2 Corinthians 5

₁Our bodies are like a tent that we live in. We know that when God breaks down this tent on earth that we live in now, we will have a home that God gives us in heaven. That home in heaven is not built by people. It is forever. ₂While we live in this tent on earth, we sigh and we long for the day when God will put our heavenly home over our tent on earth. ₃Then, when we go out of this tent on earth, we will not be naked.

₄While we still live on earth in this body, we sigh and suffer because we are afraid to go away from this tent on earth. We want God to put our heavenly home over this tent so that our life here on earth will change immediately into a life in heaven. ₅It is God who has prepared us to change immediately. He gave his Spirit to us and that is how we know that God will give us everything that He has promised us.

₆But we always believe and trust in Him. We know that while we live in our bodies here on earth, we are not yet living with the Lord. ₇We must believe while we live here on earth because we have not yet seen everything like it will be. ₈But we believe and trust and we long for that day when we will no longer live in these bodies on earth. We long to be with the Lord. ₉That is why we try to live in the right way, so that God will be pleased with us while we live in our bodies and also when we no longer live in our bodies, after we have died. ₁₀Because Christ will judge us all on that day when we stand before Him, the Judge. Then He will reward each person for the things he has done on earth. If someone has done good things on earth, God will give him good things. If someone has done bad things, he will get something bad.

₁₁We know what it is to serve the Lord and to do what He says. That is why we try to encourage people so that they will also change and serve the Lord. God knows everything about me and the other people who work with me. He knows that we serve Him honestly. I hope that you also think that about us. ₁₂We do not want to tell you again who we are and why you must believe what we say. No, we want you to be proud of us. Then you can answer those people who look at the outside of a person and think that it is more important, the people who do not think about what a person is like on the inside. ₁₃If we have done things that have made people think we are mad, you must know that we have done them for God. And if we have done things that seem to be wise, then we have done that for you. ₁₄We preach this message about Christ because Christ loves us, and we have to tell people this message: Everyone has to die, but only one Man has died for all of us, and that means that all of us have died. ₁₅Yes, Christ died for all people, and that is why people who have a new life must not live for themselves. No, they must live for Christ because Christ died for them and God raised Him to live again.

₁₆That is why we no longer think about people in the way that unbelievers do. In the past we did think about Christ as the people of this world think about Him but we don't think like that now. ₁₇When someone belongs to Christ, then he is a new person. God has made him new. His old life is gone, and he has started a new life.

₁₈It is God who did all these things. He has sent Christ to make us friends with God again because we belong to Christ. God gave us the work of making people friends with Him again. ₁₉This means that God made the people of the world his friends again when Christ died, and now the people belong to Christ. He took away the sins that people had done. He did not punish them and He told us to go and tell the people that God has forgiven them. ₂₀We are now working for Christ because God has chosen us. God uses us to preach to you. That is why we beg you because Christ asks you to accept that God has forgiven you and made you his friends again. ₂₁Christ never sinned but God punished Him and made Him suffer for the sins that we have done. God did that for us to make us righteous and set us free because we belong to Christ.