2 Corinthians 5:8 (DRB)

Passage

But we are confident and have a good will to be absent rather from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore having always confidence, knowing that while we are in the body we are absent from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith and not by sight.)

2 Corinthians 5:8 But we are confident and have a good will to be absent rather from the body and to be present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:9 And therefore we labour, whether absent or present, to please him.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confident", "good", "absent", "rather", "body", "present", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "confident" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "For we walk by faith and not..." into verse 9's "And therefore we labour whether absent or...", so "confident" and "good" 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 "confident" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.