2 Corinthians 5

And as the soul does not die, so neither does it sleep in the body for a time. If the soul be at death absent from the body (2 Corinthians 5:8), then it cannot sleep in the body. There is an immediate passage from death to Glory: It is but winking and we shall see God (Luke 23:4…

3. The saints at death shall not only have a sight of God, but shall enjoy the love of God; there shall be no more veil on God's face, nor his smiles checkered with frowns, but God's love shall discover itself in all its radiant beauty and fragrant sweetness. Here the saints pra…

In fact, yet a further degree of Christ's humility, he not only was made flesh, but in the likeness of sinful flesh. He knew no sin, yet he was made sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was like a sinner, he had all sin laid upon him, but no sin lived in him (Isaiah 53:12).

For such a High Priest became us, who is holy, undefiled, separate from sinners. Christ knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21); he knew sin in the weight, not in the act. It was requisite that he who was to do away the sins of others, should himself be without sin.

Let our hearts and tongues join in consort to bless God, and let us show our thankfulness to Christ by fruitfulness; let us bring forth (as spice trees) the fruits of humility, zeal, good works. This is to live to him, who has died for us (2 Corinthians 5:15). The wise men did n…

2. Creatures above us glorify God: the angels are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). They are still waiting on God's throne, and bring some revenues of glory into the exchequer of heaven: then surely man should be much more studious of God's glory than the angels, for God has h…

Seneca says, True joy latet in profundo — it is hidden within. Worldly joy is in Superficie; it lies in the outside, like the dew that wets the leaf (2 Corinthians 5:12). Who rejoice in appearance — [illegible Greek text] — in the face.

And God does first hew and polish them by affliction, that they may be fit for the heavenly building. The House of Bondage prepares for the house not made with hands (2 Corinthians 5:1). The vessels of mercy are seasoned with affliction, and then the wine of glory is poured in.

2. They shall be openly acquitted at the day of Judgment. This is to be laid down for a position, that there shall be a Day of Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

In this heavenly kingdom is that which is satisfying, unparalleled beauty, rivers of pleasure; and this for ever: (Psalm 16:11) At your right hand are pleasures for evermore: Heaven's eminence is its permanency; and this kingdom God's children shall enter into immediately after…

3. That Christ should not only die for sinners, but die as a sinner. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He was made sin for us. He who was among the glorious persons of the Trinity, was numbered among transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).

They are the messengers of the Lord of Hosts (Malachi 2:7). They represent no less than God himself (2 Corinthians 5:20): Now then we are ambassadors for Christ. Jesus Christ was of this calling; he had his mission and sanction from heaven (John 8:18).

3. Faith is a grace so acceptable to God, because by faith we present a righteousness to God which does best please him. We bring the righteousness of Christ into the court, which is called the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). To bring Christ's righteousness, is to bri…

In this spotless robe of Christ, we outshine the angels. Theirs is but the righteousness of creatures, this is the righteousness of God himself (2 Corinthians 5:21): "That we might be made the righteousness of God in him." How great a blessing then is forgiveness?

2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. In this Scripture consists the essence and soul of religion.

Third, to put the greater difference between the estate of God's children here and that hereafter in heaven. To this very purpose is that speech of the apostle in 2 Corinthians 5:7: 'Here we walk by faith, not by sight.' He had said before that the estate of believers in this li…

Light, says the apostle (Ephesians 5:13), is that whereby things are made manifest — that is, to the sense of sight, to which light properly belongs. And as light and faith are here severed, as you see; so sight also is in 2 Corinthians 5:7 distinguished from faith, which is the…

You have been in hell — give warning to others against coming there. 'Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men' (2 Corinthians 5:11). If the rich man had come back from hell, what stories would he have told to scare all his brothers?

For, God does not justify him that lies rotting in his former sins, and weltering in his old corruption; but him that believes in Christ, and repents of his sins. And that man in his faith is justified, and in his repentance sanctified, and so he is made a new man: yea, as Saint…

Now, if all men had been effectually called, then all would have received the promise of the Gospel; but many Nations in former ages never heard of Christ: and therefore there was never in all ages a general effectual calling of all men. Objection. Paul saith, God reconciled the…

4. Love to God must be active; it is like fire, which is the most active element; it is called, The Labour of Love, 1 Thessalonians 1.3. Love is no idle grace, it sets the head a studying for God, the feet a running in the ways of his Commandments: The love of Christ constrains,…

So Paul was contented to bear the afflictions which God had laid upon him, and his reason was, "Because (says he) we look not on things which are seen, but on things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2…

And so he is said to be righteous who has a change of heart wrought in him, and is transformed by the renewing of his mind (Romans 12:2). Such an one, though he is not another man, yet he is a new man (2 Corinthians 5:17). The faculties are not new, but the qualities; as the str…

Again, works are to be done in regard of men: that our neighbor may be helped in worldly things — Luke 6:38; that he may be won by our example to godliness — 1 Peter 3:14; that we may prevent in ourselves the giving of any offense — 1 Corinthians 10:32; that by doing good we may…

Reason 2. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God which is in him. From which I reason thus: As Christ was made sin for us, so are we made the righteousness of God in him: but Christ was made sin, or, a sinner…

