“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.” 2 Corinthians 5:1 ESV
Reflection: what will your heavenly mansion look like?
We were out for a walk yesterday with our grandson, and noticed that construction had just started on a lot that had been empty. The builder had already completed the foundation, and was in the middle of framing. As we walked by, we could smell the fresh wood being used to structure walls and the roof. And we commented about the joy of being in this phase of building, watching the walls come up, seeing the structure of the building take form. From an idea, a concept in someone’s mind, to an actual, physical structure that someone can live in. Speaking of living in, if you have received Christ Jesus as your savior, and believe in his name, you know that
You are a new creation in Christ, right?
In our focus verse today, we see that Paul makes this very interesting comparison between our earthly, physical bodies and our heavenly bodies. He compares them to a “tent” versus an “eternal house” with God. A mansion, if you will, created by God. The foundation of this new, heavenly house has already been laid. Paul wrote previously “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 ESV. So, Jesus Christ is our foundation of our heavenly home, a structure and building that God has envisioned our heavenly building to be. He has also given us His Spirit to live in us as a down payment, a guarantee. Or perhaps in the building process of our eternal mansion, the Spirit is more like a building supervisor. Because,
The construction of our heavenly mansion is already going on!
As we go through life, our heavenly, eternal mansion is being built. Jesus said, ““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3 ESV. Jesus is preparing this place, this mansion, each day in our lives, as we become more and more like him.
Paul writes, “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-17 ESV
Our heavenly mansions are not yet visible to us.
But we can sense them, sense the outline of the building that God is preparing, within ourselves and with others. Paul explains “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV. “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.” 2 Corinthians 5:4-9 ESV
He who created all the beauty that we can see, that our earthly bodies are like a tent, we can only image how magnificent the heavenly mansions will be when completed!! He is the creator, the master builder of our eternal mansions. So let’s not be too concerned about the aging of our tents, our earthly bodies, but instead be focused on the construction of our eternal mansions.