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Commentary on 2 Corinthians 5 verses 1–11
The apostle in these verses pursues the argument of the former chapter, concerning the grounds of their courage and patience under afflictions. And,
I. He mentions their expectation, and desire, and assurance, of eternal happiness after death, Co2 5:1-5. Observe particularly,
1.The believer's expectation of eternal happiness after death, Co2 5:1. He does not only know, or is well assured by faith of the truth and reality of the thing itself - that there is another and a happy life after this present life is ended, but he has good hope through grace of his interest in that everlasting blessedness of the unseen world: "We know that we have a building of God, we have a firm and well-grounded expectation of the future felicity." Let us take notice, (1.) What heaven is in the eye and hope of a believer. He looks upon it as a house, or habitation, a dwelling-place, a resting-place, a hiding-place, our Father's house, where there are many mansions, and our everlasting home. It is a house in the heavens, in that high and holy place which as far excels all the palaces of this earth as the heavens are high above the earth. It is a building of God, whose builder and maker is God, and therefore is worthy of its author; the happiness of the future state is what God hath prepared for those that love him. It is eternal in the heavens, everlasting habitations, not like the earthly tabernacles, the poor cottages of clay in which our souls now dwell, which are mouldering and decaying, and whose foundations are in the dust. (2.) When it is expected this happiness shall be enjoyed - immediately after death, so soon as our house of this earthly tabernacle is dissolved. Note, [1.] That the body, this earthly house, is but a tabernacle, that must be dissolved shortly; the nails or pins will be drawn, and the cords be loosed, and then the body will return to dust as it was. [2.] When this comes to pass, then comes the house not made with hands. The spirit returns to God who gave it; and such as have walked with God here shall dwell with God for ever.
2.The believer's earnest desire after this future blessedness, which is expressed by this word, stenazomen - we groan, which denotes, (1.) A groaning of sorrow under a heavy load; so believers groan under the burden of life: In this we groan earnestly, Co2 5:2. We that are in this tabernacle groan, being burdened, Co2 5:4. The body of flesh is a heavy burden, the calamities of life are a heavy load. But believers groan because burdened with a body of sin, and the many corruptions that are still remaining and raging in them. This makes them complain, O wretched man that I am! Rom 7:24. (2.) There is a groaning of desire after the happiness of another life; and thus believers groan: Earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven (Co2 5:2), to obtain a blessed immortality, that mortality might be swallowed up of life (Co2 5:4), that being found clothed, we may not be naked (Co2 5:3), that, if it were the will of God, we might not sleep, but be changed; for it is not desirable in itself to be unclothed. Death considered merely as a separation of soul and body is not to be desired, but rather dreaded; but, considered as a passage to glory, the believer is willing rather to die than live, to be absent from the body, that he may be present with the Lord (Co2 5:1), to leave this body that he may go to Christ, and to put off these rags of mortality that he may put on the robes of glory. Note, [1.] Death will strip us of the clothing of flesh, and all the comforts of life, as well as put an end to all our troubles here below. Naked we came into this world, and naked shall we go out of it. But, [2.] Gracious souls are not found naked in the other world; no, they are clothed with garments of praise, with robes of righteousness and glory. They shall be delivered out of all their troubles, and shall have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, Rev 7:14.
3.The believer's assurance of his interest in this future blessedness, on a double account: - (1.) From the experience of the grace of God, in preparing and making him meet for this blessedness. He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, Co2 5:5. Note, All who are designed for heaven hereafter are wrought or prepared for heaven while they are here; the stones of that spiritual building and temple above are squared and fashioned here below. And he that hath wrought us for this is God, because nothing less than a divine power can make a soul partaker of a divine nature; no hand less than the hand of God can work us for this thing. A great deal is to be done to prepare our souls for heaven, and that preparation of the heart is from the Lord. (2.) The earnest of the Spirit gave them this assurance: for an earnest is part of payment, and secures the full payment. The present graces and comforts of the Spirit are earnests of everlasting grace and comfort.
