Open English Translation 2COR Chapter 5

5 We know that when the temporary, earthly home (our body) that we live in is demolished, we will have a building from God that’s not built by human hands—an eternal house in the heavens. 2 Actually, that’s also why we groan—wanting to be clothed in our heavenly bodies. 3 Yes, once we’re properly dressed we won’t feel naked 4 because while we live in these temporary homes we are groaning. It’s not that we want to dispose of these temporary homes, but we want to be permanently clothed so that our mortal parts might be enveloped by life. 5 It’s God who prepared us for this reason—yes, the one who deposited the spirit into us.

6 Because of that, we’re always confident and known that while we’re at home in our bodies, we are distanced from the master, 7 but we walk by faith and not by how things look. 8 And we do have confidence and look forward to being absent out of these bodies and being at home with the master, 9 so that’s why we’re ambitious to please the master, whether we’re still in these bodily homes or absent from them. 10 [ref]Yes, we must all stand at our court hearing in front of the messiah, so that each of us may receive justice for what we did while in these bodies, whether it was good or evil.

11 Because of that, having known the fear of the master, we are persuading people, but God sees what we’re doing, and I’m hoping that your consciences also see the same. 12 Again, we’re not trying to promote ourselves to you, but we’re giving you all an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can respond to those who take pride in outside appearances rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we’re being crazy, it’s to serve God, or if we’re being sensible, it’s for all of you, 14 because the messiah’s love controls us since we are convinced that he died for everyone. Hence we’ve all died 15 and he died for everyone, so that anyone who’s living, won’t be living for themselves any more, but for the one who died for them and then came back to life from the dead.

16 So from now on, we don’t just know people in the physical dimension, and even if we have known Messiah physically, that’s no longer how we know him. 17 So then if anyone is in Messiah, they’re a new creation—the old has gone, and wow, it’s now become new! 18 Everything is from God, the one who reconciled us to himself by Messiah and who has given the ministry of reconciliation to us. 19 God was in Messiah reconciling the world to himself, not listing their sins against them, and having given the message of reconciliation to us.

20 Because of that, we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though God is encouraging others through us, so we implore you for Messiah: Make your peace with God. 21 God took the one who hadn’t experienced sin and made him into sin for us so that in him, we could become not guilty in God’s sight.