The future hope of resurrection: (chap.5):
The (chapters-5) is a continuation of the thought of (4:16-18). In (chap.4: 1,7,13) Paul spoke that we have “this ministry, this treasure in jars of clay, this (same) spirit of faith and in (5:1) this building from God. All these words are calling us to look to the future hope. If we are worldly lacking faith, our lives would be anything like animals who have no spirits. Death is like a tree in the forest when it dries up falls down and no one knows and cares of it. Our thinking would not go far off. But God has put His Spirit in us so that we can believe in Him. In (Eccl. 3:11), God has put eternity in man’s heart. So our lives would be different when we believe and accept Him as our personal Saviour.
The resurrection of earthly body: (5:1-9): Paul gives a comparison of earthly body with the resurrected body.
- Not made by human hands: (5:1): Paul had referred his mortal body as a earthly tent, worn out, soon to be destroyed. Paul was a tentmaker and here he used a tent as a picture of our present earthly bodies. A tent is a weak temporary structure, without much beauty, but the glorified body we are going to receive will be eternal, beautiful, and never show any signs of weakness or decay (Phil.3:20-21). The reference to the heavenly body as a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands is reminiscent of Jesus’ description of His own resurrection body as a temple “not made by man or not made by human hand” (Mk.14:58).
- Our earthly body groans: (5:2-5): Earthly body groans does not mean we are eager to die. Paul was saying that he was eager for Jesus Christ to return so that he would be clothed with the glorified body. When we are clothed with the glorified body, we will not be found naked. Paul was hoping that he would be alive on the earth at the return of Christ so that he might not have to go through the experience of death. Paul used a similar picture in (1 Cor.15:51-58), and he used the idea of “groaning” in (Rom. 8:22-26). Paul was groaning for glory. We can be sure that we shall one day have new bodies like the glorified body of our Saviour. We can be sure because the Spirit lives within us. Paul mentioned the sealing and the earnest deposit of the Spirit in (2 Cor.1:22, Eph 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer’s body is the “down payment” that guarantees the future inheritance, including a glorified body. In other words, it is something like an engagement ring. We have eternity in us now! The church is engaged to Jesus Christ and is waiting for the Bridegroom to come to take her to the wedding. This truth would give us great encouragement and patience to endure the troubles and persecutions that we are facing today.
- A great confidence: (5:6-9): Apostle Paul was not afraid of death, because he knew he had the eternity. The believers can be found in one of two places, either in heaven or on earth (Eph.3:15). None of them is in the grave nor in hell, nor in any intermediate place between earth and heaven. Believers on earth are “at home in the body,” while believers who have died are “absent from the body.” In other words, the living believers on earth are “absent from the Lord,” while the believers who died are in heaven are “present with the Lord.”
Though Christ is not visibly present today, we live by faith in the reality of His presence with us and the certainty of all the promises concerning our future. That’s why Paul walked by faith and not by sight. He looked at the eternal unseen, not the temporal seen (2 Cor.4:18). Heaven was not simply a destination for Paul, it was a motivation. Like the heroes of faith in (Heb 11), he looked for the heavenly city where Jesus is seated on the throne. Therefore Paul called the ministry as a glorious ministry that transformed lives. He had a valuable treasure in the earthen vessel of his body, and he wanted to share that treasure with a bankrupt world. He had a confident faith that conquered fear, and he had a future hope that was both a destination and a motivation. Yes he was more than conqueror”! (Rom 8:37). Paul’s ambition was to please the Lord while in his body in every circumstance. For Paul and for believers, death is only a prelude to eternal life with God. We will continue to live.