2 Cor. 5 2 Cor. 5:1–9 Paul declareth that, in assured hope of a blessed immortality hereafter, he was indifferent to life, and laboured only to approve himself to Christ, 2 Cor.

The apostle had before said, that he looked at the things not seen; in this verse he openeth himself, and showeth what those unseen things are: We (saith he) know, we have a certain persuasion, we doubt not of it, but that if our body were dissolved.

We are so confident of such a blessed state, that we passionately desire to be invested into it; and this groaning is also an evidence of it, for the desire of grace shall not be made frustrate; desirous that our mortality may put on immortality, and our corruption may put on incorruption.

Some make the clothing here spoken of different from the clothing before mentioned; and make this verse restrictive of what the apostle had before said, of the certainty which some have of being clothed upon with a glorious body.

By tarbenacle, he meaneth (as he had before expounded it) the earthly house of our body. Do groan; both a groaning of grief, and also of desire. Being burdened; either with the body of flesh; or with sin, the body of death, Rom. 7:24; or with the load of trials and afflictions.

The selfsame thing is the life, the eternal life, mentioned in the former verse; the house in the heavens, not made with hands, 2 Cor. 5:1. God hath wrought us for it (as some interpret the text) in creation, and by his providence, forming our bodies in the womb: but it is much better interpreted…

We are always full of courage and comfort, being confident of this glory, and the swallowing up of mortality in life: for we know, that while we are in our earthly home (which is our body) we are farthest off from that which is our true home, (which is heaven), from the vision and fruition of God;…

That is, we live, and order our conversations, not by sight, or any evidence of sense, but by faith, which is described by the apostle, Heb. 11:1, to be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We are confident of such a blessed state, and this makes us willing to be out of this body, that we might have the glorious presence and enjoyment of God to all eternity.

Having such a hope, yea, not such a hope only, but such an assurance and confidence, we labour, both actively, doing the will of God, and passively, submitting to the will of God in all afflictive providences; that while we are in the body, and absent from the Lord, we may be accepted of him; as we…

The apostle declareth, either the ground of his confidence, or, rather, the reason of his and other believers’ labour, so to behave themselves, as that, both in life and death, they might be accepted of God; that was, his knowledge and firm belief of the last judgment.

We believing and being fully persuaded, that there shall be such a great and terrible day of the Lord, when there shall be such a narrow inquiry and search into whatsoever men have thought, spoke, or done in the flesh; we persuade men to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to walk according to the…

I do not speak this to commend myself unto you; he had before declared, that he trusted that he was made manifest to their consciences, and so needed not further to commend himself.

It should seem, that some amongst the Corinthians, amongst other reproaches, had reproached Paul for a madman; either taking advantage of the warmth and fervour of his spirit, or of those ecstasies in which he sometimes was; or of his speaking things which they could not apprehend and understand:…

The love of Christ signifieth either that love towards the sons of men which was in Christ before the foundation of the world; for even then (as Solomon telleth us, Prov.

And he died for all those for whom he died, not only to redeem them from the guilt of sin, but also from their vain conversation; that they which live by his grace, might not make themselves the end of their life, and live to serve themselves, and gratify their own corrupt inclinations; but might…

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: words of sense in Scripture ordinarily signify more than the act of that sense which they express; particularly this term know ordinarily signifieth to approve and acknowledge; and so it signifies here.

If any man be in Christ, is as much as, if any man be implanted or ingrafted into Christ, by faith united to him, he is a new creature; ( the Greek is, a new creation); a phrase which argueth the greatest change imaginable, and such a one as can be wrought in the soul by no other power than the…

And all things are of God; this change, which is wrought in our hearts, is not of ourselves, but wrought in us by the great and mighty power of God: so John 1:13; Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God; of God, as the principal efficient…

God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself; by world, here, some would understand all mankind, and by reconciling, no more than making God reconcilable; but this proceedeth from an over fondness of their principle of Christ’s dying for all, and every man.

The apostle here giveth us a true notion, not only of apostles, which were the first and principal ministers of the gospel, but of all other ministers; teaching us what all ministers should be, and what all true ministers of the gospel are. They are ambassadors for Christ.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: Christ knew no sin, as he was guilty of no sin; Which of you (saith he, John 8:46) convinceth me of sin? 1 Pet. 2:22, He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: but God made him to be sin for us.