Our Heavenly Dwelling
Now 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. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
Clothed With Our Heavenly Dwelling
I have been stuck on this passage the last couple of days, enjoying the things I’ve been getting from it. For instance, the line about longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked brought up some interesting thoughts.
Were Adam and Eve clothed with a heavenly dwelling before the fall? Later the passage says that the Holy Spirit is a deposit of this heavenly clothing. So were Adam and Eve clothed with the Holy Spirit as a deposit, or did they have the full thing?
What Does This All Mean?
While I find this line of thinking interesting, I am more inspired by the phrase that we were made for this very purpose. This moves us beyond theological musing into the intent of God for our lives. We were made to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, and the Holy Spirit is a partial deposit of what is to come. So what does this mean? If we were made for this, I want to know what it is.
I think Paul follows with a practical explanation of what it means. He uses two analogies of contrast to bring light to this concept:
- Home in the body; away from the Lord
- Live by faith, not by sight
Live By Faith, Not By Sight
This second phrase is something I have heard throughout my Christian experience, with varying levels of understanding about what it means. At times it has carried the same mystical weight often placed on the phrase “faith as small as a mustard seed.” Is this faith in whatever we want to happen? How much faith is enough? Should we ignore the things we see because it’s all about whatever we imagine in our minds?
Obviously, those questions do not lead us into what God has for us and often take us off track in our Christian walk. I think following the flow of the entire passage brings clarity to what Paul—and God—is trying to communicate.
Home in the Body; Away from the Lord
Being at home in the body is equal to being away from the Lord. Being at home with the Lord is being clothed in our heavenly dwelling. Therefore, it is important to know what being “at home in the body” looks like. This is allowing the things of our physical lives to take precedence over the things of heaven. Or, to put it another way, being home in the body is allowing our understanding of how the world operates to take precedence over what God says is true. It is trusting in our five senses instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit—that deposit of the heavenly dwelling.
Basing Our Lives Off Our Senses
Our five senses are not only sight, but hearing, smell, taste, and feel. I know the fifth sense is technically touch, but calling it feel opens it up to more. Touch tells you when you stepped on something sharp; feel is the pain mixed with the worry of how bad the cut is. I highlight feel because this is the level where fear resides.
These five senses are shaped and controlled by the circumstances of life and our past experiences that define those circumstances. For instance, when you touch a hot stove, you learn not to do it again. Therefore, if you have tried something in the past that caused you pain or embarrassment, you are not likely to try it again. If a circumstance in your life comes up that feels like a past experience that caused pain, you will approach it with caution. If you have had a friend betray you in the past, you are less likely to open up to someone else. Similarly, if you have done something in the past that made you feel good, you are likely to go back to it again (e.g., addictions).
God is saying that basing our lives off our five senses keeps us away from Him.
Living Based on What God Says is True
Isn’t that irresponsible? Isn’t that the definition of futility—doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? There is something different here. If Peter had trusted in his five senses, he would not have gotten out of the boat to walk on water. The difference with faith is that God calls us to something different, and as soon as He calls us to it, that becomes our new reality. And since He has called us to it, we can and should expect different results.
So faith is not believing for whatever we want. Faith is living by what God says is true, not by what we have experienced as true based on the past. This is how we are clothed in our heavenly dwelling.
Sight Will Limit Our Prayers
As long as we believe sight is our true perspective, our prayers will be limited. When we operate by sight, we think:
- that person will never come to Christ
- we can’t afford to take time off work to spend with our family
- I’ll never overcome my sin
- the doctor said she only has six months to live
God may have a different reality. Do not be limited by sight, but ask God for His will and pray accordingly.
- What situation in your life are you trusting in sight and not even asking God His perspective?