For we live by faith not by sight – 2 Corinthians 5:7
Paul has written these words, as we shall see, as an appeal to the saints in Corinth who are in the midst of suffering for their faith. His love for them compels him to continue to tell them that they be reconciled with God through faith in Jesus, the apostle who suffered and died as they did.
When we think about the death of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5, we see that it produces a whole new order, a new mode of perception, and the ability to experience a new life now. This contrasts with the old nature of the sinner which was characterized as weak, powerless, and folly (see verses 1-5).
The resurrected saint is now a new creation in the Spirit that is now free from the body and at home with God.
The resurrected person will receive a glorified, perfect, heavenly body in which to live for all eternity (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-57). When we die, our bodies are destroyed.
But our righteous souls will be resurrected to stand before the Lord’s judgment seat, and will be received into heaven by God. This is the promise of future hope that we hold dear as we go through this time of trial.
For many people, this is a difficult proposition to accept. But if we remember that we are not going to see it with our eyes and that we must wait on it until the moment when we meet the Lord, then we can make peace with it. Our faith, which is the conviction that things will come to pass in due time and in the proper way, makes us more hopeful and able to endure whatever may come our way.