II. The apostle deduces an inference for the comfort of believers in their present state and condition in this world, Co2 5:6-8. Here observe, 1. What their present state or condition is: they are absent from the Lord (Co2 5:6); they are pilgrims and strangers in this world; they do but sojourn here in their earthly home, or in this tabernacle; and though God is with us here, by his Spirit, and in his ordinances, yet we are not with him as we hope to be: we cannot see his face while we live: For we walk by faith, not by sight, Co2 5:7. We have not the vision and fruition of God, as of an object that is present with us, and as we hope for hereafter, when we shall see as we are seen. Note, Faith is for this world, and sight is reserved for the other world: and it is our duty, and will be our interest, to walk by faith, till we come to live by sight. 2. How comfortable and courageous we ought to be in all the troubles of life, and in the hour of death: Therefore we are, or ought to be, always confident (Co2 5:6), and again (Co2 5:8), We are confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body. True Christians, if they duly considered the prospect faith gives them of another world, and the good reasons of their hope of blessedness after death, would be comforted under the troubles of life, and supported in the hour of death: they should take courage, when they are encountering the last enemy, and be willing rather to die than live, when it is the will of God that they should put off this tabernacle. Note, As those who are born from above long to be there, so it is but being absent from the body, and we shall very soon be present with the Lord - but to die, and be with Christ - but to close our eyes to all things in this world, and we shall open them in a world of glory. Faith will be turned into sight.
III. He proceeds to deduce an inference to excite and quicken himself and others to duty, Co2 5:9-11. So it is that well-grounded hopes of heaven will be far from giving the least encouragement to sloth and sinful security; on the contrary, they should stir us up to use the greatest care and diligence in religion: Wherefore, or because we hope to be present with the Lord, we labour and take pains, Co2 5:9. Philotimoumetha - We are ambitious, and labour as industriously as the most ambitious men do to obtain what they aim at. Here observe, 1. What it was that the apostle was thus ambitious of - acceptance with God. We labour that, living and dying, whether present in the body or absent from the body, we may be accepted of him, the Lord (Co2 5:9), that we may please him who hath chosen us, that our great Lord may say to us, Well done. This they coveted as the greatest favour and the highest honour: it was the summit of their ambition. 2. What further quickening motives they had to excite their diligence, from the consideration of the judgment to come, Co2 5:10, Co2 5:11. There are many things relating to this great matter that should awe the best of men into the utmost care and diligence in religion; for example, the certainty of this judgment, for we must appear; the universality of it, for we must all appear; the great Judge before whose judgment-seat we must appear, the Lord Jesus Christ, who himself will appear in flaming fire; the recompence to be then received, for things done in the body, which will be very particular (unto every one), and very just, according to what we have done, whether good or bad. The apostle calls this awful judgment the terror of the Lord (Co2 5:11), and, by the consideration thereof, was excited to persuade men to repent, and live a holy life, that, when Christ shall appear terribly, they may appear before him comfortably. And, concerning his fidelity and diligence, he comfortably appeals unto God, and the consciences of those he wrote to: We are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
In the same way, when he says, "Therefore we are always confident, and fully aware, that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not be sight," it is manifest that in this statement there is no design of disparaging the flesh, as if it separated us from the Lord.
This is why he shows us how much better it is for us not to be sorry, if we should be surprised by death, and tells us that we even hold of God "the earnest of His Spirit" (pledged as it were thereby to have "the clothing upon," which is the object of our hope), and that "so long as we are in the flesh, we are absent from the Lord; " moreover, that we ought on this account to prefer "rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord," and so to be ready to meet even death with joy.
God is still present, but because we cannot see him we are said to be absent from him as long as we are in the body.
"Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing." The word "of good courage" is used with reference to the persecutions, the plottings, and the continual deaths: as if he had said, 'Doth any vex and persecute and slay thee? Be not cast down, for thy good all is done. Be not afraid: but of good courage. For that which thou groanest and grievest for, that thou art in bondage to corruption, he removes from hence-forward out of the way, and frees thee the sooner from this bondage.' Wherefore also he saith, "Being therefore always of good courage," not in the seasons of rest only, but also in those of tribulation; "and knowing,"
As long as we are in this present body, we are tossed about by events in this world and do not know how it will all end. But once we have left the body, we know that we are going to be with God, since we are freed from the uncertain and hostile cares of this world. Here we are pilgrims, and as wanderers we should not worry too much about the things of this world. Let us be content with what is necessary and concentrate all our desire and longing on getting to our Father’s home.
We who in this world “are exiled from the Lord” walk about on earth, it is true, but we are hastening on our way to heaven. For here we do not have a lasting place, but we are wayfarers and pilgrims, like all our fathers.
Man indeed brought death to himself and to the Son of Man, but the Son of Man, by dying and rising again, brought life to man.… He wished to suffer this in the sight of his enemies, that they might think him, as it were, forsaken, and that the grace of the New Testament might be entrusted to us, to make us learn to seek another happiness, which we now possess by faith, but then we shall behold it. “For while we are in the body,” says the apostle, “we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith and not by sight.” Therefore, we now live in hope, but then we shall enjoy reality.
We have been expelled in the person of Adam from our abode in paradise, and we have our lodging in this land because we do not possess the blessedness of that native land; so we are seen to be foreigners in this world. As Paul likewise says, “While we are in this body, we are absent from the Lord.”
In the time before the Messiah came, the expectation of the godly was to die and go to Sheol. Jonah (most likely) actually died and cried out to God from the depths of Sheol (Jon. 2:1). The psalmist expected that Sheol would swallow him up (Ps. 18:5; 86:13; 116:3).
In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, they both died and went down to Hades. In that parable, Hades was divided in two by a vast chasm. The side where Lazarus was had the name of Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:23), while the rich man was in torment in Hades. Nevertheless, it was possible for communication to occur across the chasm.
In our text [Matt. 12:40], Jesus said that He was going to be three days and nights in the heart of the earth. But He also told the thief on the cross that He would be with him in Paradise that same day (Luke 23:43). So then, Abraham’s bosom was also known as Paradise. To the Greeks, this went by the name of Elysium. This is where Jesus went, and preached across the chasm.
The Greek word for the lowest pit of Hades, the worst part, was Tartarus. This word is used once in the New Testament (without any redefinition, mind). Peter tells us this: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4).
While in Hades, the Lord preached. But the preaching was not “second chance” preaching. Rather the word used is one used for heralding or announcing, not the word for preaching the gospel. “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet. 3:19–20). The Lord was announcing their final defeat to the “sons of God” and Nephilim both. And this, incidentally, tells us how momentous the rebellion at the time of the Flood actually was. Thousands of years after their definitive defeat, Jesus went to them to announce their final defeat.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the king of all things. The devil is not the ruler of Gehenna—Jesus is. The lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). It is a place of torment for the devil. Furthermore, Jesus holds the keys to Hades as well. “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [Hades] and of death.” (Rev. 1:18). Jesus, not the devil, is the King of Hell. Jesus, not the devil, is the Lord of Hades.
When the Lord rose from the dead, He led captivity captive (Eph. 4:8)—all the saints in the Old Testament who had died and gone to Abraham’s bosom were transferred when Paradise was moved (Matt. 27:52). And by the time of Paul, Paradise was up (2 Cor. 12:4). So if you had lived in the Old Testament, you would have died and gone down to Sheol/Hades. But the part of Hades that contained the saints of God has been emptied out, and now when God’s people die, what happens? To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6, 8). We still go to Paradise, but Paradise itself has been moved into the heavens.
