In this enlightening episode, we dive into the richness of 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, where the Apostle Paul discusses the transformative power of faith and becoming a new creation in Christ. Our guest reader, Dr. Michael Elliott, takes us through the 21 verses, exploring themes of reconciliation, courage, and the eternal promises of God. Alan J. Huth shares personal reflections from his Bible reading journals spanning three decades, offering insights into living beyond the physical and embracing the spiritual journey. Join us as we unpack the Apostle Paul’s metaphor of the body as a tent, the call to walk
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Alan J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today we are in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Our guest reader, Dr. Michael Elliott, pastor of Regency Christian Center in Parker, Colorado, will read the 21 verses of 2 Corinthians chapter 5.
SPEAKER 02 :
2 Corinthians 5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.” For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened. Not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart.” For if we are beside ourselves, what is it for God? If we are in our right mind, what is it for you? For the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this, that one who has died for all, therefore all have died. And he died for all that those who live might no longer live to themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we were once regarded by Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER 03 :
I believe I actually have a journal entry in all three journals on this chapter. So let’s start with 1994. I wrote, we walk by faith and not by sight. That’s hard to do. Hebrews 11.1 says, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It’s tough to be blind and walk. It’s hard to look beyond what we see in the physical and in our mind’s eye. Faith takes depending on God, not us. And then I wrote about verse 14, love of Christ controls us. And then verse 15, all that live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. In 2004, I was reading again the Bible chronologically, and I read 2 Corinthians chapters 5 through 9 on the same day. And I wrote, you speak through your word. We walk by faith, not by sight, for the love of Christ controls us. He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose on their behalf. And then I also wrote, we are ambassadors for Christ. And in 2015, I was reading a couple of chapters a day, and I read 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 on the same day. That’s, by the way, when I did finally get to Australia. If you’d like to know a little bit more about international travel, I wrote in my journal, I lost a day traveling 24 hours from home to here. That was from Denver, Colorado to the Gold Coast in Australia. So in my journal, I wrote life is more than physical. And I was looking at verses one through seven. And then I wrote, so always be of good courage. That’s verse eight. Live to please him. That’s verse 9. May the love of Christ control me. That’s verse 14. And then I referred to verse 15 and I wrote Galatians 2.20 restated. So let me read verse 15. And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. I was saying that that was a restatement of Galatians 2.20, which says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Then I continued in my journal, my life doesn’t matter. Only Christ living through me matters. Then I quoted a verse, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. That’s verse 17. And then I wrote, yes, yes, thank you. I finished on chapter 5 with this passage out of my journal. We are ambassadors for Christ, proclaiming the message of reconciliation. And that’s verse 20. So now let’s go back to some of the key points of this chapter. Interestingly, Paul the tent maker begins chapter 5 with the illustration of the body being a tent. He says in verse 1, For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens. Then he says in verse 2, For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling. Well, I’m not sure I would have said that in my 20s or my 30s, but now that I’m in my 60s, yeah, my tent is groaning. And verse 6, Paul says, we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. So one of these days, we’re going to give up this tent, this body, and have our heavenly bodies. Hallelujah. And then Paul encourages us to walk by faith, not by sight, and that we make it our aim to please him. Why should we do this? Why should we walk by faith and not by sight? Why should we make it our aim to please him? Well, Paul tells us in verse 10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. So though we are not saved by our works, we are going to be judged by what we’ve done on earth in this body. Let me read it again. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body whether good or evil. And I love verse 17. Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold the new has come. I have been a Christian since I was 15 years old. I started reading the Bible the day I became a Christian, and I have always believed in this verse. I am so thankful that in Christ I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things became new for me. I hope that’s true for you, that in Christ you are a new creation. You’re not holding on to the things of the past, but you’re allowing God to mold you and shape you each and every day. Lord, we may be stuck in this tent, this human body, as we live here on earth. We know the tent, this human body ages, it groans, it will be destroyed, each one of us. But we’re so thankful you are preparing for us a new body, a heavenly body, to live eternity in. We’re also so thankful, Lord, that old things have passed away. All things become new when we believe in you. We are so thankful, Lord, we don’t have to carry our baggage from the past into our future. Father, I, for one, give you permission to continue to set aside the old things in my life and make me new in you. Thank you for making me a new creation. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Across our listening audience, more and more of you are supporting AdBible by visiting our website at EzraProject.net and purchasing resources like Club 365 subscriptions, Bible reading journals, and one or more of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. We thank you so much and encourage more of you to do the same. You will find helpful and inspirational tools to enhance your personal time in God’s Word. Today I want to review the three tools we see most listeners getting. First, Club 365. This is a monthly subscription opening our vault of all Add Bible audio recordings and all printed pages of the entire Day by Day through the Bible devotional series. By joining Club 365 for only $7 a month, you have access to both audio and written information on all 66 books of the Bible. Club 365 is a goldmine, and it is completely flexible to your personal Bible reading plan. So if you’re reading Matthew or Isaiah or Psalms or Revelation, you have access to audio or written comments, applications, and prayers on any of them at your fingertips. Get Club 365 at EzraProject.net today, like so many others have. Secondly, another hot seller are our Bible reading journals. We offer two. One is a chronological Bible reading journal that contains a daily Bible reading plan chronologically. You don’t have to buy a chronological Bible. Just get our chronological Bible reading journal. It has over 200 pages, so you can journal your way through the entire Bible. This book is our number one bestseller over the last two decades. The other journal is called the Trio Bible Reading Journal because it has three annual Bible reading plans in it. a New Testament schedule, an Old Testament schedule. But if you do them both on the same day, a complete Bible reading plan, you’ll finish the Bible in 365 days. We have a limited supply of the TRIO Bible reading journal. The cool thing about our journals is is they start when you start. Day one of the schedule is the day you start, not January 1. Again, completely flexible to your Bible reading habits. Order your journal for just $9 at EzraProject.net and we ship it free. And the third product people are ordering is one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. There are only 11, but they cover all 66 books of the Bible, filled with comments about passages, applications from the passages, and prayers related to the passages. Listeners are understanding Bible passages in a whole new way, thanks to digging deeper with a day-by-day supplement to their daily devotions. You can find all 11 books on our website at EzraProject.net. They are available in print and digitally. Get one today and start understanding your Bible in a whole new way. So that’s all for today. Join me tomorrow for another chapter of AdBible. I know you’re going to enjoy it.
