Paul struggling with the intangibility of Christianity in a material world again. And articulating it for the ages.
The flow of thought is still against the background question of Paul’s credibility as a Christian leader.
He is aware that his readers, by and large, will understand and share the eternal perspective, the longing just to be in heaven with Christ, that makes Paul compare badly to preachers who are designing their persona for earthly success. He going on about it so passionately to give them the words and ideas to persuade others.
It’s do or die for Paul. He’s seen their church so quickly threaten to be just another worldly organisation that loses the whole point of the Jesus’ mission of reconciling the world to God, one human heart at a time.
So this is not just about who-the-hell-Paul-thinks-he-is, these are words by which the focus and purpose of churches, and Christians, can be measured down the course of history. As indeed they have proven.
This chapter has so many beautiful encapsulations of what Christianity is all about, that are much easier to grab than the flow of argument:
1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
7 For we live by faith, not by sight.
14-15 Christ’s love compels us … he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
(“The love of Christ compels us” is on the wall of every Salvo church, staring down at the multitude of weird and wonderful events those halls witness…)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I mean just wow. They work stand-alone as hooks straight to the heart of the good news about Christ. But if you’re coming off reading the old testament… so rich.
That opening verse! “if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God“. Recalling the tabernacle that the Israelites dragged through the desert from Egypt to Canaan. And God’s command to king David that he had to leave Solomon the job of building the brick and mortar temple. And the matching promise that God was building David a spiritual house, now realised. All on the theme of things that appear transient and permanent switching places in eternal significance… a wry reference to Paul ‘merely’ being a tent maker, perhaps?
And so it goes. What am I taking from it? Clarity. These are familiar verses, but not to be dismissed. It measures me, as it is intended to, and it inspires me to love God and tune out to worldly values.
Praying for Afghan women, I read another story yesterday. Thinking about truth, facing truth is the only way forward towards justice. Praying for the nieces getting married this weekend, and the mental health of the community.