14 For it is the love of Christ which is moving us; because we are of the opinion that if one was put to death for all, then all have undergone death;
I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me.
He who has more love for his father or mother than for me is not good enough for me; he who has more love for son or daughter than for me is not good enough for me. And he who does not take his cross and come after me is not good enough for me.
For God is true, and will not put away from him the memory of your work and of your love for his name, in the help which you gave and still give to the saints.
For every man's life and every man's death has a relation to others as well as to himself. As long as we have life we are living to the Lord; or if we give up our life it is to the Lord; so if we are living, or if our life comes to an end, we are the Lord's. And for this purpose Christ went into death and came back again, that he might be the Lord of the dead and of the living.
Grace be with all those who have true love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
May have strength to see with all the saints how wide and long and high and deep it is, And to have knowledge of the love of Christ which is outside all knowledge, so that you may be made complete as God himself is complete.
And to you did he give life, when you were dead through your wrongdoing and sins, In which you were living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God; Among whom we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us even as for the rest. But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us, Even when we were dead through our sins, gave us life together with Christ (by grace you have salvation),
I am not giving you an order, but using the ready mind of others as a test of the quality of your love. For you see the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how though he had wealth, he became poor on your account, so that through his need you might have wealth.
If any man has not love for the Lord, let him be cursed. Maran atha (our Lord comes).
Then when they had taken food, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, is your love for me greater than the love of these others? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you are certain of my love for you. He said to him, Then give my lambs food. Again, a second time, he said to him, Simon, son of John, have you any love for me? Yes, Lord, he said, you are certain of my love for you. Then take care of my sheep, said Jesus. He said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, am I dear to you? Now Peter was troubled in his heart because he put the question a third time, Am I dear to you? And he said to him, Lord, you have knowledge of all things; you see that you are dear to me. Jesus said to him, Then give my sheep food.
He who has my laws and keeps them, he it is who has love for me: and he who has love for me will be loved by my Father, and I will have love for him and will let myself be seen clearly by him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, How is it that you will let yourself be seen clearly by us and not by the world? Jesus said to him in answer, If anyone has love for me, he will keep my words: and he will be dear to my Father; and we will come to him and make our living-place with him.
You do not see that it is in your interest for one man to be put to death for the people, so that all the nation may not come to destruction. He did not say this of himself, but being the high priest that year he said, as a prophet, that Jesus would be put to death for the nation; And not for that nation only, but for the purpose of uniting in one body the children of God all over the world.
The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
When they were unable to make payment, he made the two of them free of their debts. Which of them, now, will have the greater love for him? Simon, in answer, said, It seems he whose debt was greater. And he said, Your decision is right. And turning to the woman he said to Simon, You see this woman? I came into your house; you did not give me water for my feet: but she has been washing my feet with the drops from her eyes, and drying them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss: but she, from the time when I came in, has gone on kissing my feet. You put no oil on my head: but she has put perfume on my feet. And so I say to you, She will have forgiveness for her sins which are great in number, because of her great love: but he who has small need of forgiveness gives little love.
But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she is living.
Jesus said to her, I am myself that day and that life; he who has faith in me will have life even if he is dead;
Put me as a sign on your heart, as a sign on your arm; love is strong as death, and wrath bitter as the underworld: its coals are coals of fire; violent are its flames. Much water may not put out love, or the deep waters overcome it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would be judged a price not great enough.
Take me to you, and we will go after you: the king has taken me into his house. We will be glad and full of joy in you, we will give more thought to your love than to wine: rightly are they your lovers.
And you, being dead through your sins and the evil condition of your flesh, to you, I say, he gave life together with him, and forgiveness of all our sins;
For if the operation of the law, producing punishment, had its glory, how much greater will be the operation of the Spirit causing righteousness?
For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit.
And we are conscious that God is a true judge against those who do such things.
But Peter and John in answer said to them, It is for you to say if it is right in the eyes of God to give attention to you more than to God: For it is not possible for us to keep from saying what we have seen and have knowledge of.
But they kept him back, saying, Do not go, for evening is near, the day is almost gone. And he went in with them.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 5
The apostle proceeds in showing the reasons why they did not faint under their afflictions, namely, their expectation, desire, and assurance of happiness after death (v. 1-5), and deduces an inference for the comfort of believers in their present state (v. 6-8), and another to quicken them in their duty (v. 9-11). Then he makes an apology for seeming to commend himself, and gives a good reason for his zeal and diligence (v. 12-15), and mentions two things that are necessary in order to our living to Christ, regeneration and reconciliation (v. 16-21).
2Cr 5:1-11
The apostle in these verses pursues the argument of the former chapter, concerning the grounds of their courage and patience under afflictions. And,
2Cr 5:12-15
Here observe,
2Cr 5:16-21
In these verses the apostle mentions two things that are necessary in order to our living to Christ, both of which are the consequences of Christ's dying for us; namely, regeneration and reconciliation.