2 Corinthians 5

KJV · Chapter 5/13

¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

³If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

⁴For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

⁵Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

¹²For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

¹³For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

¹⁴For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

¹⁵And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul speaks of the hope of an eternal body in the heavens, compared to a new dwelling in contrast to the frailty of the present body, a temporary tent. He then describes the ministry of reconciliation: God reconciled the world to himself through Christ, and Christians are ambassadors of that message.

Explanation

The image of the body as a “tent” (common among nomads, and used literally by Paul, who was a tentmaker) contrasts with an “eternal building” that God prepares for those who believe, expressing the hope of a transformed existence after death. Paul emphasizes that living “by faith, not by sight” shapes the believer's attitude toward the uncertainty of the present life. The high point of the chapter is the declaration that God, in Christ, reconciled the world to himself, “not imputing their trespasses unto them,” and now entrusts Christians with this message of reconciliation, as ambassadors representing God himself before the world. Today's practical application is to consciously live out this identity as Christ's representative, calling others to reconciliation with God through example and word.

Fun facts

The Greek term for 'ambassador' (v.20) was officially used for representatives of the Roman Emperor in distant territories, giving Paul's word a political weight and sense of authority that his original readers would have readily recognized.
The phrase 'if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature' (v.17) echoes the creation language of Genesis, suggesting that conversion is comparable to a new creative act of God, beginning something entirely new in a person's life.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Corinthians 5:1He continues the idea from the end of chapter 4 about what is eternal: he compares the physical body to a temporary tent (“tabernacle”), which will one day be exchanged for a permanent building, made by God, in heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:2“Tabernacle” was the name of the tent Israel used in the wilderness, a temporary dwelling. Paul uses the word to describe the physical body as a temporary “house,” which will one day be exchanged for a new, eternal body.
2 Corinthians 5:3He adds a condition to the hope of a new body: being found “clothed” with it, not “naked” — the Christian hope is not to be without a body, but to gain a transformed one.
2 Corinthians 5:4He reinforces the idea: the desire is not to be rid of the body (to be “unclothed”), but to be clothed with a new one, so that everything mortal is swallowed up by eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:5He credits this hope of transformation entirely to God, who prepared this plan and has already given the Holy Spirit as an advance guarantee that it will happen.
2 Corinthians 5:6Because of this guarantee of the Spirit, Paul says he lives with courage, even knowing that, while he is at home in the body, he is in a sense still absent from the Lord's full presence.
2 Corinthians 5:7A parenthetical remark that sums up the principle of Christian faith according to Paul: living guided by trust in God, not merely by what the eyes can see or prove.
2 Corinthians 5:8He confirms the confidence mentioned before: Paul would rather, if he could choose, leave the physical body and be directly in the Lord's presence.
2 Corinthians 5:9Whether in this life (“present”) or after death (“absent”), Paul's goal remains the same: to live in a way that pleases God.
2 Corinthians 5:10The phrase “the judgment seat of Christ” recalls the public Roman tribunals, where judges sat on a raised platform to give their verdicts. Paul uses that image to speak of an accounting of the Christian life before Christ, different from the judgment that decides salvation or condemnation.
2 Corinthians 5:11He explains the motivation behind his preaching: the fear of the Lord, a serious reverence, leads Paul to try to persuade people — and he hopes that sincerity is already recognized by the Corinthians themselves.
2 Corinthians 5:12He clarifies that he isn't promoting himself again, but giving the Corinthians arguments to defend themselves against rivals who value outward appearance over sincerity of heart.
2 Corinthians 5:13He responds to what may have been an accusation that he was “beside ourselves” — perhaps because of intense spiritual experiences — saying that whatever the case, everything he does is for God or for the good of the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 5:14He points to the source of everything he does: the love of Christ, which convinces him of a central logic of the gospel — Christ died for all, which means that, in a sense, all died with Him.
2 Corinthians 5:15He details the purpose of Christ's death for all: so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died and rose again for them.
2 Corinthians 5:16To judge someone “after the flesh” means judging people, including Jesus, only by outward appearance, status, or history. Paul says that after knowing Christ, he stopped looking at anyone “after the flesh.”
2 Corinthians 5:17One of the letter's most quoted verses: whoever is in Christ becomes “a new creature” — old things truly pass away, and a new life begins; it isn't just an adjustment to the old one.
2 Corinthians 5:18He explains where this transformation comes from: it all begins with God, who reconciled the believer to Himself through Christ, and gave Paul the task of announcing that reconciliation to others.
2 Corinthians 5:19He sums up what God did in Christ: reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people's sins against them, and entrusting to the apostles the “word” of that reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:20He uses the image of “ambassadors”: just as an ambassador speaks on behalf of his country, Paul and the other apostles speak on behalf of Christ, asking people to be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:21Paul's phrase “made him to be sin for us” is strong — it doesn't mean Jesus sinned, but that he took upon himself the consequence of sin, in an exchange: he carries what was ours so believers may receive what is His, called here “the righteousness of God.”

Chapters

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