As for Christ's burial and resurrection which followed his death, they served not to satisfy but to confirm and ratify the same. Again Paul says (2 Corinthians 5:21): He that knew no sin was made sin for us, that is, the punishment of sin for us; but if the Church of Rome says t…

Indeed, if you were to die in your sins — as John 8:21 — if death as a king reigned over you — Romans 5:14 — if it could feed upon you as the lion does upon its prey — Psalm 49:14 — if hell followed the pale horse as Revelation 6:8 describes — then you might well startle and shr…

And in like equipage here of preparation to that end, he says, He that has wrought us [for this thing] is God. In this very chapter (2 Corinthians 5) (to go no further) when the great work of salvation, in the whole of it, is spoken of, he prefaces thus to it, All things are of…

4. Consider the parallel places to this in the New Testament, and we will find that this place holds out Christ's real and actual bearing of our sorrows and griefs; I shall only name three. The 1st is that of (2 Corinthians 5:21): He has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin…

First, I shall confirm it from these grounds. 1. From the plain offers which the Lord makes in His Word, and from the warrant He gives His ministers to make the same offers; it's their commission to pray them to whom they are sent to be reconciled, to tell them, that God was in…

3. It serves also to clear other Scriptures, and this same Chapter, and to teach us, not to make common to all, the privileges bestowed on some peculiar ones; and to guard us against the vilifying and profaning of our Lord's sufferings, as if he had no special and peculiar desig…

It's in general the Messiah, who was then to come, he who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered and was crucified, who died and was buried and rose the third day. Even he, who having the nature of God and our nature united in one Person, he his o…

He undertakes to pay, and God accepts of his undertaking, and obliges himself to absolve the believer; and the words following, "He shall see his seed, and of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, and by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many", are promises ma…

The second thing here, is the native effect or fruit of the Covenant, and that which the Prophet aims at; even to show how it came to pass that Christ suffered so much, because it was so covenanted, statute and ordained, because he was by a prior contrivance and contract substit…

So, having shown how it comes to pass that Christ suffered and suffered so much, and was brought so low under suffering; and having told that he was engaged to pay the Elect's debt, and that the Father had laid their iniquities on him; lest any might think that the Father would…

3. Consider our Lord's submission to his being brought to judgment, not only nor chiefly before men, but before God, therefore says he (John 12:48), Father save me from this hour, but for this cause came I to this hour; come then Father and let us reckon; he looks not only to th…

And therefore look upon Christ's suffering, and upon his innocency who suffered, and you will find that you have a suitable high priest and atonement made for you. O, but that is a sweet word (2 Corinthians 5:21): He has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might b…

This is also clear, if we compare (Psalm 40:6) with (Hebrews 10:5-6). That which in the Psalm is rendered sin-offering, in the original is sin, but the Apostle, Hebrews 10, has it sacrifice for sin; and it is the same word which he has, (2 Corinthians 5, last verse) he was made…

Even as when God commanded Abraham to offer up his son Isaac, and when he was lifting his hand to slay him, there came a voice from heaven, "Abraham, hold your hand," and a ram is provided, [reconstructed: and] Isaac is loosed and taken down from off the altar, and the ram is pu…

They may say, we should have been in such and such a sad condition; this and that terrible thing would have come on us, if He had not interposed. Never enough can these words be spoken and thought of, that we have (2 Corinthians 5:21): He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, th…

There can no other way be conceived, how we are made partakers of it, but by imputation; this will be the more clear, if we consider, that the same way, that our sins became Christ's, the same way His righteousness becomes ours; or the same way that justice laid claim to Him for…

Is it not folly and madness, for sinners, to obstruct what they can this His design? The Apostle makes use of this argument (2 Corinthians 5:18-19): He has given us the word of reconciliation, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasse…

As that of Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all you that labor and are heavy laden," etc. And that of 2 Corinthians 5:20, where both are put together: "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God." Ministers p…

1. The estate that the Elect are naturally lying in for whom Christ undertakes — they are naturally under sin, liable to the curse of God, for the transgressing of His law; which had said, The soul that sins shall die, and cursed is every one that continues not in all things wri…

We shall look upon it as the source of it more generally, in these respects. 1. That to a poor sinner lying under the curse, there is a possibility of getting it put by, and kept off, that Heaven is not desperate, and that the fear of coming before the tribunal of justice is not…

But to make this the more convincingly clear, we shall give you four characteristics, whereby true faith may be tried, and known, which will serve also to discover the unsoundness of the faith of many. 1. It may be tried by the ground that it leans upon; solid faith has for the…

And therefore, when in the one word it is said, He shall see his seed, it's said in the next word, He shall see of the fruit of the travel of his soul; to show, that a Soul's engaging to Christ by Faith, whereby the Person becomes one of His Seed, flows from His Suffering, and i…

It is even this, in a word: that hearing of His sad sufferings and of the design of them, you may turn yourselves to Him for pardon of sin, for sanctification in both the parts of it, and for consolation — and that in the end you may get your souls saved, on the account of His s…

God's justifying is put in as opposite to the charging, and libeling of the elect, and to the condemning of them; therefore none of these can be; and so justification there, looks both to the part of an advocate pleading, and declaring a man to be free, and to the part of a judg…

It's true indeed, that Christ's merits do wash our duties, but our duties come never up to be the ground of our justification in whole or in part; which is evident from this, that before Christ makes our duties or performances acceptable, He makes our persons first to be accepte…