What does it mean that what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18)?

The things of this life that we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands seem like permanent realities. Yet the Bible says that earthly things and worldly experiences are only temporary. The apostle Paul urged believers to develop an eternal perspective so that even in suffering and affliction we can have hope: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

In the original language, the term translated as “unseen” in 2 Corinthians 4:18 refers to invisible things that cannot be seen or perceived by sight. Eternal refers to that which is everlasting, perpetual, and continuing forever. The spiritual realities of heaven, which we cannot see now, are actually the only “real” things that will last forever.

Paul was determined not to fixate on his immediate surroundings or his troubles. He said, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT). Instead, Paul concentrated on God’s heavenly promises (Hebrews 11:13–14) and the hope of eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7).

In Romans 8:18–30, Paul expounded on the hope of heaven. He said that the things we suffer here on earth are not worth comparing to the glory of heaven (verses 18–22). The Holy Spirit—whom we receive through salvation—gives us a foretaste of heaven and fills us with longing and eager anticipation (verse 23) as we wait for the future redemption of our bodies in heaven (verse 23). Paul states, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:24–25).

Paul looked forward to his heavenly home (see 2 Corinthians 5:1–8), copying the example of the great Old Testament heroes of faith who looked “forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God” (Hebrews 11:10, NLT). Like Moses, Paul “kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27, NLT).

How do we fix our sights on the unseen, eternal realities? We must look with eyes of faith: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT). Likewise, we do this by locking our gaze “on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (Hebrews 12:2, NLT).

Paul urged the Colossians to set their sights on “the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory” (Colossians 3:1–4, NLT).

Besides the trouble and corruption we see in this world, we can see our natural bodies experiencing decay (Romans 8:19–23). Yet when these earthly “tents” eventually give out and die, we will have new, glorious, resurrection bodies. Right now, our resurrection bodies are unseen but eternal, incorruptible, and glorious. When we reach heaven, our old, dying bodies will “be swallowed up by life” (2 Corinthians 5:1–10). The true reality for Christians is that “we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control” (Philippians 3:20–21, NLT).

What is visible now is transient, fleeting, short-lived. But what is unseen is eternal and will never fade. We have “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and . . . an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for [us], who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this [we] greatly rejoice, though now for a little while [we] may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:3–6).