Epistle Reading
For 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. For in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If
so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For 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. Now
he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath
given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are
always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are
absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We
are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether
present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For 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.
Epistle Commentary
These verses are particularly comforting in
the elderly years, for by this time the Lord has well revealed to us the
foolishness of our youth, and also the certainty of our salvation in the merits
of Christ, who first suffered all things for us. In the faith each believer longs to depart
this body and be with Him in that building of God above, "an house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
In heaven each believer is glorified, clothed with eternal holiness, as
long as they are not found naked on earth (unbelief). What then is our burden upon earth? While our sins are a burden in that "the
good that I would I do not", the cross took this burden away. Our real burden is that we are not yet with
the Lord though we want to be. We want
our mortality to be swallowed up in the immortality above. Our confidence is in the Lord. Yet it does say we labor that "we may be
accepted of Him." This means
believers prove themselves to be believers by the keeping of God's commandments
(not being justified by such, but because we are justified). "For 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." Our good works on such a day testify we are
the sons of God for such were done in faith for Him who loved us first.
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