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SUMMARY
Second Corinthians 5:6 encapsulates the profound paradox of Christian existence: a confident assurance rooted in the knowledge that while believers currently reside in their mortal bodies on Earth, they are simultaneously separated from the immediate, visible presence of the Lord. This verse serves as a pivotal statement within Paul's discourse on the temporary nature of earthly life contrasted with the eternal hope of being fully present with Christ, providing a foundation for living by faith rather than by sight.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Paul masterfully employs Antithesis in this verse, creating a powerful contrast between "at home in the body" and "absent from the Lord." This literary device highlights the tension inherent in the believer's current state: physically present on Earth, yet spiritually longing for full presence with Christ. The body itself functions as a Metaphor for a temporary dwelling, a "tent" or "tabernacle" as introduced in 2 Corinthians 5:1, emphasizing its transient nature compared to the eternal dwelling with God. Furthermore, the use of "body" can be seen as a form of Synecdoche, where the physical body represents the entirety of our earthly, mortal existence, underscoring the temporary and limited nature of our present life in contrast to the boundless, eternal life with the Lord.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly shapes the Christian understanding of life, death, and eternity. It establishes a robust eschatological hope that transcends the limitations and sufferings of the present age. The confidence Paul speaks of is not a denial of hardship but a deep-seated assurance rooted in God's promises and the indwelling Spirit. It frames earthly life as a temporary sojourn, a pilgrimage, rather than the ultimate reality. This perspective liberates believers from an undue attachment to worldly comforts and fears, enabling them to live with an eternal mindset, knowing that their true "home" and ultimate belonging are with the Lord. It underscores the "already but not yet" tension of the Christian life, where the Spirit's presence is a down payment of future glory, yet the full, unmediated presence of Christ is still to come.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Second Corinthians 5:6 offers a powerful lens through which believers can view their present circumstances and future hope. Understanding that our earthly body is a temporary dwelling cultivates a profound sense of detachment from the transient things of this world and fosters a greater attachment to eternal realities. This perspective provides immense comfort in times of suffering, loss, or physical decline, reminding us that our ultimate destiny is not bound by earthly limitations. It encourages us to live with intentionality, investing our time, talents, and resources in ways that align with our eternal citizenship, rather than being consumed by fleeting pleasures or anxieties. This confidence in future glory empowers us to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), trusting in God's unseen hand and His promised future, even when the present seems uncertain or difficult. It calls us to embrace our present calling while eagerly anticipating our ultimate reunion with the Lord.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "absent from the Lord" mean that Christians don't experience Christ's presence on Earth?
Answer: No, it does not. The phrase "absent from the Lord" in 2 Corinthians 5:6 refers to a physical, unmediated, and glorified presence, not a spiritual absence. Believers experience the spiritual presence of Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is given as a "guarantee" or "earnest" of future glory (2 Corinthians 5:5). Jesus promised His disciples, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). The "absence" here speaks to the longing for the day when we will see Him "face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12) and be fully "present with the Lord" in His glorified state (2 Corinthians 5:8).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The profound truth of 2 Corinthians 5:6 finds its ultimate fulfillment and meaning in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is through Christ's incarnation that God "dwelt among us" (John 1:14), bridging the gap between the divine and human, making it possible for humanity to eventually be "at home" with God. His death and resurrection conquered the power of sin and death, transforming the mortal body from a mere temporary dwelling destined for decay into a vessel with the promise of future glorification. Because Christ "was raised from the dead, no longer to return to decay" (Acts 13:34), believers can confidently anticipate their own resurrection and transformation. His ascension to the Father's right hand means that while we are "absent from the Lord" in His physical, glorified presence, He is actively interceding for us (Romans 8:34) and preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3). The "earnest of the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 5:5) is none other than the Spirit of Christ, indwelling believers and serving as a down payment of the full inheritance to come, ensuring that our confident hope of being "present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8) is not in vain, but is secured by the finished work of our Savior.