2 Corinthians 4:10–5:10

¹⁰We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies.

¹¹We who are alive are always in danger of death because we are serving Jesus. So his life can be shown in our earthly bodies. ¹²Death is at work in us. But life is at work in you.

¹³It is written, “I believed, and so I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe. And we also speak.

¹⁴We know that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. And he will also raise us up with Jesus. He will bring us with you to God in heaven. ¹⁵All of that is for your benefit. God’s grace is reaching more and more people. So they will become more and more thankful. They will give glory to God.

¹⁶We don’t give up. Our bodies are becoming weaker and weaker. But our spirits are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷Our troubles are small. They last only for a short time. But they are earning for us a glory that will last forever. It is greater than all our troubles.

¹⁸So we don’t spend all our time looking at what we can see. Instead, we look at what we can’t see. What can be seen lasts only a short time. But what can’t be seen will last forever.

Our Home in Heaven

5We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it.

²During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. ³Then we will not be naked.

⁴While we live in this tent of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don’t want to be naked. We want to be dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life.

⁵God has made us for that very purpose. He has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes us sure of what is still to come.

⁶So here is what we can always be certain about. As long as we are at home in our bodies, we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by believing, not by seeing. ⁸We are certain about that. We would rather be away from our bodies and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we try our best to please him. We want to please him whether we are at home in our bodies or away from them.

¹⁰We must all stand in front of Christ to be judged. Each one of us will be judged for the good things and the bad things we do while we are in our bodies. Then each of us will receive what we are supposed to get.