Translation & Sermon by
Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 16
November 2025
Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate
words that are in common with the Greek text of the sermon passage.
Otherwise, underlining indicates words to emphasize when reading this
transcript out loud.
Omitting greyed-out
text should reduce read-aloud time to around 40 minutes.
Read my translation of the passage, starting at v.4: But indeed, we who are in the temporary residence groan while being weighted-down, on account of which we do not want to be unclothed, but rather fully-clothed, in order that proneness-to-death might be swallowed down by the life. Now, the One who fashioned us for this very thing is God, who gave to us the down-payment of the Spirit. We always have courage, therefore, and know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord’s [perspective]. For, it is by faith that we are walking, not by sight. Indeed, we have courage, and are of a good will rather to be away from home out of the body and to be at home before the Lord. As a result, we also aspire to be acceptable to Him, whether at home or away from home. For it is necessary for all of us to be made to appear before the Anointed One’s judgment-bench, in order that each might receive-sentencing for himself for the things which he performed through his body, whether good or bad. Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. Now to God we have been made apparent, and I hope also in your consciences to have been made apparent. We are not endorsing ourselves again to y’all, but rather giving y’all a launching-point for celebration concerning us, in order that y’all might have something in opposition to those who are celebrating in the superficial, but not in the heart. For if we are out-of-it, we are with God; and if we are reasonable, we are with y’all, because the love of the Anointed one constrains us, since we have discerned this, that if one died on behalf of all, then all died...
Back in verse 6, Paul and Timothy wrote that they have “courage/confidence” to “walk by faith rather than by sight” while on this earth - in this mortal body - away from our heavenly home.
Now in verse 8, they write that they still have the courage to walk by faith in this life, even though they would rather be done with this life and be at home with the Lord in heaven.
Faithfulness to God holds both of these values in tension:
Enthusiasm to do our bit for God’s kingdom in the here-and-now,
as well as enthusiasm for leaving it all behind to die and be with the Lord in heaven.
Any ideology which emphasizes one at the expense of the other is out of balance. God’s Word points the way here for the proper balance between being invested in this material world and being invested in God’s spiritual kingdom – it’s both at the same time, not neglecting either.
Would you be well-pleased to leave this world behind to die and
be with the Lord?
Are you facing this life with confidence
and courage to live by faith?
We also see the Biblical theology of the afterlife for Christians: We are either in this mortal body living on this earth or we are away from this mortal body and with the Lord Jesus, in His presence. Scripture knows of no purgatory or state of limbo for God’s people, it’s either this earthly life or it’s in heaven with Jesus.
Jesus said in John 12:26 “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also…” (NKJV)
and He prayed in John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me1 where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me...” (NKJV)
and He told the repentant thief on the cross in Luke 23:43 “...today you will be with Me2 in Paradise.” (cf. 2 Cor. 12:3-4)
and so the Apostle Paul could say with confidence in Philippians 1:23 “… I... hav[e] a desire to depart and be with Christ3, which is far better.” (NKJV)
In this state in heaven, Jesus’ “Parable Of The Rich Man And Lazarus” in Luke 16 indicates that we will be alive and conscious, aware that we are with the Lord and enjoying that fellowship (Luke 16:19-31, 1 Thess. 5:10), and that the unrighteous will also maintain consciousness, but will be tormented in hell.
The Westminster Confession summarizes this in chapter 32: “The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls (which neither die nor sleep), having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies: and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none. At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed; and all the dead shall be raised up with the self-same bodies, and none other, although with different qualities, which shall be united again to their souls forever. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor; the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honor, and be made conformable to his own glorious body.”
And so, as a result of this courage to walk by faith in this world and to look forward to dying and being with the Lord, we therefore...
Since God is a personal God, and since He can be related-to in this mortal life by faith, and since He can be related-to directly in heaven when our soul goes to be “with Him,” then our relationship to this God is of eternal significance, and it is important to know that He finds us “acceptable/pleasing.”
The Apostle Paul speaks of this many times throughout His epistles. Perhaps he was particularly sensitive to this because of how greatly he had offended Jesus early-on by his misguided zeal to persecute the church, and it was very important for him to be reassured of God’s acceptance:
In Romans 12:1-2 he said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (NKJV) emphasizing mental renewal and bodily service.
And in Romans 14:17-18 emphasizing connection with the Holy Spirit and bearing fruit: “...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved4 by men.” (NKJV)
In Ephesians 5:8-10 it’s goodness, righteousness, and truth: “...Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” (NKJV)
In Colossians 1:10 Paul prayed “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him5, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (NKJV), emphasizing learning more about God and doing what is good in His sight.
And in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:1 he prayed, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all... we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound[excel/do so] more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God” (NKJV) – emphasizing love as what is pleasing to God.
