2 Corinthinans 5: 1-4, More on eternal things
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
We look forward to eternal life, which Paul merely calls, "life", in which we replace this "tent" of a body with a "heavenly dwelling".
2 Corinthinans 5: 5-9, A Deposit on that life
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Paul is confident of this eternal life and our part in it. The Holy Spirit is the first down payment on this eternal life, our "guarantee". And Paul is now eager to move on to that new life! (But I am not; I still enjoy this interesting life, even if my "tent" has begun to groan a little.)
2 Corinthinans 5: 10-11a, The judgment seat of Christ
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.
There is indeed some type of final judgment, some future final decision by Jesus, apparently based on how we have lived this life. And so Paul feels a certain urgency in his mission. Note that although Paul will routinely insist we are "saved by grace", we are still expected to live out a life that reflects that viewpoint, with good actions and caring deeds. Paul sees this a natural result of the Holy Spirit taking control of our hearts and minds.
2 Corinthinans 5: 11b-14, Under compulsion
What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
Paul is compelled by love for the Corinthians and wants them to know his transparency in that love. He wavers between trying to defend himself again and claiming that no defense is necessary.
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
This is a famous passage, central to Paul's daily motivation in ministry. Paul's motivation is Christ's death for all mankind and the new creation, the new "citizenship" that comes with that.
2 Corinthinans 5: 18-21, The ministry of reconciliation
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christians are "ambassadors of reconciliation", representing the Kingdom of God to a confused world. The "ambassador" metaphor is a strong one; the author of Hebrews says that we are citizens of a better (future) country and currently live in a country "not our own" (Hebrews 11:13-16), a good reminder for any Christian in any country in any time.
The phrase in verse 21, in which Jesus became "sin" for us could also be translated "a sin offering" for us (NIV Footnotes.)
In the next chapter. Paul continues to describe his motives for ministry.
On your comment about living a life that reflects the grace by which we have been saved, I listened to a sermon by John Piper on the way out to the Grand Canyon (here: http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-doctrine-of-perseverance-the-earnest-pursuit-of-assurance) that put this and the whole question of sanctification and perseverance into a clearer light for me. He points out that the author's chiding of the readers for not moving on to maturity is _not_ about doctrine, but about practice. They have become dull, having lost the ability to discern good and evil, and the reason is that they have not been practicing. So living lives that reflect grace is a matter of practicing the difference between good and evil by living the good and shunning the evil. He uses a sustained coaching metaphor. Good sermon, highly recommended.
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