6 Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we live by faith, not by sight. 8 Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So then whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Herman Tu

When I read this passage, there are two polarising images of existence in the present and coming age:

To be or not to be at Home with the Lord. “That is the question,” as Hamlet might say.

I often yearn to be at Home with the Lord. When I survey the world around us, there is death. There is destruction and there is disconnection. Like Paul, I long for the day where all suffering and sadness are gone. I long to be clothed “with our heavenly dwelling” and stop groaning. I long to share in the Father’s love of His Son in the joy of His Holy Spirit.

But too often, I prefer to be away from the Lord; frozen by my own sin, snuggling in the drowsy complacency of safety and security that this world offers. There are so many earthly pleasures that promise to satisfy me that I fumble.

Which should I want: to be “alive here on earth” (v6) or “at home with the Lord” (v8)? That question is not simply a yes or no, but a both.

Paul tells us in verse 7: We live by faith, not by sight. The imagery of being at Home with the Lord is not just geographical, it is profoundly relational. One day we will be closer to him that we can possibly imagine; but for now, physically we are away from the Lord, and we relate to Him and to his coming day by faith.

Yet, the key thing is the truth of our relationship with God. Paul says, “Whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him” (v9). We are called to think of our present existence in terms of that relationship; and the certainty of his Kingdom coming enables me and you to be courageous in the face of conflict and pain.

So, a heart check: How have you used your time to pursue living by faith not sight? How has this transformed the way you approach the matters of life, as you look forward to being at Home with the Lord?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Herman is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.