2nd Corinthians 5:9, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”
I am going to quote eleven wonderful Bible Verses, because these are so
awesome, powerful, and an incredible encouragement to me. Please read them
carefully and consider what God is saying here...
2nd Corinthians 5:1-10, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [our earthly body] were dissolved [dead], we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened [present earthly sufferings]: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”
Amen and amen! I get a warm feeling in my soul just reading these Scriptures over and over. God is so incredibly precious and amazingly awesome! I love these Bible verses!!! All of the pains and sufferings of this earthly life are going to be swallowed up in death (1st Corinthians 15:54) when we go to be with our precious Savior. No more neck pain!!! These Scriptures here only apply to genuine born-again Christians, because all unbelievers will burn in Hell according to Revelation 20:11-15. The Bible is talking about the saints here in 2nd Corinthians 5:1-11. The word “accepted” in 2nd Corinthians 5:9 is the Greek word euarestos and means “agreeable, wellpleasing.”
The Bible is very clear in Verses 9-10 that every believer will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give account for the things done in his or her earthly body. The Bible tells us that we should LABOUR for the Lord, because this earthly life is only temporal. This earthly body (tabernacle, or tent) will rot away in death and we'll go on to be with the Lord in eternity. Therefore, the Apostle Paul writes here (inspired by the Holy Spirit) that we ought to LABOUR to please the Lord, that on Judgment Day it will go agreeably with us (because God will be well-pleased with us).
Those believers who continually commit deliberate sin, and disobey the chastening of the Lord, and refuse to share the Gospel with lost sinners, and selfishly do their own thing throughout life... will face the TERROR OF THE LORD on Judgment Day (2nd Corinthians 5:11). It is clear from Verse 9 that the “terror” of harsh judgment applies to believers who fail to labor for Christ. It will NOT go agreeable with most believers when they are judged by the Lord.
There are hundreds-upon-hundreds of CCM singers who stand before millions of fans throughout their singing careers and never warn anybody about Hell fire, never warn anybody of the Satanic lies of false religion, and never tell anybody how to be truly saved apart from all works of self-righteousness. Most of them don't know themselves because they are not saved; they exploit Christianity to make money.
The biggest tragedy in the United States today are all the religious phonies, imposters, and con-artists who masquerade as ministers and singers of righteousness; but they are all pulling on the same rope as the Devil, never truly making a difference for God. They have “a form of godliness” as 2nd Timothy 3:5 teaches, but they deny the redeeming power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16).
Many churchgoers these days are caught up into Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) which has a euphoric sound that catapults the listener into the emotional stratosphere; but the Gospel is never preached, souls aren't saved, Heaven is just that much more empty, and Hell is just that much more enlarged with the souls of the damned. It is a matter of faith, just as 2nd Corinthians 5:7 says. CCM singers do not have faith, they have religion. It's no better than listening to Katy Perry or KE$HA. It's all the Devil's music, catering to worldly fans who love the sinful world (1st John 2:15-17).
Only God can save a person (1st Corinthians 3:6-8), but it is our duty as Christian believers to tell others about the Good News of Christ crucified and risen for our sins (Romans 10:15; 2nd Corinthians 5:11). Luke 8:15-16, “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.” In Matthew 28:19-20, the Bible commissions all believers to preach the Gospel, and then to teach new converts to do the same, thus perpetuating the Gospel throughout the world.
As believers we have the privileged opportunity to win the lost to Jesus Christ. If we do not preach the Gospel, then they will not be saved. Romans 10:13-14, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
