Laicīgais un debesu mājoklis
1 Mēs zinām – kad uz zemes celtā telts, kurā mītam, reiz sagrūs, mums būs Dieva celts mūžīgs mājoklis debesīs, kas nav rokām darināts. 2 Kamēr esam uz zemes celtajā teltī, mēs smagi nopūšamies, jo liela ir mūsu vēlēšanās ietērpties tajā mājoklī, kas no debesīm, 3 lai, pat zaudējuši tagadējo ietērpu, mēs neizrādītos kaili. 4 Šajā teltī būdami, mēs grūti nopūšamies zem smagās nastas, jo negribam palikt bez apģērba, bet gribam būt ietērpti, ka dzīvība aprītu to, kas mirstīgs. 5 Bet Dievs, kas mūs tam ir izveidojis, ir devis mums Gara ķīlu. 6 Tādēļ vienmēr esam droši, jo zinām – kamēr mēs mītam miesā, mēs neesam mājās pie Kunga, 7 jo mēs dzīvojam ticībā, nevis redzēšanā. 8 Patiesi mēs esam droši – mēs vairāk pat gribam būt prom no miesas un mājot pie Kunga. 9 Tādēļ – vai nu mītot šeit, vai pie viņa – mēs dedzīgi tiecamies būt viņam patīkami. 10 Jo mums visiem būs jāstājas Kristus soģa krēsla priekšā, lai katrs pēc nopelna saņemtu par visu, ko savā dzīvē darījis – vai labu vai ļaunu.
Izlīguma kalpošana
11 Mēs, kas pazīstam bijību Kunga priekšā, pārliecinām cilvēkus. Dievam mēs esam skaidri redzami, un es ceru, ka esam redzami arī jūsu sirdsapziņai. 12 Mēs neizceļam atkal sevi jūsu priekšā, bet dodam jums iemeslu ar mums lepoties, lai jums būtu ko atbildēt tiem, kas lepojas ar ārēji redzamo, nevis to, kas sirdī. 13 Ja esam bijuši neprātīgi, tas ir bijis Dieva dēļ; ja esam saprātīgi – tas jūsu dēļ. 14 Kristus mīlestība liek mums atzīt, ka viens ir miris par visiem, tātad arī visi ir miruši. 15 Viņš ir miris par visiem, lai tie, kas dzīvi, nedzīvotu vairs sev, bet tam, kas par viņiem ir miris un augšāmcēlies. 16 Tā ka no šā brīža mēs nevienu nepazīstam miesīgi; ja arī mēs Kristu pazinām miesīgi, tagad vairs nepazīstam. 17 Tādēļ tas, kas ir Kristū, ir jauns radījums; viss vecais ir pagājis, un redzi – viss tapis jauns. 18 Viss ir no Dieva, kas mūs ar sevi caur Kristu ir samierinājis un ir uzdevis mums šai izlīgšanai kalpot. 19 Tādējādi Dievs Kristū pasauli samierina ar sevi un nepieskaita cilvēkiem viņu pārkāpumus, un mūsos viņš ir ielicis izlīguma vēsti. 20 Kristus dēļ mēs esam sūtņi, it kā Dievs sauktu caur mums: Kristus dēļ mēs lūdzam – saņemiet šo izlīgumu ar Dievu! 21 Viņu, kas grēku nepazina, viņš mūsu dēļ padarīja par grēku, lai mēs viņā taptu par Dieva taisnību.
1 For we know that when this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever. 2 And now we sigh, so great is our desire that our home which comes from heaven should be put on over us; 3 by being clothed with it we shall not be without a body. 4 While we live in this earthly tent, we groan with a feeling of oppression; it is not that we want to get rid of our earthly body, but that we want to have the heavenly one put on over us, so that what is mortal will be transformed by life. 5 God is the one who has prepared us for this change, and he gave us his Spirit as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.
6 So we are always full of courage. We know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord's home. 7 For our life is a matter of faith, not of sight. 8 We are full of courage and would much prefer to leave our home in the body and be at home with the Lord. 9 More than anything else, however, we want to please him, whether in our home here or there. 10 For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.
Friendship with God through Christ
11 We know what it means to fear the Lord, and so we try to persuade others. God knows us completely, and I hope that in your hearts you know me as well. 12 We are not trying again to recommend ourselves to you; rather, we are trying to give you a good reason to be proud of us, so that you will be able to answer those who boast about people's appearance and not about their character. 13 Are we really insane? It is for God's sake. Or are we sane? Then it is for your sake. 14 We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means that they all share in his death. 15 He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for him who died and was raised to life for their sake.
16 No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. 17 Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. 18 All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. 19 Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends.
20 Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ's behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends! 21 Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.