But in Ephesians 1 Paul makes it clear that it is not our good works which make us acceptable to God, but rather it is Jesus, His Beloved Son: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted6 in the Beloved.” (vs. 3-6, NKJV)
This is what we should “aspire to” – this is what we should “make our aim/ambition/goal.” The Greek word is a compound of fila (to like) and timaw (to honor), so it could be translated literally “we like the honor of being acceptable to Him,” and we know that we can “enjoy the honor of being acceptable to God” both now (“at home/present” in our earthly body) and after we die (when we are “away from/absent from” our earthly body) because Jesus has made us acceptable by suffering God’s punishment for our sins and sharing with us His righteousness.
Making God’s acceptance our goal could be stated conversely as not making man’s acceptance our goal in life.
Of course God’s word teaches us not to earn the world’s rejection by being obnoxious and inconsiderate,
but rather to focus on being in Christ and therefore pleasing to God,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit, doing the kinds of things that God says please Him,
because “we like the honor of being acceptable to Him” more than we like the honor of being acceptable to the world.
This will affect what we say around co-workers, what we post (or don’t post!) on social media, and what we prioritize doing with our time.7
Verse 10 gives a compelling reason why it is vitally important that what we do with our mortal body be pleasing to the Lord: because...
Jesus will sort through everything you did during your mortal life and hold you accountable as to which things were good things that pleased Him and which things were bad things which offended Him.
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His angels and then pay back to each man according to his deeds…. 25:31 So, whenever the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit upon His throne of glory [to judge]” (NAW, cf. Matt. 25:32, Rom. 2:6, Heb. 9:27).
We know from other Scripture that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23) and that “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), so we know in advance what the sentence will be for every one who stands before the judgment seat of Christ. It will be death – not just the firing squad or electric chair, but eternal death in hell. (It doesn’t really matter what good deeds you did; no amount of good deeds will be able to overturn that sentence of eternal death from the judgment seat of Christ.)
Jude 1:14-15 “...‘Look! The Lord cometh with myriads of His holy ones to execute justice against all men and to lay out a case against all the ungodly among them concerning all their works of ungodliness which were ungodly and concerning all the harsh things that ungodly sinners uttered against Him.’” (NAW, cf. 2 Pet. 3:7) – all will be judged!
But we also know that “everyone who believes in [Jesus to save them from eternal death] will not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). For those persons, Jesus will say, “I bore your sins in my body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and died for them for you, so your sentence of eternal death is paid in full and you will not perish but have everlasting life.”
The Apostle John describes this in his vision of Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened... And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books… And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire… 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (NKJV, cf. Rev. 2:23, 22:12)
Note that 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that “We must all appear” before that judgment seat. No one will escape judgment day8. You will have your moment of truth in front of Jesus Himself, and nothing will prevent that from happening.
“For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” (Eccl. 12:14, NKJV, cf. 11:9, Heb. 4:13)
1 Corinthians 4:5 “...the Lord shall come, who will both bring to light the secrets of the darkness and will reveal the plans of their hearts, and then the praise from God will happen to each person.” (NAW, cf. Rom. 2:16, 1 Cor. 3:10-15)
This will include everyone in the entire world: Psalm 98:9 “For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.” (NKJV)
And Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One, who is the Word of God, is the one who will do the judging. (cf. John 5:22)
Acts 10:42 “Jesus of Nazareth... is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” (NKJV, cf. 17:31)
2 Timothy 4:1 “...the Lord Jesus Christ... will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom...” (NKJV)
Are you ready for this? What will you say to Him when He exposes every one of your secret sins that day?
Romans 14:12 “...each of us shall give account of himself to God.” (NKJV)
1 Peter 4:5 “They will render an account to the One who is preparing to judge the living and the dead.” (NAW)
If you have placed your trust in Jesus and have the confidence in His grace to face Him on His judgment-seat, and say with the Psalmist “Save me; I am Yours!” (Psalm 119:94), then you have something worth sharing with others, so Paul and Timothy say in...
We know to have a healthy fear of God because of the seriousness of offending God Almighty, and because we know that He will bring us to account with impartial justice.
Jesus said, “...fear the One with power to destroy both soul and body in hell!” (Matt. 10:28, NAW)
for, “To fall into the hands of the Living God is fearsome!” (Heb. 10:31, NAW)
But we also know that God has provided the Way for this “mortality to be swallowed up in life” and for us to be “at home with the Lord.” And since we “know” that, we try to “persuade9” others to repent of their rebellion against God and to trust in Jesus for salvation.
That’s what Paul did when he first went to Corinth,“[H]e reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 18:4, NKJV)
He did it it later-on with the Jews in Rome: “...many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts 28:23, NKJV)
Even in this chapter Paul and Timothy will write, “...we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20, NKJV)
Does your “knowledge” of God’s salvation lead you to “persuade” others of it?
Now, when we get to the second half of verse 11, the verb that Paul and Timothy chose to use and repeat seems a bit odd at first: In what way were the apostles “manifested/made known” to God such that “being known/manifested” to the consciences of the Corinthians would be a corollary?
Studying the grammar didn’t help me much:
The subject is “we” (so it is indeed the Apostles which had been “manifested to God” and, it was hoped, to the Corinthians).
