June 10, 2015

“For we know that when this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 5:1

“Paul is tackling the topic of the Christian hope beyond the grave, and more specifically, what happens to the believer at the point of death. In our culture the subject of death holds a certain fascination as well as repulsion. On the one hand, we try to mask the fact of death with euphemisms such as “he passed on” and “she went to a better place” and with funeral rites such as viewing the body, remarking how well someone looks and placing flowers on the grave. On the other hand, our culture, especially in recent years, has displayed an attraction to the topic of death in the form of accounts of near-death experiences…

God’s intention for the believer is bodily existence, not disembodiment as some would claim. More specifically, those who face physical hardship and suffering as a result of their labors in the gospel ministry are assured that, come what may, a house of God’s own designing (ek theou–from God) awaits them. This house is distinguished in three ways. It is of heavenly versus earthly origin (in heaven). It is a permanent (eternal) as opposed to a temporary structure. And it is assembled by God rather than by human hands (not built by human hands).” The Christian Hope Beyond the Grave, BibleGateway

We can look at the home that G*d is preparing for us in two ways. In John 14, Jesus talks about a mansion, that has many rooms that awaits all of us when we die. Here, Paul is describing something more tangible — that our earthly bodies will no more be our “home”, but G*d will provide an “eternal” if not “permanent” structure for us all. Although what will happen exactly to us once we cross the threshold of death is uncertain, to say the least, we can at least expect the following:

First, through the resurrection we will experience a transformation.
Second, our “house” will involve some form of material existence.
Finally, through the Spirit we are insured continuity between present and future modes of existence.

To go beyond this is to speculate without more justification than what Paul could tell us. But if G*d promises existence beyond this earthly existence, then it will be most certainly true. And we can all wait for that day when Jesus ushers us to our new home.

Pastor Dave