 17; 12:11
2 Corinthians 5:14 : Ro 6:6, 7; Gal 2:20; Col 3:3
2 Corinthians 5:15 : Ro 14:7-9
2 Corinthians 5:15 : Ro 4:25
2 Corinthians 5:16 : 2Co 10:4; 11:18
2 Corinthians 5:17 : S Ro 16:3
2 Corinthians 5:17 : S Jn 1:13; S Ro 6:4; Gal 6:15
2 Corinthians 5:17 : Isa 65:17; Rev 21:4, 5
2 Corinthians 5:18 : S Ro 11:36
2 Corinthians 5:18 : S Ro 5:10
2 Corinthians 5:19 : S Ro 4:8
2 Corinthians 5:20 : 2Co 6:1; Eph 6:20
2 Corinthians 5:20 : ver 18
2 Corinthians 5:20 : Isa 27:5
2 Corinthians 5:21 : Heb 4:15; 7:26; 1Pe 2:22, 24; 1Jn 3:5
2 Corinthians 5:21 : S Ro 1:17; S 1Co 1:30

Close NIRV

Waiting for Our New Bodies

5We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it. ²During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. ³Then we will not be naked. ⁴While we live in this tent of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don’t want to be naked. Instead, we want to be fully dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life. ⁵God has formed us for that very purpose. He has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes us sure of what is still to come.

⁶So here is what we can always be certain about. As long as we are at home in our bodies, we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by believing, not by seeing. ⁸We are certain about that. We would rather be away from our bodies and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we try our best to please him. We want to please him whether we are at home in our bodies or away from them. ¹⁰We must all stand in front of Christ to be judged. Each one of us will be judged for what we do while in our bodies. We’ll be judged for the good things and the bad things. Then each of us will receive what we are supposed to get.

Christ Brings Us Back to God

¹¹We know what it means to have respect for the Lord. So we try to help other people to understand it. What we are is plain to God. I hope it is also plain to your way of thinking. ¹²We are not trying to make an appeal to you again. But we are giving you a chance to take pride in us. Some people take pride in their looks rather than what’s in their hearts. If you take pride in us, you will be able to answer them. ¹³Are we “out of our minds,” as some people say? If so, it is because we want to serve God. Does what we say make sense? If so, it is because we want to serve you. ¹⁴Christ’s love controls us. We are sure that one person died for everyone. And so everyone died. ¹⁵Christ died for everyone. He died so that those who live should not live for themselves anymore. They should live for Christ. He died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶So from now on we don’t look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don’t anymore. ¹⁷When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here! ¹⁸All this is from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ. ¹⁹God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people’s sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him. ²⁰So we are Christ’s official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God! ²¹Christ didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.

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