The tense is perfect tense, so it was a “revelation/bringing to light/making-plain” of the apostles to God (and to the Corinthians) which had happened in the past and which continued to characterize the apostles’ relationship with God and, it was hoped, with the Corinthians.
And the verb is passive, so the Apostles didn’t reveal themselves; they were revealed by a third party, or perhaps by their actions.
It wasn’t until I looked around for other uses of this verb that it dawned on me that the verb in “we must all be made to appear before the judgment seat of Christ” in verse 10 is the same verb for “we have been made to appear to God - and hope to have been made to appear to your consciences,” in verse 11; it’s just in a different tense, talking about what happened in the past instead of what will happen in the future.
Looking at the end of verse 11 thus in light of v.10, Paul and Timothy, I think, are saying that when they repented and trusted in Jesus, they already made their appearance before Christ’s throne, in a sense, and now they are living under both the verdict of death and the grace of eternal life, even though the enactment of it in real time is yet to come in the future,
and it is their hope that, in an analogous way, the Corinthians would not see Paul and Timothy’s upcoming visit as a time when they would put the apostles on trial, but that they would realize that the apostles had already laid all their cards on the table, as it were, in their earlier visits, and that they would remember that they had already accepted the apostles’ preaching of the Gospel, so all the concerns of the trial period of getting to know one another should be over by now, they know exactly what Paul’s message is and they believe it.
That squares with things Paul and Timothy said earlier in this letter:
2 Corinthians 1:12 “For this is our cause for celebration the testimony of our conscience, that in single-mindedness and integrity from God we conducted ourselves – not in fleshly wisdom but rather – in the grace of God in the world and even moreso toward y'all...” (NAW)
2 Corinthians 4:2 “...we renounced the shameful secrets, not walking in craftiness or misleading with the word of God, but rather using the revelation of the truth, endorsing ourselves to every person's conscience in the sight of God.” (NAW, cf. 1 Th. 2:3)
And, for that reason, in v.12, Paul and Timothy say that the Corinthians should be willing to “go to bat” for them against the false accusations of the super-apostles who were trying to lead them away from the gospel.
Paul and Timothy had already written back in 2 Corinthians 3:1 “...we have no need (as some guys do) for endorsement/letters of commendation with y'all...” (NAW)
And here they return to their comment from 2 Corinthians 1:14 “...y'all came to know us somewhat, such that we are your cause for celebration[boasting] (just as y'all also are ours), in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (NAW)
Paul and Timothy have made their peace with God and are persuading others to be Christians, and that is reason enough to celebrate them.
The word for “boast/glory/take pride concerning us” is not used in a negative sense here.
Sure, it’s possible to overdo it and idolize leaders and flatter them to cater to their pride, but a moderate amount of sincere appreciation is healthy.
I can’t begin to express how much it meant to me last week when a church member gave me a plaque expressing appreciation for my service as a pastor – and it wasn’t even pastor appreciation month; it was just a simple expression of sincere appreciation that God used to put some wind in my sails as I was sailing over stormy water.
In the second half of verse 12, Paul and Timothy seem to see the situation as a kind of boasting match.
Now generally, boasting is not good. To paraphrase what Paul had said in 1 Corinthians 9:16 “I can’t boast about my evangelism; I do it because I can’t not do it.10” When we’re just doing what we ought to be doing, we shouldn’t expect anybody to praise us as though we did something extraordinary.
But in the context of 2 Corinthians, influencers had come into the church that Paul had planted, with letters of endorsement from famous people, and they had begun boasting about their achievements and credentials and criticizing Paul, in an effort to get the Corinthian church to convert to Judaism and stop following Paul.
For instance, ten times throughout the book of 2 Corinthians, Paul refers to how the false apostles had labeled him as a “weak” leader to shame him and to get people to stop listening to his Biblical teaching.
So, as we will see later in 2 Corinthians, Paul pushes back some and lists some of his credentials.
But mostly, Paul comes back to saying, “It’s the guy who preached the gospel to you in the first place and who has served faithfully for a long time in the trenches and endured persecution that you ought to be paying attention to.” 2 Corinthians 6:4 “But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses.” (NKJV)
And here, as he also did at the beginning of chapter 3 , he says to the church, “Don’t leave me alone to defend myself; it’s o.k. for you to stick up for me in this boasting match!” In chapter 12 verse 11, he writes, “I ought to be commended by you.”
As Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another man praise11 you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.” (NKJV) But that means the body of Christ needs to be that “other man” who looks for ways to encourage faithful brothers and sisters and to defend them when they are unjustly criticized, and, I might add, to help them get back on track if they have rightfully earned some criticism.
The point is not to protect the leader – right or wrong; the reason for doing this must be to preserve the integrity of Biblical teaching – especially the Gospel – and not give room for those who are not tethered to the word of God to distract and lead astray. It is a team effort for both the pastors and the members of the church.
The particular problem Paul and Timothy point out here in v.12 concerning their detractors is that the false apostles focus on “surface matters/superficial things/appearances rather than the heart.”
