II Corinthians 5:6-8, "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

This morning, the state of life and death (and what follows each) continues to be a vast subject: much discussed - little understood. More conversations have been spun about life and "the afterlife" with little substance offered than any other subject (in my opinion). The Bible is very clear about where life begins, where life ends, and what happens after. The outlandish postulations of man about these subjects more fittingly belong in the fiction racks than they do in the arena of serious discussion. Life begins, according to the Bible, at conception. (Psalm 51:5) Life ends when the soul and spirit depart the body. (Genesis 35:18, Ecclesiastes 12:7) After that, the righteous, redeemed elect's soul and spirit enter heaven's pure world, while the wicked non-elect's soul and spirit enter hell's misery. At the resurrection, the bodies join the soul and spirit (again a complete man) to be at these two opposite respective places, with the exception
being that hell itself is also cast into the lake of fire with the wicked. (John 5:28-29, Daniel 12:2, and Matthew 25:31-46) Anything short of these ideas is, again according to Scripture, a feeble understanding of basic principles and ideas. (Hebrews 6:1-3) Should we fail in understanding these points, we will never go on to perfection in the understanding of how to live properly by faith in this life, pleasing God thereby in our thoughts and conduct.

The verses above are some of my favourites in one of my favourite passages in all of the Scriptures. The language, tone, theme, and description is vivid, fresh, and tangible to us in understanding some things not yet seen. When thinking about the resurrection, many things are believed but not fully understood. What will the glorified body look like? Christ. What exactly does that look like? I don't know. Other examples could be cited, but Paul iterates here what is very important for our understanding of that scene, coupled with the encouragement of how to live our lives of service here. Two phrases in this segment of verses are what we desire to examine today, to show how it is that we live like verse 7 dictates - "walk by faith, not by sight." We will start with the phrase in verse 8, and then back our way into the phrase in verse 6.

In verse 8, Paul plainly says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. When we are absented from this old house of clay, immediately we stand in the glorious light of the Son of God. Basking in His presence, we no longer have ailments, afflictions, torments, sorrows, or cares. Our singular mode from thence and forevermore is to adore, worship, and glorify Him with praises, singing, and glad shouts. To contemplate that glorious scene is more than these old minds can grip, and certainly, the absence of the flesh is needful as it is more than they can stand. Have you ever been lifted up here to the point of thinking that you can just reach out and touch heaven? By faith, have you stood upon the banks of glory and seen (again by faith) that better world where death and sorrows never come? How long does that scene last? How much time can be spent there? The reason those moments are fleeting and swiftly passing is that the old
body cannot live in that place due to its infirmity and weakness. The weakness of the flesh prevents the willingness of the spirit from staying there. Indeed, that is the new man's desire, and were it possible here, he would never leave. (Romans 8:19-23)

So, since the flesh hampers us from those scenes, we cannot contemplate that the body (in its current condition) can go with us to that glorious place at our death. Being absent from the body has a direct connection with the Lord's presence. We are with Him. Indeed, should we believe in soul sleeping, this verse would not make a whole lot of sense, but since the soul and spirit go back to God at death, it makes perfect sense that the body's absence brings a state of immediate presence with the Lord. What a glorious thought, and nothing short of it can comfort those mourning the loss of a loved one. The knowledge that their loved one, at that very moment, is standing in the presence of the Lord comforts the soul and cheers the heart like no other thought can. David was comforted after his son's death more than in his son's life. (II Samuel 12) The reason escaped his servants, for they would have figured the exact opposite. David's prayers for the
health of his afflicted child to be delivered were proper only when the child still had life in his body. But, due to the departure of his son's soul and spirit, David was comforted in the fact that he could not bring him back but, "I will go to him." David had the comfort of the knowledge of joining his son in a better place.

Further still, the knowledge of the resurrection brings comfort that even though the body is separated from the soul and spirit for a little while, they will be reunited again (in far better circumstance than before). It bothers me somewhat to hear someone say at a funeral, "That is not so-and-so" while pointing at the casket. What I believe is meant by their statement is better said, "So-and-so is not with their body in the casket." Dear friends, our loved ones that have gone on before do stand with our Lord immediately at death, but those bodies are part of them too. Our Lord did not miss a portion of us, but He came to redeem all of us (His family) and all of us (our person). The body is not excepted from that work. The body will be changed, fashioned in an instant, and made like unto His glorious body to stand in His presence (body, soul, and spirit) forever and evermore. A walk of faith understands that there are things there (not seen as
yet) that we are looking forward to and hastening unto. (II Corinthians 4:17-18)

Now let us focus on the converse for a moment in verse 6. The converse statement is only partially like the language of verse 8. Verse 8 declares (in essence), "absent from the body = present with the Lord." Notice, however, that verse 6 does not say (in essence), "present with the body = absent from the Lord." Should verse 6 say that, it would be a truly converse statement, but Paul employs different language to describe our lives here. Also, should verse 6 have said that, we would never have the Lord's presence with us here, for we are never absent from these bodies while we live here. We cannot just hang our flesh on the hook on the wall, leave for a while, and pick it back up. Therefore, being inescapably tied to the flesh or body while we live here, how do we absent ourselves from the presence of the Lord? How do we become absent from the Lord?

Paul says (in essence), "happy with the flesh = absent from the Lord." To be at home in the body implies that we are comfortable in it and take pleasure in doing different things. While our new man hates the sin that we commit, our flesh enjoys it immensely. When we become at home in the flesh (follow after our own whims and desires), the Lord removes His presence and smiling favour from us. King Saul came to a place near the end of his life where he was so at home doing what he wanted and walking as he pleased that the Lord refused to answer him, which led to his consortium with a witch at Endor. Other Biblical characters endured periods of absence from the Lord's presence of favour and providence due to their behaviour of comfort in their own desires - Solomon's idolatry and Sampson's blindness after his deception.

The point is not that we still have the flesh to deal with, but the point is whether we are comfortable with the world or not. Are we comfortable with the things that we see or do we desire and pursue after the things not seen by faith? Walking by faith requires that we mortify the deeds of the flesh, be separate from the world in our thoughts and affection, and yearn for things unseen by the natural eye. When we do these things, we are still present with the body, but we are also present with the Lord as well. No, we are not present with Him as we will be when absent from the body, but we get an earnest of that inheritance. (Ephesians 1:13-14) We get the drippings from heaven itself as manna for our souls here. When He visits us by His Spirit, we are certainly present with Him, and we should have no confidence in the flesh.

May we renew the plow of service, strengthen our stride for the race, and clarify the sight of priorities. When we understand that the day is coming that we will be with Him wholly, the rest is a light affliction. When we have no confidence in the flesh, follow after the things of faith, and take no pleasure in the world, we feel His loving favour with us here. Every time that our souls are renewed by manna from on high, we have yet another sweet assurance of the surety of that promise yet to come that we will behold His face in righteousness and be satisfied. Oh how our longing to be relieved from the cares of the flesh sometimes overwhelms us, but may our longing to see Him again here bring us closer to the mark of service that we need to be hitting. And should your departure and absence from your body occur before mine (as the old song says), "Tell Him when you see His face, I long to see Him too."