“Knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me”
Knowing
This is the second occurrence of “knowing.” Knowing is how we form principles. As long as Peter is in his body, he is going to teach the Asia Minor Christians principles about eternal perspectives.
that shortly
“Shortly” means impending, near at hand. Death is near at hand for Peter.
I must put off my tent,
“Put off” is a metaphor of taking off a garment (2 Corinthians 5:3,4). “Put off my tent” means put off my body as a garment. Our “tent” or body is simply the cocoon or shell that surrounds the person. Physical death is impending for Peter. Peter says he is going to die. When he dies, that will be his liberation, his emancipation. “They will bury the remains of my body but my soul will continue in heaven.”To put off our tent (our bodies) is death for a believer. Every Christian has three components, a body, a soul and a spirit.
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
The above verse lists the three components of the Christian in order of importance: spirit, soul and body. The “spirit” and “soul” are intangible. We cannot see or smell them. We can see, smell and touch the “body.” Our “spirit” and “soul” are not resident in our arm. If we lose our arm, we do not lose our personality.
We are not our body. When it is time for us to move out of our body, they bury the body but our two intangible parts continue. They only bury the physical “remains.” God will eventually resurrect even the body (1 Corinthians 15). Some bodies will be resurrected to eternal life and other will be resurrected to condemnation (Revelation 20:5,6).
“and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29).
The body and the spirit are not the same.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).
On the cross, Jesus said to one of the thieves who were dying with him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43).” He did not say, “Today you will be with me in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea.”
Principle:
Every Christian has the expectation of eternal life.
Application:
No matter how sorry a life we might have lived as a Christian, we each have the prospect of eternity before us. No Christian will ever face condemnation.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
The non-Christian will face judgment.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
In the eternal state there is no more suffering (Revelation 21:4). Every believer receives an eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:4,5) and a new home (John 14:1-6). One day we will receive a resurrection body (1 John 3:1,2; Philippians 3:21).
At the point of belief in Christ’s death to forgive our sins, every Christian receives eternal life (1 John 5:11,12). We possess eternal life from the moment we believe in the death of Christ for our sins (John 5:24).
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