Pay attention to that. When people major on physical appearance, certain ways of dressing, certain hairstyles, certain customs and traditions that visibly distinguish them from others, physical fitness, number of children, size of church building or size of budget, they are focusing on superficial things, which may look Christian and may well be things Christians do out of love for Christ, but in themselves are not what Christianity is about.
If we are the church of the White, Republican weightlifters who carry arms, own land, have large families, and whose wives are homemakers who have lots of babies and wear dresses and headcoverings – if that’s what defines us, then this is not a Biblical church. There are sincere Christians who do none of those things, and if they are not welcome in our assembly, then we are just a social club that applies unbiblical standards for acceptability.
In the Old Testament, when the prophet Samuel went looking for a man to anoint as king in 1 Samuel 16:7 “...The LORD said to Samuel, ‘Don't make observations based on his looks or based on his imposing height, because I have rejected him. For God doesn't see the way man sees; man only sees to the extent of the eyes, but God sees to the extent of the heart.’” (NAW)
It is the position of the heart before God which is important. And if your heart is in the right place of humility before Almighty God, repentance for sin, dependent trust on Jesus to save, eagerness to know and obey His word, and love for His church, you may well be led to practice things like homeschooling or self-defense, but you’ll be doing it for the right reasons, not merely to conform to other men’s outward expectations, but to glorify God because He has called you to do that.
That’s the kind of Christianity that “turned the world upside down” in the first century (Acts 17:6), and if we make disciples according to what the Bible says, we too will eventually see people from every language and ethnicity in the world worshiping Jesus as He deserves, which is exactly what Jesus said His plan is (Matt. 28:18ff, Rev. 5:9, 7:9).
So Paul and Timothy were all-about relating people to God – reconciling sinners to God through the good news of Jesus. In verse 13, even though the details are a bit cryptic, we still we see that the apostles are focused on relating to these same two parties: God and “you” - the church.
It should be noted that the word which Paul and Timothy use in v.13 for “beside ourselves/ out of our mind” is a more positive word in Greek than other words like “lunatic” or “insane.”
It’s the word from which we get our English word “ecstasy,”
and it is primarily used in the New Testament to describe the amazement which people experienced when they met Jesus and the Apostles and saw them perform miracles12.
It is usually translated “astonished.”
So here, I don’t think Paul and Timothy are in danger of being “stark raving mad,” but rather the sense is of someone who is stunned from having been in the presence of God.
I think this is also the sense in which this same Greek verb is used in Mark 3:21, when the demand for Jesus’ healing ministry was so intense that He couldn’t even find time to stop and eat. “[So] when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind’” (NKJV) – He’s ec-static – He’s had a mountaintop spiritual experience that has temporarily left Him a little bit out-of-touch.
So Paul and Timothy say that if they are in this condition13, it is in relation to God14. The sense I get is that if they say something that doesn’t quite make sense, the church should look for something good in it from God because they know that Paul and Timothy love God and speak for God, but normally, the apostles make every effort to make good sense when they are communicating to the church.15
I see this as applicable to pastors and churches in that,
if you have good reason to believe your pastor is a man of God, then you can extend some grace every once in a while if he says something that doesn’t make sense to you,
yet at the same time,
Jesus’ character as the logos of God should lead us to strive to use sound logic,
and Jesus’ teaching ministry in the Gospels gives us an example to follow of communicating clearly,
and the apostles’ writings in the New Testament also set the bar high in using persuasive reason and Biblical proof.
Finally, the motive behind all this, in v.14 is the “love of Christ.”
Now, “the love of Christ” has two possible meanings, both in Greek and in English:
It can mean, “the love which Christ has for us,” (Eph. 3:19)
or it can mean, “the love which we have for Christ.” (Eph. 6:24)
But we know from 1 John 4:19 that if we love Christ, “We love Him because He first loved us.” You can’t love Christ without Him loving you first, and it is impossible for one whom Christ has loved in this way not to love Him back, so they both go together.
Also, the word for “constrains/compels/controls” is used throughout the Greek Bible to denote “restraint,”
like a strap holding a piece of clothing in place (LXX Ex. 26:3, 28:7, 36:11 & 28),
or like clouds withholding rain (LXX Gen. 8:2, Dt. 11:17, 1 Ki. 8:35, 2 Chr. 6:26, 7:13),
or a person put in confinement (LXX 2 Sam. 20:3, 1 Ki. 21:21, GNT Luke 4:38, 22:63),
or even sieges where troops surrounded a city and kept its population trapped within its own walls (LXX 1 Sam. 23:8, GNT Luke 19:43).16
So it involves a restriction of potential freedom and a narrowing down of options due to a force outside of us.
It’s used in Acts 18:5 describing when Paul was in Corinth: “...Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.” (NKJV)
Paul also wrote of this in 1 Corinthians 9:16 “...necessity presses17 upon me; for woe be unto me if I have not evangelized!” (NAW)
It’s that love from Christ that motivated Him to lay down His life on the cross to ransom us from the wrath of God, and our love for Him for showing such amazing love to us that causes us to restrict our freedoms and our will...
to walk by faith, and not by sight (v.7),
to be of good courage in the face of stresses (v.8),
to please Him in all that we do (v.9),
to persuade people to trust Jesus to save them (v.11),
and to speak reasonably with others in the church (v.13).
