2 Korintiërs 5

1 Ons liggame is soos ’n tent waarin ’n mens woon. Ons weet, wanneer God hierdie tent van ons afbreek, die tent wat op die aarde is, dan het ons ’n gebou van God in die hemel. Dit is nie mense wat dit gebou het nie, en dit is vir altyd. 2 Terwyl ons in hierdie tent van ons woon, kla en sug ons. Ons verlang om ons hemelse gebou bo-oor ons tent te sit. 3 Wanneer ons weggegaan het uit hierdie tent op die aarde, dan wil ons nie niks hê nie. 4 Ja, ons wat nog in die aardse tent woon, sug. Ons kry swaar, want ons is bang om weg te gaan uit die aardse tent. Ons wil die hemelse gebou bo-oor die tent sit sodat ons hemelse lewe dadelik sal kom in die plek van ons aardse lewe.

5 Dit is God wat ons gereedgemaak het om dadelik te verander. Hy het sy Gees vir ons gegee, en so weet ons dat God vir ons alles sal gee wat Hy vir ons belowe het.
6 Maar ons glo en tvertrou altyd. Ons weet dat ons nog nie by die Here woon terwyl ons in ons liggame woon nie. 7 Ons moet glo terwyl ons hier op die aarde lewe. Ons sien nog nie alles soos dit sal wees nie. 8 Maar ons glo en vertrou en ons verlang daarna om nie meer in ons liggame te woon nie, ons verlang om by die Here te woon. 9 Daarom probeer ons om só te lewe dat die Here tevrede sal wees met ons terwyl ons in ons liggame woon en ook wanneer ons nie meer in ons liggame woon nie.

10 Want Christus sal ons almal eendag toordeel wanneer ons voor sy tregterstoel staan. Dan sal elke persoon kry wat hy moet kry. As iemand goeie dinge gedoen het terwyl hy hier op die aarde gelewe het, dan sal hy goeie dinge kry. As iemand slegte dinge gedoen het, dan sal hy slegte dinge kry.

Die werk wat alles regmaak tussen God en mense

15 Ja, Christus het vir almal gesterf. Daarom moet die mense wat nou ’n nuwe lewe het, nie meer lewe vir hulleself nie. Nee, hulle moet lewe vir Christus, want Christus het vir hulle gesterf, en God het Hom weer laat lewe. Christus het dit gedoen vir die mense wat nou ’n nuwe lewe het.
16 Daarom, van nou af dink ons nie meer soos tongelowiges oor mense nie. Ons het miskien voorheen oor Christus gedink soos mense wat ongelowig is, maar nou doen ons dit nie meer nie. 17 As iemand aan Christus behoort, dan het God daardie persoon ’n nuwe mens gemaak. Die persoon se ou lewe is verby, ja, hy het ’n nuwe lewe gekry. 18 Dit is God wat al hierdie dinge gedoen het. Hy het ons met Hom tversoen omdat ons aan Christus behoort. God het vir ons die werk gegee om mense met Hom te versoen.

19 Dit beteken dat God die wêreld met Hom versoen het omdat mense aan Christus behoort. Hy het die sonde wat mense gedoen het, nie gestraf nie. En Hy het vir ons gesê ons moet vir mense vertel dat God so vir hulle versoening gedoen het.
20 Ons werk nou vir Christus omdat God ons gekies het. God gebruik ons om vir julle te preek. Daarom vra ons vir julle mooi maar ernstig, nee, dit is Christus wat dit vra: Julle moet aanvaar dat God versoening gedoen het vir julle. 21 Christus het self nie sonde gedoen nie. Maar God het vir Christus laat voel hoe dit is om swaar te kry oor die sonde wat mense doen. God het dit vir ons gedoen. Want God het ons nou tvrygespreek van ons sonde omdat ons aan Christus behoort.

2 Corinthians 5

Our Home in Heaven

1 We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it.
2 During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing.3 Then we will not be naked.
4 While we live in this tent of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don't want to be naked. We want to be dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life.
5 God has made us for that very purpose. He has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes us sure of what is still to come.
6 So here is what we can always be certain about. As long as we are at home in our bodies, we are away from the Lord.7 We live by believing, not by seeing.8 We are certain about that. We would rather be away from our bodies and at home with the Lord.9 So we try our best to please him. We want to please him whether we are at home in our bodies or away from them.
10 We must all stand in front of Christ to be judged. Each one of us will be judged for the good things and the bad things we do while we are in our bodies. Then each of us will receive what we are supposed to get.

Christ Brings Us Back to God

11 We know what it means to have respect for the Lord. So we try to help other people to understand it.
What we are is plain to God. I hope it is also plain to your way of thinking.12 We are not trying to make an appeal to you again. But we are giving you a chance to take pride in us. Then you can answer those who take pride in how people look rather than in what is really in their hearts.
13 Are we out of our minds? That is because we want to serve God. Does what we say make sense? That is because we want to serve you.
14 Christ's love controls us. We are sure that one person died for everyone. And so everyone died.
15 Christ died for everyone. He died so that those who live should not live for themselves anymore. They should live for Christ. He died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we don't look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don't anymore.
17 Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!18 It is all from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ's death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.
19 God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people's sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him.20 So we are Christ's official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God!
21 Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.