2 Corinthians 5:6 (LSB)

Passage

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while 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 and prefer 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", "home", "body", and "absent". 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 who prepared 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.