Paul was a tentmaker so it only follows that at some point he would use a metaphor from his secular profession. We find it in II Corinthians 5:1. “We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” The earthly tent he is referring to is our human body. No matter how carefully we eat and exercise we can only delay the inevitable. Eventually this tent will be taken down and folded away. By careful temperate living we can often delay when that day comes. And who would want it any other way? The tent fades, thins and tears. The day of folding is necessary. To live forever in an ageing body would be hell.
But the joy in Paul’s message is we exchange the tent for a building designed and constructed by divine hands. To live forever in the new building will be heaven. To assure us that God means what He promises regarding this new home, Paul tells us in verse 5 that God has sent the Holy Spirit as a deposit. When we make an offer on a house we are required to submit a deposit to verify our serious intent. Should we change our minds we have to walk away from the deposit. This metaphor is rich. God made us an offer via the sacrifice of His Son. Lest we think He is fickle or insincere the offer comes with the deposit of the Holy Spirit, something God is never going to walk away from. The entire Godhead is involved in replacing our worn out tent so we may dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This is beyond “how grand.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 25, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org