2 Corinthians 5: Christian Manna
Chapter 5 is interesting. In verses 1 to 5 about how our body clothes us in this world, yet we fear being unclothed. That fear began with Adam and Eve, and we still have it! Well, Paul says, our home in Heaven will keep us clothed forever, so look forward to it! Yet, our desire for remaining clothed is so great, that we tend to cling to what we have on earth. It’s the human condition, clinging to this fleeting life, to fulfill the need Heaven was made to fulfill.
And so, as Paul says in verse 6 to 10, given how “at home” we feel here, if that is going to be our perspective, then we must make up our minds to live away from our home in some respect. If our emotions tie us to earth, then our faith must tie us to Heaven, which is our real home anyway. Now, lest we get caught up judging others for how comfortably they live in this life, we all must simply live to please God. So, okay, we’re not of this world, or at least we’re not supposed to live as such. But, do not make it about that, because in our desire to be clothed we cannot help it; our feelings are our feelings. What we can do on purpose however is please God. Sure, we all know the verse where that tells us our works are as filthy rags to Him, but that is only a commentary on how holy our acts are relative to Gods. God still looks at the heart, and is pleased our desire and effort to please Him. Remember the Children of Israel gathering manna in the desert? It isn’t the ones who gathered the right amount who survived, but the ones who brought their imperfect amount before God for measuring; their effort is what ended up being measured, and so those people’s manna measured exactly right… same thing here. Do we desire to please God, and actually strive toward obedience, because we believe and love Him? Alright then. Our “manna” will measure right. Despite our propensity to cling to our earthly life, our choice to act against ourselves and for God is what God will judge, just as Christ chose an act against Himself. That is what being Christ-like really means.