2 Corinthians 5:9 (WEB)

Passage

Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:9 Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:11 Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "make", "whether", "home", "absent", "well", and "pleasing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "We are courageous I say and are..." into verse 10's "For we must all be revealed before...", so "therefore" and "make" 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 "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.