“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.“
2 Corinthians 5:1-5
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As a church, we have been focusing upon the character of God as seen through the story of God. This week, we consider the story of hope.
We all need something to look forward to; our God has promised an eternal house with Him in heaven. What better destiny could we imagine? God is our source of hope, fully trustworthy to bring to pass that which He has promised.
In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul likens our earthly bodies to a tent—an apt analogy because a tent is a temporary dwelling. Our physical bodies are also temporary. As General Robert E. Lee died, he uttered these words, “Strike the tent!” Each of our tents will be taken down one day by physical death, but God will replace our temporary tents with eternal houses in heaven.
What will this be like? No living person can imagine. But the writers of the Bible speculated with metaphors and poetic images that might help us wrap our minds around what is in store. To the Corinthians, Paul describes houses not made by human hands, clothing that will cover each believer fully. He describes what we have all learned about life in this “tent”—beset with burdens and problems, groaning both in the pain of life and in our fear of death. Our mortality becomes increasingly obvious as the years pass by.
There awaits us an eternal existence in a permanent heavenly dwelling with a new body that will not age or die. Our mortality will be replaced by the immortality of everlasting life. This is our hope, our purpose. The Holy Spirit is a down payment from God, faithfully securing this amazing future for everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- In whom or what do you place your hope?
- How does knowing that the best is yet to come encourage you in your daily life?
- How can we humbly yet confidently express this hope to the people in our lives who do not yet know Jesus?
Church Reading Plan: Song of Solomon 4; Hebrews 4