2 Corinthians 5:6-8

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

[6] Therefore  we are always  confident,  knowing  that,  whilst we are at home  in  the body,  we are absent  from  the Lord:  [7] (For  we walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight:)  [8] We are confident,  I say, and  willing  rather  to be absent  from  the body,  and  to be present  with  the Lord. 

What does 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 bear the same relation to each other as do 2 Corinthians 5:2-4. 2 Corinthians 5:2 and 2 Corinthians 5:6 make a statement. 2 Corinthians 5:3 and 2 Corinthians 5:7 are parenthetical, and 2 Corinthians 5:4; 2 Corinthians 5 : 2 Corinthians 5:8 expand 2 Corinthians 5:2 and 2 Corinthians 5:6 respectively.
Statement 2 Corinthians 5:2 2 Corinthians 5:6Parenthesis 2 Corinthians 5:3 2 Corinthians 5:7Explanation 2 Corinthians 5:4 2 Corinthians 5:8
Since we have the promise that we will obtain a glorified body ( 2 Corinthians 5:1), and since we have a pledge of that promise in our present transformation ( 2 Corinthians 5:5), we can feel consistently confident.
However because we are absent from the Lord, while we are living in our mortal bodies, we desire to leave these bodies and take up our new residence in the Lord"s presence. Note that there are no other alternatives for the believer. We are either in our mortal bodies and absent from the Lord or we are with the Lord and absent from our mortal bodies. This is a strong guarantee that when we leave our mortal bodies we will go immediately into the Lord"s presence. There will be no purgatory. Being "at home with the Lord" implies a closer fellowship with Christ than we experience now, as well as closer proximity to Him (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Philippians 1:23).
We need never despair, therefore, when we walk by faith believing what God has revealed He has in store for us. Nevertheless the fact that we now walk by faith and not by sight reminds us that the fellowship that we enjoy with the Lord now, while genuine, is inferior to what we will experience.
"Heaven was not simply a destination for Paul: it was a motivation." [1]