2 Corinthians Ch 5 verse 8 absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord
Even Christians have a tendency to be rooted on earth, and in all the things that we as humans find the need to spend time in doing. In the first part of this chapter, in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses the imagery of the body as a tent or house. But sees that what is within the dwelling is what is important, as the dwelling is temporal but the life within is eternal with God. So that in death all we are is, ‘absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord’.
There have been numerous discussions over the years as to whether humans are tripartite or bipartite, in essence, whether we are body, soul and spirit, or body & soul/spirit refers to the same entity. Reams have been written and argued over, with the one constant point of agreement being the temporal nature of the body. Verses 2 – 4 of this passage refer to us having new bodies as this present body is ‘swallowed up by life’, which is an interesting phrase to refer to death by!
What we can be certain of is that this ‘tent’ of ours that ages, gets ill, causes us pain, and bears the marks of its time on this earth, will cease to live. We shall then inhabit new bodies and be ‘present with the Lord’.
Dear Lord Jesus, please give us an eternal perspective on this life. Help us to see the temporal nature of all that we inhabit and see around us, and to place you at the centre of all our hopes.
Amen
Photo by iStrfry , Marcus on Unsplash