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1 Indeed, we know that even if the mortal “tent” in which we presently live, made of earth, should be torn down, we will surely receive, from God, a solid building, an eternal house not made by human hands, stored away in the heavens.
2 In our present body, you see, we groan, longing to become clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
3 in the hope that when we become clothed, we will not find ourselves naked.
4 Indeed, it is we who are in these tents who are groaning, burdened as we are, because our desire is not to be stripped of our old bodies, but to be clothed with our new ones, so that what is mortal may be “swallowed up”+ by life.
5 Now the one who prepares us for this very thing is God, who has placed in us a down payment of the things to come, that is, his Spirit.
6 Having courage always, therefore, and yet knowing that while we remain in these mortal bodies we are away from the presence of the Lord
7 (it is by faith, you see, that we live our lives, not by sight)—
8 we have courage, I say, and yet would prefer to take leave of these broken bodies and be in the presence of the Lord.
9 That is why we also desire more than anything else, whether we remain in these bodies or not, to be pleasing to him.
10 All of us, you see, are destined to have the truth of our lives disclosed before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each person may be repaid according to the things he did while in his mortal body, whether good or evil.
11 Since we know the fear of the Lord, therefore, it is mankind to whom we present our appeal, and it is God to whom the truth of our lives is already disclosed. And I hope that it is already disclosed, too, to your consciences.
12 We are not trying to establish our own credibility with you again, but are trying to give you good reason to speak highly of us, so that you may have something to say to those from whose mouths it is outward appearance that is lifted high, rather than what is in the heart.
13 If we have “lost our minds,” you see, it is in service to God; if we are in our right minds, it is in service to you.
14 Indeed, the love of the Messiah impels us, for we have reached this conclusion: One man died for the sake of all mankind, which means that all mankind was dead;
15 it was for the sake of all mankind that the Messiah died, so that the recipients of new life would live their lives no longer for themselves, but in service to the one who for their sake died and was raised to life.
16 So then, we, from this time forth, refuse to evaluate anyone according to mere human standards. Although we at one time evaluated even the Messiah himself according to human standards, now we no longer do so.
17 So then, if someone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation. “The things of long ago” have passed; look, “new things” have come into being!+
18 All these things, moreover, are the work of God, who reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation.
19 In other words, God was in the Messiah reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s offenses against them, and assigning to us the message of reconciliation.
20 It is as authorized representatives, therefore, that we carry out our ministry on behalf of the Messiah, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on behalf of the Messiah: “Be reconciled to God!”
21 The one who was himself innocent of sin God made to be a restitution offering for us. And so we, according to plan, became the righteousness of God in union with the Messiah.