There is more to verse 14, but I want to save it for the next exposition.
For now, let me close with a summary from Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (NKJV)
ByzantineB |
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RheimsD |
MurdockE |
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6 Θαρροῦντες οὖν πάντοτε καὶG εἰδότες ὅτι ἐνδημοῦντεςH ἐν τῷ σώματι ἐκδημοῦμεν ἀπὸI τοῦ Κυρίου· |
6 We always have courage, therefore, and know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord’s [perspective]. |
6 Therefore we are always confident, X knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: |
6 Therefore having always confidence, X knowing that while we are X X in the body we are absent from the Lord. |
6 Therefore, because we know and are persuaded, that while we lodge in the body we sojourn away from our Lord |
6 Being assured [of heartS] X always, and knowing that [being hereB/ abidingS] in the body we are absent from the Lord; |
7 For, it is by faith that we are walking, not by sight. |
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) |
7 (For we walk by faith [and] not by sight.) |
7 (for we walk by faith, [and] not by sight;) |
7
for we [walk |
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8 θαρροῦμεν δὲ καὶ εὐδοκοῦμεν μᾶλλον ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον. |
8 Indeed, we have courage, and are of a good will rather to be away from home out of the body and to be at home before the Lord. |
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. |
8 But we are confident and have a good will to be absent rather from the body and to be present with the Lord. |
8 therefore we are confident, and desirous to be away from the body, and to be with our Lord. |
8
But being
assured, and well pleased
rather to |
9 διὸ καὶ φιλοτιμούμεθαL, εἴτε ἐνδημοῦντες εἴτε ἐκδημοῦντες, εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι. |
9 As a result, we also aspire to be acceptable to Him, whether at home or away from home. |
9
Wherefore
X we
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9
And
therefore
we
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9 X X We are assiduous, that whether we are absent, or whether at home, we may X please X him. |
9
Therefore, then, we
strive whether being [here] in |
10 τοὺς γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηταιM ἕκαστος τὰ διὰN τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε κακὸνO. |
10 For it is necessary for all of us to be made to appear before the Anointed One’s judgment-bench, in order that each might receive-sentencing for himself for the things which he performed through his body, whether good or bad. |
10
For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done
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10
For we must all be
manifested before the judgment
seat of Christ, that every one may
receive the proper things |
10
For we |
10
For we must all manifest
ourselves
before the judgement-seat of Christ; that each one may
receive according to the |
11 Εἰδότες οὖν τὸν φόβονP τοῦ Κυρίου ἀνθρώπους πείθομενQ, Θεῷ δὲ πεφανερώμεθα, ἐλπίζω δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς συνειδήσεσιν ὑμῶν πεφανερῶσθαι. |
11 Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. Now to God we have been made apparent, and I hope also in your consciences to have been made apparent. |
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. |
11 Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we use persuasion [to] men: but to God we are manifest. And I trust also that in your consciences we are manifest. |
11
Therefore because we know the fear of [our]
Lord we persuade men; and we
are made manifest unto God; and I
hope also, we
are made manifest to your |
11 Knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men, but we are manifested to God; but I hope that I manifested myself in your consciences also. |
12 οὐ [γὰρR] πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάνομεν ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀφορμὴν διδόντες ὑμῖν καυχήματος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα ἔχητε πρὸςS τοὺς ἐν προσώπῳ καυχωμένους καὶ οὐ καρδίᾳ. |
12 We are not endorsing ourselves again to y’all, but rather giving y’all a launching-point for celebration concerning us, in order that y’all might have something in opposition to those who are celebrating in the superficial, but not in the heart. |
12
For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion
|
12
We commend
not ourselves again to you, but give you occasion
|
12
We do not again laud
ourselves to you; but we give you occasion
|
12
We were not commending ourselves to you again, but are
giving to you pretext for
boast about us, that it
may |
13 εἴτε γὰρ ἐξέστημεν, Θεῷ· εἴτε σωφρονοῦμεν, ὑμῖνT. |
13 For if we are out-of-it, we are with God; and if we are reasonable, we are with y’all, |
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your [cause]. |
13 For whether we be transported in mind, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for you. |
13 For if we are extravagant, it is for God: and if we are discreet, it is for you. |
13 For whether if we were mad [of heart, then we were mad] to God; whether we are of sound mind, [then we were of sound mind] to you. |
14 ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη τοῦ ΧριστοῦU συνέχειV ἡμᾶς, κρίνανταςW τοῦτο, ὅτι εἰX εἷς ὑπὲρY πάντων ἀπέθανεν, ἄρα οἱ πάντες ἀπέθανον·Z |
14 because the love of the Anointed one constrains us, since we have discerned this, that if one died on behalf of all, then all died; |
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: |
14 For the charity of Christ presseth us: judging this, that if one died for all, then all were dead. |
14 For the love of the Messiah constraineth us to reason thus: X XAA One died for all; therefore are all dead. |
14 For the love of Christ layeth hold on us; we having judged this: That X one died for all, so then all died; |
1...κάκεῖνοι ὦσι μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ..., Compare with 2 Cor. 5:7 ...ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον.
2μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ
3...ἐπιθυμίαν
ἔχων εἰς τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν χριστῷ
εἶναι…
Compare with 2 Cor. 5:8 ...εὐδοκοῦμεν
μᾶλλον... ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον
4δόκιμος
5ἀξίως τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρεσκείαν, compare with 2 Cor. 5:9 ...εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι.
6ἐχαρίτωσεν, compare with 2 Cor. 5:9 ...εὐάρεστοι.
7“[W]hile we have time we should make every effort to please the Lord.” ~Filson, quoted by Hughes
8Geoffrey Wilson commented, “Paul speaks of the one general judgment of all men…” and went on to quote from G.E. Ladd’s entry on “Eschatology” in the New Bible Dictionary, “It is impossible to identify a series of distinct and separate judgments.”
9P. E. Hughes was the only commentator I ran across who did not see this “persuasion” as evangelism, but rather saw it as convincing critics of his integrity as a minister of the Gospel. While his interpretation supports the focus of the immediate passage, it is not consistent with the use of the word “persuade” throughout the Epistles.
10Actual translation:“For if I happen to be evangelizing, it is not to me a boast, for necessity presses upon me; for woe be unto me if I have not evangelized!” (NAW)
11Ἐγκωμιαζέτω, compare with καυχωμένους in 2 Cor. 5:12.
12Of the 16 other times this verb is used in the Greek New Testament, this is the meaning of 13 of them, and, of the the other three, two describe the amazement people felt about a magician, and one describes the state Jesus’s family thought He was in when they felt like they needed to take custody of Him.
13G. Wilson however denied that this could be the meaning, but the only reason he gave what that “there is no reason to believe that the Corinthians ever saw him in this condition.” But Paul was with them for years, and the scriptural account is not exhaustive, besides, it would require inventing a new meaning for the word that is different from all 16 other instances of the word.
14P. E. Hughes seemed to agree: “[I]t was objected that Paul went to extremes, that he was unbalanced, fanatical, senseless (cf. 11:1, 16), that he courted hardships and hazards beyond all reason (cf. 11:16ff.), that his conduct was characteristic of the religious maniac. ‘If this is madness and fanaticism’, says Paul in effect, ‘then I acknowledge myself to be mad and fanatical--but it is a matter between me and God; what concerns you is the undeniable fact that I was sober-minded in bringing you the good news of Jesus Christ and in all my dealings with you’.”
15Matthew Henry had a good explanation: “Some of Paul's adversaries had, it is likely, reproached him for his zeal and fervour, as if he had been a madman, or, in the language of our days, a fanatic; they imputed all to enthusiasm, as the Roman governor told him, ‘Much learning has made thee mad’ (Acts 26:24). But the apostle tells them... It was for the glory of God, and the good of the church... If they manifested the greatest ardour and vehemency at some times, and used the greatest calmness in strong reasonings at other times, it was for the best ends…” Vincent agreed with that interpretation, and Robertson added, “It is a condition of the first class, and Paul assumes as true the charge that he was crazy (if I was crazy) for the sake of argument... People often accuse those whom they dislike with being a bit off.” Some Bible scholars have related this “ecstasy” (ἐξέστημεν) to the word Paul used later for “foolishness” (ἀφροσύνῃ- in 2 Cor. 11:1, 16-17 & 12:6 – the opposite of σωφρονοῦμεν in 2 Cor. 5:13) but I am skeptical that they could mean the same thing.
16There are other meanings besides, such as to embrace (Prov. 5:20), to shut (Ezek. 33:22) or to press (Luke 8:45).
17ἐπίκειται, synonymous with συνέχει in 2 Cor. 5:14.
AWhen
a translation adds words not in the Greek text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I
put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a
wording which is different from all the other translations, I
underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my
opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek
word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text,
I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word
which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at
the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English
translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the
reader see correlations between the various editions and versions
when there are more than two different translations of a given word.
NAW is my translation. My original chart includes annotated copies
of the NKJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV, but I erase them from the online
edition so as not to infringe on their copyrights.
BThis Greek New Testament is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. As published by E-Sword in 2016. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions, however, are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era, focusing on the few manuscripts which are older than the Byzantine manuscripts. Even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.
C1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published by E-Sword in 2019.
DRheims New Testament first published by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword in 2016.
EJames Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version, 1851, Robert Carter & Brothers, New York. Scanned and transcribed by Gary Cernava and published electronically by Janet Magierra at http://www.lightofword.org, and published on E-Sword in 2023.
