1 For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.2 And, in fact, we groan in this one, longing to put on our house from heaven,3 since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.4 Indeed, we who are in this tent groan, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.5 And the One who prepared us for this very thing is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.6 Therefore, though we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord--7 for we walk by faith, not by sight--8 yet we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad.11 Knowing, then, the fear of the Lord, we persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart.13 For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we have a sound mind, it is for you.14 For Christ's love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: if One died for all, then all died.15 And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him like that.17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.18 Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled to God."21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.