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SCRIPT
The apostle Paul wrote, “we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” So is he saying that heaven is our home where we’ll be forever?
In 2 Corinthians chapter five verses one through ten, Paul contrasted the Christian’s present body with the Christian’s promised body. A new body from God. Paul called our present body a tent and says it is our earthly home. He also calls our new bodies a home. But the makeup of our new body is better compared to a fortified stone structure rather than a flimsy tent. Paul called our new body a building, versus a tent, and said it is a heavenly dwelling that is eternal. Does that mean, then, that we will dwell in heaven eternally? No.
In verses two and four, Paul said our new bodies will be eternal and heavenly, which is a way of saying they’re given to us by heaven. That is, God. Just as our new bodies are earthly in the sense that they come from material within the earth, so our new bodies are heavenly in the sense that they come from a different kind of material similar to but superior to what we have from earth.
Paul makes one key distinction in this passage between our earthly tents and our heavenly building. Our earthly bodies are mortal, prone toward decay and death. But our heavenly bodies, however, are immortal, secured in perfection and fit for eternal life. So Paul first contrasted the kind of body we now have with the kind of body we will have. Next, he moves to space in verses six through eight.
Quote: “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” The Greek words used for “home” and “away” are used only in this passage in the New Testament. Each three times. Ekdēméō (away) and endēméō (at home, present). The meaning of these words stretches beyond the idea of a three-bed, two-bath house. So what is Paul emphasizing?
Paul is telling the Corinthian Christ-followers that this life is a mere blink of an eye, but death actually puts us closer to God. Now, we get merely a tidbit of God’s presence through our faith connection with him. But when this life ends and we are away from this body, then we will be in the fullness of God’s presence. Being with God puts us at our real home. Opinions vary about what happens when we get there. Some think we will immediately receive our new eternal body in heaven. Others think Christians will be in heaven in spirit but they won’t receive their new bodies until the end of the age. That topic is for another time.
For now, I just want you to see one thing in this passage. Paul emphasizes that Christians are “at home” when we die because we are “with the Lord.” Paul is less concerned with local, physical space and more concerned with relational space. The closer we are to God, the closer we are to home. God is in heaven. When we are in heaven, we are home. That is Paul’s emphasis. So is Paul saying heaven is our eternal home in this passage? Maybe. But more specifically and accurately, being in our real home means being with Christ. And he won’t stay in heaven forever.