What is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 5:5? And it is God • The initiative for salvation and future glory belongs entirely to the Lord, not to human effort (James 1:17; Philippians 2:13: “for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose”). • This grounds our confidence: the same God who spoke creation into existence (Genesis 1) and raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:24) stands behind our hope. who has prepared us • “Prepared” points to a deliberate, completed work—God has already set everything in place. – Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Philippians 1:6 assures us He will finish what He started. • Our new birth, growth in holiness, and readiness for eternity are all facets of this preparation. for this very purpose • Context (2 Corinthians 5:1-4) explains the purpose: being “clothed” with an immortal, heavenly body and living forever in God’s presence. • Romans 8:29-30 shows the same chain—predestined, called, justified, glorified—demonstrating God’s unwavering aim. • The “very purpose” is not vague; it is resurrection life with Christ (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). and has given us the Spirit • The gift of the Holy Spirit is present-tense reality, not future hope. – John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate… He lives with you and will be in you.” – Romans 8:11 connects the indwelling Spirit to future resurrection, showing continuity between now and eternity. • The Spirit empowers obedience (Galatians 5:16-25) and testifies that we belong to God (Romans 8:16). as a pledge of what is to come • “Pledge” (same thought in 2 Corinthians 1:22) means down payment or guarantee. – Ephesians 1:13-14: “…the Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession…” • What is coming? Full redemption—new bodies, sinless existence, face-to-face fellowship with Christ (Revelation 21:3-4). • Because the Spirit is already ours, the future is as secure as God’s own promise (Hebrews 6:17-19). summary God Himself takes the lead, fashioning believers for the express purpose of eternal, resurrected life. He seals that intention by giving the Holy Spirit right now, a divine down payment that guarantees the glory ahead. Our assurance rests not in our performance but in the unbreakable promise and present presence of God. |
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