In chapter 5 we have more talk of trouble and hardship, and just as in chapter 4, we are encouraged by the promise of what the hardship is preparing us for. Fact is, "we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands". And in verse 5 we see that God "has made us for this very purpose". Our purpose is to be united with Him for eternity. Our current existence is painful because we are not yet with Him completely. So "we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling".
And yet "we are always confident", walking "by faith, not by sight".
Two final thoughts on this chapter. First, it's awfully common in today's world to hear people talk about the need to keep one's own faith a private matter, that it's rude to have spiritual conversations with others. Sounds nice, I guess, but it's definitely not biblical. Verse 11 is clear: "we try to persuade men". Now how we try to persuade them is incredibly important. Nobody likes a pompous, arrogant spiritual bully who tries to persuade men motivated by his own insecurities. But Paul (and Jesus) don't leave us the option of keeping our faith a personal matter. We are to share this good news of Christ's death and resurrection with others, motivated by our love for God's people.
Lastly, we have to mention verse 17, which reminds us that in Christ we are new creations. The old has gone, and the new has come. Even when it doesn't appear to be true, it is. I am a new creation, and I'm learning to act more like it all the time. Hopefully you are too.
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