2 Corinthians 5:6 (ASV)

Passage

Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:4 For indeed we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but that we would be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life.

2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that wrought us for this very thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:6 Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

2 Corinthians 5:7 (for we walk by faith, not by sight);

2 Corinthians 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "always", "good", "courage", "knowing", "whilst", "home", and "body". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "always", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Now he that wrought us for this..." into verse 7's "for we walk by faith not by...", so "therefore" and "always" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "always" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.