2 Corinthians 5

Our Future after Death

¹For we know that if our earthly tent we live in ^a is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, ^b not made with hands. ^{c 2}Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring ^d to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³since, when we are clothed, ^e we will not be found naked. ^{f 4}Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality ^g may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

⁶So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷For we walk by faith, ^h not by sight. ^{i 8}In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ^{j 9}Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing ^k to him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat ^l of Christ, ^m so that each may be repaid ⁿ for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

¹¹Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, ^o we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. ¹²We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. ¹³For if we are out of our mind, ^p it is for God; if we are in our right mind, ^q it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, ^r and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all ^s so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, ^t but for the one ^u who died for them and was raised.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹⁶From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. ^v Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, ^w yet now we no longer know him in this way. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; ^x the old has passed away, and see, ^y the new has ^z come! ^{aa 18}Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. ^{ab 19}That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world ^ac to himself, ^ad not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors ^ae for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ^af “Be reconciled to God.” ²¹He made the one who did not know sin ^ag to be sin ^ah for us, ^ai so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.