Greetings members and friends and welcome to another commentary and preview to this Sunday’s study of the Word. This Sunday’s study text is entitled “Hope Eternal” and it is based on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:1-10.
Today’s text and title captures the essence of the Christian faith and message. At the core of the faith is the hope of eternal life and glory. Life as we know it and experience it, in spite of the least appealing and adverse aspects, is such a wonderful gift that most people would preserve it if they could.
Christianity gives us a way to do just that. In the study text, the Apostle Paul expresses the struggle of life in the here and now and contrasts it to the Christian hope of eternal glory. He suggests the that the heavenly experience of life with Christ so far exceeds life here and now that our life now is not worthy to even be compared with the life we expect.
The physical body dies and decays a little each day but the spiritual man within the physical body is rejuvenated day by day. Then he begins to talk about a desire to depart this world and receive the eternal inheritance of the faithful.
All believers have the assurance that once and if our earthly bodies are destroyed, we have another more permanent heavenly body. And because of this we groan (or have a spiritual longing) to be clothed or to put on our heavenly bodies.
He uses the phase “being found naked” which I believe means to die without a place for or having made provision for our souls. Our earthly bodies get weary and worn but the bodies we long for are not burdened with any of the defects of our current bodies. Therefore, believers have a desire to shed these bodies and be clothed with eternal heavenly bodies.
As proof that these believers shall receive these new bodies, God has given the Holy Spirit which serves as a type of down payment for all that which is to follow. The presence of the Holy Spirit should give us even more confidence that after our earthly journey is over, we shall go be with the Lord.
Not that any of this is guaranteed because we walk by faith and not by sight. But this is the believer’s hope and confident faith that it shall come to pass.
The next statement that Paul makes I believe has been misinterpreted and misread. The misinterpretation is that upon death believers are immediately in the presence of the Lord. They read Paul as saying “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. But this is not what the Apostle said.
It harkens back to all that he has already said about desiring to be clothed with a heavenly body. What the text says is what he had already stated. He would rather be absent from this presence body and be with the Lord.
This is a statement of desire only. Paul is not intending nor is he making a declaration of what happens immediately upon death which his statement has been mistaken to mean. This misinterpretation ignores all the other passages that use the word “sleep” to describe the state of those who have died beside others that are problematic of such a misinterpretation.
Then he talks about laboring which means all the things faith demands and we must endure to be found in Christ or accepted of Him. Christian faith requires that we do something. It not about words of affirmation or confession, but about expressing and living a life that is pleasing to God.
He ends this section by saying humanity, including himself and all believers, will answer for the life we lived and receive a judgement based upon those things. The core hope and belief of Christians is the eternal continuation of life.
That eternal existence will be realized in heavenly bodies unlike our frail, mortal earthly bodies that are designed for life in another eternal realm.
Well, again be sure to look over the study again and come prepared to offer your comments, questions and perspective on the meaning of the study. If you can’t attend your own Sunday School class this Sunday, you can join us live and online at 9:00 am at www.fbmbc.org and clicking the online services link.
You can also join us live by dialing 508 924-2890. If you have any comments or questions, be sure to place them in the comment section or you can share them on Sunday. So, let’s all have a great lesson and discussion this Sunday and remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
