In an little while I have to take my car in for routine maintenance. Like all things temporal it wears out over time. The same is true of our bodies. Paul must have intended 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 for younger folks, because we older folks experience the truth of them every day of our lives, often from the moment our feet hit the floor in the morning!
For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked. 4 For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.
NET
By trade, Paul was a tentmaker. So, it is natural he would choose the tent as one of his analogies. Much of his daily life, the way he "made a living", was to construct these temporary dwellings. Yet, his avocation, his true calling, was to construct Believers (by the power of the Holy Spirit). His primary focus was on that eternal work of sharing the gospel so that people might hear the Truth and gain access to a "heavenly dwelling" (Rom. 10:17). Although it is called "heavenly dwelling" in the NET translation, this refers not to a location or structure, but rather to the imperishable, immortal body that Believers will receive after physical death, as a result of their having accepted Jesus as Savior.
It is quite clear from this passage that, in both cases, neither the earthly body nor the heavenly body IS the person. So often in this life we let our bodies define us, control us. People who meet us are either captivated by our beautiful bodies .... or not. Such a distraction! We are not our bodies. They are merely a "tent". Anyone who has ever witnessed a person dying or seen a dead body knows the truth of this. The "shell" is left; the soul has departed.
Paul is not referring to a "mansion in glory" in this passage either. In fact, this idea of beautiful mansions where each believer will dwell has no support in Scripture. We find several references to actual features of Heaven (the throne room of God, the River of Life, the Tree of Life {with fruit}, streets of gold and precious stones all over the place. But, actual dwellings? No. This misleading teaching comes from an overblown translation of the actual words of Jesus in John 13:33-37 and 14:2-3, where He states that in His father's house are many "rooms" and, in the latter passage, He goes to prepare a "place" for us.
The Greek word translated in some versions "rooms" (and in others, including the KJV, "mansions") literally means "an abode, a place of dwelling". So, when you get to Heaven, if your immortal body is assigned one of those "little houses" which are so popular with the "millennial generation" these days...will you be disappointed? :)
It appears from Scripture that the emphasis will be on us "dwelling" in our immortal bodies, in the presence of God. In this sense, Believers will not be "found naked" after death, because they have an eternal destiny, complete with an immortal body, waiting for them "in the heavens" (vs. 1). Any further "tent" or "place of abode" will be, if you'll pardon the pun, "immaterial" or "irrelevant". Our focus will be, not on the size of a mansion, but rather on the beauty of our King Jesus. We will not only continue to abide in Him (John 15), but we will abide WITH Him forever! Beyond that, so much of Heaven is a mystery. It is not useful to "pick nits" over its "physical" features.
The most beautiful gem in this 2 Cor. 5 passage comes in verse 5, where Paul assures Believers that the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts when we decided to follow Jesus, at the moment of our conversion. When we make that "spiritual transaction", God puts His Holy Spirit in us, just like we put a downpayment on a home when we ink the mortgage. Other translations present this Greek word as "deposit" (NIV) or "guarantee" (ESV). We'll look more deeply at that tomorrow. It's off to the car dealer now!
Dear Father, I just want to dwell in Your presence forever, worshipping my Triune God, thanking my Jesus for all He has done for me. The psalmist expresses my longings beautifully in Psalm 84:10 and Psalm 73:25-26. "Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere!" And, Father, if a little singing could be thrown in there too? To praise You in heavenly song? Ah....Heaven! In Jesus' name, amen.
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