FThis is a conflation of the English translations of the Northern Bohairic and Southern Sahidic traditions published by Oxford Clarendon Press in 1905 and 1920 respectively, neither of which named the translator or editor, but I believe it to be George Horner. The beginnings and ends of multiple-word variants are marked out with square brackets, whereas single-word variations are merely marked by a forward-slash, and all are marked with a superscript “S” for Sahidic or “B” for Bohairic. Sahidic manuscripts have lacunae from verse 7b through the end of the chapter, so the variants in this section for that tradition are not known.
GThis conjunction is dropped out of the Vulgate, KJV, NKJV, and ESV. It is translated “and” in RV, ASV/NASB, NIV, NET, as a concessive in Geneva and NLT (“though”), and as a causal by Calvin (“because”).
HThis passage (including verses 8 & 9) is the only one in the Greek Bible with this verb with the en- prefix or its opposite with the ek- prefix. It occurs, however with the apo- prefix in Jesus’ parables when a man “went abroad/to a foreign country” (Matt. 21:33, 25:14-15, Mark 12:1, Luke15:13 and 20:9), and with the epi- prefix to denote citizens or residents in Acts 2:10 & 17:21. The root is related to δεω (“to bind”), emoting boundaries, family bonds, and domains.
IMost English versions interpret this preposition in terms of being away “from” (Louw & Nida Semantic domain #89.122) the Lord, but other scriptures are emphatic that we are never actually “away from” the Lord (viz. Matt. 28:20, Psalm 139:7, Phil 4:5, 2 Cor. 13:14, 2 Thess 3:18, 2 Tim. 4:22, 2 John 1:3), so I suggest it could mean “concerning/with regard to/from the perspective of” the Lord (L&N#90.23a in Smith’s Supplement). This allows for a more consistent translation of the word with the en- prefix (“at home”) and the ek- prefix (“away from home from [the perspective] of the Lord.”)
JAGNT labeled this preposition with L&N#90.8 “by the instrumentality of,” but Turner’s Grammar interpreted it as “with” (indicating manner), which is not listed in L&N or Smith’s Supplement for δια.
KVincent (following the old Latin commentators and followed by Robertson) argued that this should be translated “appearance” (species) rather than “sight.” Calvin seemed to appreciate “appearance” but wrote that “sight” would be easier to understand.
LRare
word, only here, Rom. 15:20, and 1 Thess. 4:11 in the Greek
Bible.
“[W]ell-grounded hopes of heaven... should stir us up
to use the greatest care and diligence in religion: Wherefore, or
because we hope to be present with the Lord, we labour and take
pains… that we may please him who hath chosen us, that our great
Lord may say to us, ‘Well done.’” ~Matthew Henry
MThis verb is construed as middle voice by grammarians, so I gave it a reflexive meaning, but the NASB and NET reasonably interpreted it as passive. The rest of the English versions ignored the middle/passive spelling and translated it as an active verb, but the English “receive” connotes some self-benefit and passivity, so it is no great difference in meaning.
NAlthough most English versions translate this preposition as “in,” neither the Louw & Nida (L&N) Lexicon nor Smith’s Supplement list this as a meaning for this preposition. The NIV did well to choose the temporal “while” (L&N Semantic domain#67.136) for this preposition. I chose the more-common instrumental meaning of this preposition (L&N#90.8), and so did A. T. Robertson, “through the agency of the body.” Vincent interpreted it as “through the medium of the body” (L&N#84.29).
O“Bad”
is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (including the
two oldest-known) and therefore of the Greek Orthodox and Textus
Receptus (T.R.) editions of the Greek New Testament (GNT), but 9
Greek manuscripts (including two of the 5 manuscripts dated as older
than the 7th century) instead read φαυλον, which is
a synonym for “evil behavior” in four other places in the NT
where the manuscripts are not divided (Jn. 3:20; 5:29; Tit. 2:8;
Jas. 3:16) and one other place (Rom. 9:11) where contemporary
critical scholars have accepted the manuscripts that used paulos
instead of the majority that used kakos. (It might also be
noted that most passages that contrast good and evil behavior use
agathos and kakos rather than paulos, without
variants among the manuscripts (Luke 16:25; Rom. 3:8; 7:19; 12:21;
13:3,4; 16:19; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Pet. 3:10,11; 3 John 1:11). But
ultimately, there is no difference in meaning.
Plummer found
significance in the change from plural “things done in the body”
to the singular “good” or “bad,” inferring that, “although
persons will be judged one by one and not in groups, yet conduct in
each case will be judged as a whole. In other words, it is character
rather than separate acts that will be rewarded (in the case of
believers) or punished (in the case of unbelievers).” It seems
rather a lot to infer from a small hint in grammar, but I can’t
think of any scripture which would object to this theory.
P.E.
Hughes inferred that since we will be judged only for the good or
bad done “in the body,” then “the conflict between good and
bad within the individual [can]... in no sense... continue... in
the... disembodied intermediate state.”
