“I I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and give Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.
“...and the life which I now live in the flesh…”
Our first impression may be that we can skip over these words, after all, we all know that we are living in the flesh, in a body; we all know we are covered with skin. But perhaps we should remind ourselves of this, perhaps we are so familiar with our skin that we don’t give it much thought, unless of course we have a problem with it, then it demands our attention. Even the most vain among is limited to how often we look in the mirror and see our skin, and we can only spend so long examining our hands throughout the day.
I note that the NASB, the ESV, and the NKJ all translate the Greek word “sarx” as “flesh”; while the NIV, LLT, CEV, and Holman use the word “body”. While there is an argument for translating “sarx” as “body”, my sense is that “flesh” is straightforward and puts us in touch with the physicality of our frail temple. When the authors of the Bible use sarx I like “flesh” - we can wrestle with what they meant. If they use “soma” then let’s go with “body”. Don’t get hung up on this, but since it is part of my meditation on this passage I share it.
Well, we have skin; ancient tents were made of skin. We live in skin. So Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of the tent is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The italics represent a more literal translation than we’ll find in English translations, which because of its unwieldiness in English is understandable.
Paul then goes on to write, “For indeed in this [house] we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent [remember, tents made of skin - my note] we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge [or down payment].”
We’re living inside flesh, inside skin, inside tents. One day those in a relationship with Jesus Christ will exchange skin for a heavenly body, a body from God; no more skin to live in, no more tent; something new, something different. Within us right now we have the down payment from God, the pledge from God, that the heavenly house is a sure thing, for the Holy Spirit lives in us. Jesus came and lived in a tent of skin, now the Holy Spirit comes and lives in tents of skin - your skin, my skin - it doesn’t make any difference what color our tents are, what matters is that the Holy Spirit lives in them. If your skin doesn’t have the Holy Spirit living inside it’s time to invite Jesus Christ into your life, into your tent - then you can enjoy the promise and assurance that you’ve got a great place to go when your skin calls it quits and decomposes. The house that God wants us to live in is better than any the American Dream can produce. If you knew the house or apartment that you’re living in today is going to fall down tomorrow wouldn’t you look for another place to live?
Oh, and by the way, do you really think you are an accident of time plus matter plus chance? Do you really think that time plus matter plus chance can generate love and hope and desire and beauty and music and art? Here’s a housing tip, the skin we live in, the tent, isn’t going to be here forever. Forget plastic surgery, focus on the long term, you are more than a pretty face, you are a man or woman or young person created in the image of God...and God loves you passionately and wants the best for you, and the best for you begins with a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.
What’s the new house in the heavens going to look like? Paul discusses this in his first letter to the Corinthians, here is a sample from Chapter 15:
“That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own...There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power...Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.”
Where are you going when you leave your skin? It is going to happen - what’s the plan?
Back to Galatians 2:20, Paul acknowledges that right now he is living in a tent of skin; he has already told us that Christ is living in the tent with him, and next he is going to tell us some more about how he lives in his tent of skin. How are we living in our tents? Are we taking care of them? Is Jesus living inside our tents with us? Are we ready to leave this tent when the time comes? Has the Holy Spirit come into our tents with the down payment, making our house in the heavens a done deal, a sure thing, a certain promise from God?
Jesus came to deliver us from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14 - 15) and bring us eternal life; He came to call us home to our Father.
People can work all of their lives for the American Dream home...but then fire comes, or floods, or earthquakes, or war...and if none of those things happen...eventually death will come...it’s only a matter of time...and then we’re leaving the skin….then what?
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