THE KING’S BUSINESS
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lay aside this present one. In this present body we are “burdened,” and “groan,” but our intense desire is not merely to get rid of this present body, no, something far beyond that. Our intense desire is to get the glorious resurrection body, not merely to be “unclothed” but to be “clothed upon.” The rightly instructed believer is not long ing merely for a state where our present imperfect bodies shall be laid aside and where we shall exist as disembodied spirits, but for a state where we shall have A per fect resurrection body. In that state, (i. e., when we shall have our perfect resurrection bodies), “what is mortal” shall “be swal lowed up of life (more accurately, by the life).” By the expression, “what is mortal,” Paul clearly refers to the body. That is our only mortal part, and that is to be swallowed up by life. That is to say, there shall be nothing mortal about us. There will not only be an undying spirit, but also an undying body. Tuesday, February 12 . 2 Cor. 5 : 5 . There is One who has “wrought us for this very thing” that Paul has been describ ing in the preceding verse. What is meant by “wrought us” is that He has worked us out by redemption, justification, regenera tion, sanctification, and adoption, for this very thing, the resurrection body and all that it includes. That One who has “wrought us out for this very thing” is God. But God has not only wrought us out for this very thing, He has further more given us a foretaste and guarantee of it (“earnest.” The force of this word is a foretaste, a guarantee.) That foretaste and guarantee, or “earnest” is “the Spirit” whom we have already received and whose glorious life-giving power we have already experienced. If we are true believers in Christ, in our spirits we have already expe rienced this glorious life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, and in what He has done in our spirits we have a prophecy and guar antee of what He will do in our bodies (cf. Rom. 8:11, 23).
and plural.) And here again the evident thought is a body that never ceases to be, and we have here another illustration that this Greek word which is rendered “eternal” means endless, according to its New Testa ment usage. The most solidly built castle of earth will crumble in time: the house we are to have will never crumble. When sun and moon and stars shail pass away that body still lasts. We have taught here, not the immortality of the soul, but the absolute endlessness of our resurrection bodies. (4) It is;, “in the heavens,” not merely heavenly, but “in the heavens.” Paul ,says "we have this house,” not we shall have it. It is ours already (cf. John 3 :36; 5:24; 6:47). The actual entering into it and enjoying it belongs to the' future, but it is ours now. The title is clear and belongs to us. Monday, February II. 2 Cor. 5:2-4- ‘ While in this present body “we groan,” in our earnest longing for the glorious habitation that is to be .ours. Our present body, good as it is in many respects, has grave imperfections and is often a hindrance to our highest and holiest ambitions, and every intelligent believer longs for that perfect home that is to be ours, and in the intensity of our longing groan for it (cf. Rom. 8:22, 23). The word translated .“earnestly desire” in the Authorized Ver sion, and “longing” in the Revised Version is a very strong word, standing for the most intense yearning, or longing, or desire. How many of the readers of these notes really are yearning for that body which is to be theirs at the coming of the Lord? Our earnest yearning, or longing, is. espe cially, according to this verse, to be clothed upon with our resurrection body, and according to verse 3, to be clothed upon with that body before we lay aside our present body. That body with which we are to be clothed upon will be a permanent home, “our habitation,” and it will be “from (rather, out of) heaven.” If we remain alive until the coming of the Lord we shall be clothed upon with that house before we
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