In 2 Cor 5:5, Paul says that God “has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” Anyone who understands that eternal life is a gift that we receive by believing in Christ for it will naturally assume this is what Paul is talking about. When we believe, we are born from above by the Spirit of God (John 3:3). Because we have the eternal life this new birth brings, it is guaranteed that we will live in the kingdom of God. We cannot lose the life we have.
All of that is true. Eternal life cannot be lost.
However, after a recent Bible study, I am convinced that is not what Paul means in 2 Cor 5:5. The word for guaranteed is a rare one in the NT. Other than here, it occurs in only 2 Cor 1:22 and Eph 1:14. The word is probably best translated as “down payment.” It means that more payments will be made. It is used in Gen 38:17–20 to describe something given to a prostitute as a pledge that the man would pay more at a later date.
In none of the NT occurrences of this word does the context speak of the security of our eternal salvation. Instead, they speak of Christian living and the inheritance of rewards.
In 2 Cor 5:4–10, Paul talks of his sufferings. He groans and is burdened. He suffers for the Lord because he “walks by faith, not by sight.” He wants to please the Lord. That is his aim in life. In v 10, he speaks of the Judgment Seat of Christ, where he and all believers will be judged based on how they lived.
These verses find many parallels in Rom 8:23–25. Paul speaks of the Christian who suffers for the Lord. Through those sufferings, the believer will experience the “firstfruits of the Spirit.” This will happen while the believer groans. He hopes for rewards in Christ’s kingdom. What he hopes for is not yet seen, so the suffering believer does not “walk by sight.” Rather, it is a walk by faith because the suffering believer believes what Christ has said.
Earlier in 2 Cor, Paul said that the Spirit transforms the believer from one state of glory to the next (2 Cor 3:18). It seems that Paul is saying the same thing in 2 Cor 5 and Rom 8.
The Holy Spirit is transforming the suffering believer. This transformation makes him more like Christ. It can be seen in the life of the obedient Christian. It is the firstfruits of rewards that will come later. This is the down payment Paul speaks of.
This kind of life is one lived by faith. The suffering believer can see neither the kingdom nor the glorified body he will receive. In both Rom 8 and 2 Cor 4, Paul says he eagerly awaits this new body (2 Cor 4:4; Rom 8:23). But this is more than simply a desire to be with the Lord. The fruit of the Spirit that the suffering believer experiences in this life will have a complete harvest in the world to come. The rewards produced by such a life will be given to the believer at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10).
It is tempting to look at 2 Cor 5:5 and use it as an eternal security passage. Eternal security is a Biblical doctrine. But I think Paul means something else in this passage. The Spirit is at work in the suffering believer, making him more like Christ. That work is a down payment. When that believer is with the Lord, the rest of the harvest will come. He will be rewarded by sharing in the glorious reign of Christ.
In a short blog, I might not convince anybody of my view, but I hope it causes at least some to reconsider what Paul is teaching. After considering it, if I am wrong, let me know!