P“The apostle... was excited to persuade men to repent, and live a holy life, that, when Christ shall appear terribly, they may appear before him comfortably.” ~M. Henry
QNeither Robertson nor Turner saw this as a simple present tense, but I don’t see why they didn’t. Robertson labeled it conative, referring to the beginning of an action, and Turner introduced the idea that it was incomplete action and added the words “try to,” which the NIV used.
RThis conjunction is in the majority of Greek manuscripts and therefore the T.R. and Greek Orthodox and Tischendorf editions, but it is not in 11 manuscripts (and every manuscript penned before the 9th century is among those 11, although one has an undated correction note inserting the gar). Significantly, it is also not to be found in the ancient Vulgate, Peshitta, or Coptic versions. The Tregelles, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions of the GNT therefore omit it. It does not change the meaning of the text, though.
SRobertson
interpreted this as “against” (L&N semantic domain
#90.33).
Matthew Henry: “The true reason was this, to put an
argument in their mouths wherewith to answer his accusers...”
TThe Greek grammar is not specific as to whether it is “to,” “for,” or “with God.” The dative case without any other preposition could mean any of those things. But I believe that since all the explicitly-written verbs in v. 13 have “we” as the subject, then the implied verbs-of-being relating them to God and to the church should also have “we” as their subject. In other words, it seems to me that the grammar calls for, “we are with God… we are with y’all,” rather than, “it is for God… it is for you.” Moule also seemed skeptical that “for the sake of” was the right translation, and Hughes rendered the dative as “unto.” However, the great New Testament Greek Grammarians A.T. Robertson, N. A. Turner, and Daniel Wallace all labeled these as “datives of advantage,” “for God… for you,” (although Turner insisted the latter was a “dative of reference” because it does not refer to actual advantages) and all the standard English versions translated it that way. G. Wilson cited Lenski approvingly as commenting, “‘For God’ and ‘for you’ are not in opposition, and do not exclude each other, as though ‘for God’ meant ‘for him and not for you’, and ‘for you’ meant ‘for you and not for God.’” Wilson added, “All that Paul did and does is for God and for you!”
UTurner and Robertson in their Grammars, and Vincent in his Word Studies, labeled this a subjective genitive (“the love Christ has for us”), but I am comfortable leaving it ambiguous.
V“The
idea is not urging [NKJV/NIV=compels] or driving
[NASB/ESV=controls], but shutting up to one line and purpose, as in
a narrow, walled road.” ~Vincent
“shuts him in, confines
him as between two walls” ~P. E. Hughes
“Paul’s
conception of Christ’s love for him holds him together to his task
whatever men think or say.” ~A.T. Robertson
WNASB, and ESV properly corrected their parent versions, the ASV and RV, interpreting this Aorist participle as happening before (rather than during) the main verb. NET also got it right. Fausset commented, “...implying a judgment formed at conversion, and ever since regarded as a settled truth,” a quote which A.T. Robertson copied almost verbatim into his Word Pictures. Hughes also supports this as meaning a past conclusion of Paul’s.
XThis is the reading of the majority of Greek manuscripts (the oldest among which is the 5th century Ephraemi Rescriptus) and therefore of the T.R. and Greek Orthodox editions and Geneva and KJV. But all the contemporary English versions drop the word “if” because it is missing in a large minority of the manuscripts (including not being in 5 of the 6 oldest-known manuscripts) and therefore not in the UBS or Tregelles GNT editions.
YHughes:
“The substitutionary force of the preposition here is plainly
indicated by the conclusion, “therefore all died”; for this
conclusion cannot be valid except on the understanding that Christ
died in the stead of all, as their substitute… On His dying for
me, His meeting the demands of God's justice in my stead, depends
the reality of my justification; and on my dying with Him depends
the whole possibility of my sanctification.”
Tasker:
“...He died the death they should have died; the penalty of their
sins was borne by Him; He died in their place”. Strachan:
“There can be little doubt that the words ‘One has died for all’
bear a substitutionary meaning.”
Denney: “Plainly,
if Paul's conclusion is to be drawn, the ‘for’ must reach deeper
than this mere suggestion of our advantage: if we all died, in that
Christ died for us, there must be a sense in which that death of His
is ours; He must be identified with us in it... filling our place
and dying our death”.
Alford: “not only, for the
benefit of all, as Meyer,--but instead of all…”
Athanasius:
“He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it
to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that, as all
died in Him, the law relating to the corruption of men might be
abolished.”
ZMatthew
Henry seems to have followed the Vulgate and Geneva which
misinterpreted “all died” to “all were dead.” A.T.
Robertson’s interpretation is better, “[T]he one died for the
all and so the all died when he did, all the spiritual death
possible for those for whom Christ died. This is Paul’s gospel,
clear-cut, our hope today.”
G.
Wilson commented that “the nature of the atonement settles its
extent,” and quoted F. F. Bruce, “The
inescapable meaning of this statement is that the ‘all’ for whom
Christ died are those who also died ‘in the person of their
representative.’”
AALamsa and Etheridge both render the Peshitta into English with “that if,” but there doesn’t appear to be a specific word in the Aramaic for these English words here.