1 B ien sabemos que si se deshace nuestra casa terrenal, es decir, esta tienda que es nuestro cuerpo, en los cielos tenemos de Dios un edificio, una casa eterna, la cual no fue hecha por manos humanas.

Our body is like a house we live in here on earth. When it is destroyed, we know that God has another body for us in heaven. The new one will not be made by human hands as a house is made. This body will last forever.

2 Y por esto también suspiramos y anhelamos ser revestidos de nuestra casa celestial;

Right now we cry inside ourselves because we wish we could have our new body which we will have in heaven.

3 y a que así se nos encontrará vestidos y no desnudos.

We will not be without a body. We will live in a new body.

4 L os que estamos en esta tienda, que es nuestro cuerpo, gemimos con angustia; porque no quisiéramos ser desvestidos, sino revestidos, para que lo mortal sea absorbido por la vida.

While we are in this body, we cry inside ourselves because things are hard for us. It is not that we want to die. Instead, we want to live in our new bodies. We want this dying body to be changed into a living body that lasts forever.

5 P ero Dios es quien nos hizo para este fin, y quien nos dio su Espíritu en garantía de lo que habremos de recibir.

It is God Who has made us ready for this change. He has given us His Spirit to show us what He has for us.

6 P or eso vivimos siempre confiados, pues sabemos que mientras estemos en el cuerpo, estamos ausentes del Señor

We are sure of this. We know that while we are at home in this body we are not with the Lord.

7 ( porque vivimos por la fe, no por la vista).

Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.

8 P ero confiamos, y quisiéramos más bien ausentarnos del cuerpo y presentarnos ante el Señor.

We are sure we will be glad to be free of these bodies. It will be good to be at home with the Lord.

9 P ero ya sea que estemos ausentes o presentes, siempre procuramos agradar a Dios.

So if we stay here on earth or go home to Him, we always want to please Him.

10 P orque es necesario que todos nosotros comparezcamos ante el tribunal de Cristo, para que cada uno reciba según lo bueno o lo malo que haya hecho mientras estaba en el cuerpo. El ministerio de la reconciliación

For all of us must stand before Christ when He says who is guilty or not guilty. Each one will receive pay for what he has done. He will be paid for the good or the bad done while he lived in this body.

11 A sí que, puesto que conocemos el temor del Señor, procuramos convencer a todos. Para Dios es evidente lo que somos; y espero que también lo sea para la conciencia de ustedes.

Because of this, we know the fear of God. So we try to get men to put their trust in Christ. God knows us. I hope that your hearts know me well also.

12 N o estamos recomendándonos otra vez a ustedes, sino que les damos la oportunidad de estar orgullosos de nosotros, para que tengan con qué responder a los que presumen de las apariencias y no de lo que hay en el corazón.

We do not want to sound as if we think we are so important. Instead, we are making it easy for you to be proud of us. In that way, you will be able to tell them about us. They always talk about the way people look, but do not care about their hearts.

13 S i estamos locos, lo estamos para Dios; y si estamos cuerdos, lo estamos para ustedes.

Are we crazy to talk like this? It is all because of what God has done. If we are using our minds well, it is for you.

14 E l amor de Cristo nos lleva a actuar así, al pensar que si uno murió por todos, entonces todos murieron;

For the love of Christ puts us into action. We are sure that Christ died for everyone. So, because of that, everyone has a part in His death.

15 y él murió por todos, para que los que viven ya no vivan para sí, sino para aquel que murió y resucitó por ellos.

Christ died for everyone so that they would live for Him. They should not live to please themselves but for Christ Who died on a cross and was raised from the dead for them.

16 A sí que, de aquí en adelante, nosotros ya no conocemos a nadie desde el punto de vista humano; y aun si a Cristo lo conocimos desde el punto de vista humano, ya no lo conocemos así.

So from now on, we do not think about what people are like by looking at them. We even thought about Christ that way one time. But we do not think of Him that way anymore.

17 D e modo que si alguno está en Cristo, ya es una nueva creación; atrás ha quedado lo viejo: ¡ahora ya todo es nuevo!

For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.

18 Y todo esto proviene de Dios, quien nos reconcilió consigo mismo a través de Cristo y nos dio el ministerio de la reconciliación.

All this comes from God. He is the One Who brought us to Himself when we hated Him. He did this through Christ. Then He gave us the work of bringing others to Him.

19 E sto quiere decir que, en Cristo, Dios estaba reconciliando al mundo consigo mismo, sin tomarles en cuenta sus pecados, y que a nosotros nos encargó el mensaje de la reconciliación.

God was in Christ. He was working through Christ to bring the whole world back to Himself. God no longer held men’s sins against them. And He gave us the work of telling and showing men this.

20 A sí que somos embajadores en nombre de Cristo, y como si Dios les rogara a ustedes por medio de nosotros, en nombre de Cristo les rogamos: «Reconcíliense con Dios».

We are Christ’s missionaries. God is speaking to you through us. We are speaking for Christ and we ask you from our hearts to turn from your sins and come to God.

21 A l que no cometió ningún pecado, por nosotros Dios lo hizo pecado, para que en él nosotros fuéramos hechos justicia de Dios.

Christ never sinned but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.