2Cor 5:4 | KingComments | STEP | . This passage connects directly to the end of the previous chapter. There Paul says that he is not discouraged though his body had fallen into a state of exhaustion through suffering. Here he says why he is not discouraged. In chapter 4 he drew a comparison between our life on earth with all the troubles and difficulties with all that waits for us when we are with the Lord. What is waiting for us with the Lord? The answer is here in “a building from God”. For a Christian there is no uncertainty about it. That is why Paul says “for we know”. This concise statement rules out any doubt. Chapter 4 makes clear that “the earthly tent which is our house” – the body that we have now – “is torn down” (cf. ). With “tent” he means that our body is a temporal house in which we will not dwell for eternity. A tent is also a mobile house which means that the earth is not our permanent residence. So it is with your body. The body which you now have is not the body in which you will spend eternity, for our body shows too many marks of sin. Our body is called “the body our humble state” ( ). God cannot be satisfied to have you with this body with Him in heaven. No, He has something far better for you. He already has a building for you and this building is not made by human hands but He Himself designed it and built it. This building is not like your present body which is temporal and related to the earth. The building God has prepared for you is eternal and related to heaven. It also belongs to heaven. This building from God is the body you are going to receive when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to take you up. . Now “we groan”. I wonder if you know of this groaning. We groan because we experience the limitations of our body. Groaning is an expression of grief for which there are no words. We groan when we are depressed and when we come across things which we would like to be otherwise but we do not have the possibilities to change them. You have new life and you long to serve the Lord but you are facing hurdles. It is because you are living in a world which is absolutely against the will of God. You experience discouragement when you share the gospel with people, for they either resist or ridicule. They scoff at God and persecute those who stand up for the Lord Jesus. Then you feel the urge to get released from that ”earthly tent” and be clothed with the “dwelling from heaven”. “To be clothed with” means that our body is a clothing over which another clothing will be pulled so that the clothing underneath will be completely hidden. With “clothed” is meant that our body will be changed at the coming of the Lord. . At a first look this verse appears to be difficult. When you do not compare and collate it with the previous and following verses you could even think that there are certain ambiguities in this verse. If and are clear then you can understand this verse also. In the matter is regarding being “clothed” in contrast to “not be found naked”. To be clothed means to have a literal body. ‘Naked’ means to stand before God on your own account. Despite his loin covering made out of fig leaves Adam felt so when he stood before God after he sinned ( ). He no longer felt this nakedness after God provided a covering for it. God used the skin of an animal for this. That means an animal was killed for this purpose. Adam’s nakedness was covered on the basis of the death of an innocent animal. From this you learn that in order not to be found naked you must be clothed upon with a clothing that is provided by God himself. This clothing is the Lord Jesus. The one who does not have this clothing to cover his sins and stands naked before God cannot be clothed with the dwelling from heaven at the coming of the Lord Jesus. Only those who are clothed in the spiritual sense in Christ Jesus (cf. ) will be clothed with that dwelling from heaven. Although this book has been written for believers perhaps there is someone among the readers of whom it has to be said that despite being clothed he will be found naked should the Lord come at the very moment when he reads this. Then I suggest that such a one should not read further, but go down on his knees and confess his sins to God. He will accept you when you come to Him just as you are. When you truly repent for your sins, God forgives you on the basis of what the Lord Jesus did on the cross. A song which I often sing on the streets along with other believers says in essence that He still wants to forgive you whatever your sins are; when you hand over everything to Him you will be free immediately. This is a great invitation. Take it! . Only believers will be “clothed” which means that their bodies will be transformed at the coming of the Lord Jesus. But the meaning is still stronger. In fact the under clothing not only completely disappears but it ceases to exist. The under clothing is swallowed up by the upper clothing and nothing is left. Thus the old is completely replaced by the new (cf. ). What Paul writes becomes still clearer in that he says that he would rather prefer to be clothed than to be unclothed. When the body is compared to a clothing ‘unclothed’ then can only mean to die. To die is like putting off clothing. Paul would therefore rather prefer to experience to be caught up and transformed at the coming of the Lord than first to die and be raised at His coming. So strong was his desire for this house in heaven. Can you repeat that after him? . The one who did this is eagerly waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus and for all that is related to that event. Everything has been prepared by God and the beauty is that God not only prepared all things for you, but He also prepared you . The proof is that He has given you His Spirit as a pledge. Read again what I wrote earlier about this pledge in chapter 1 ( ). We have already been given the Spirit Who gives us courage because we can look forward to the building from God. The Spirit Himself has come down from heaven and He sees to it that we do not feel at home on earth. But we know for sure that we have an eternal house in heaven. Now read 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 again. Reflection: Why do you or do you not long for heaven?