Scriptures.  The passage before us is a case in point.

Over and over again

it is quoted as though it read:

'Absent from the body is to be present with the Lord'; whereas, instead

of making an assertion, the apostle expressed a choice between two

alternatives, saying:

'We are confident, I say, and willing Rather to be absent from the

body, and to be present with the Lord' (2 Cor. 5:8).

His ground of confidence was in God Who hath wrought us for the self -

same thing, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.  Nowhere

in Scripture do we learn that we have been thus 'wrought' in order to attain

unto an intermediate or unclothed state; nowhere in Scripture do we learn

that we have received the earnest of the Spirit for an intermediate state,

but always for resurrection glory.  This is the background of all that the

apostle has said in 2 Corinthians 5.  The tent or earthly house in which we

now pass our pilgrimage will one day be dissolved or taken down, but the

blessed alternative is not some 'unclothed' condition, but a building of God,

an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  The goal of the

apostle's desire was 'that mortality might be swallowed up of life'.  This

figure is a repeat of 1 Corinthians 15:54 where we read:

'So When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption (which refers

to those who have died), and this mortal shall have put on immortality

(which refers to those still living at the time), Then (and not till

then) shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is

swallowed up in victory'.

Whether there be an intermediate state or not is not discussed in 2

Corinthians 5.  All we know from that chapter is that an 'unclothed'

condition was something which the apostle did not desire, and it satisfies

our intentions in this Analysis, if the positive teaching of any word or

doctrine examined shall be demonstrated and accepted.  A parallel passage is

found in Philippians 1:23 and is discussed under the heading Depart .

Further light can be received by pondering the meaning of the Saviour's

words, 'This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise' (see Paradise7), which

quotation we purposely leave here, unpunctuated.  Three other articles should

be considered where a greater range of teaching is possible, namely

Immortality (p. 316); Resurrection4,7; and Soul7.  Sidelights will also be

found in pondering Sleep7 and the articles entitled Immortality of the soul

in The Berean Expositor Vol. 1.  May 'the blessed hope' in all its Scriptural

splendour be ever before our renewed minds.  Let us set our affection on

things above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

See Accepted1.

See Access1.

Account.  Logizomai which is translated 'account' is also rendered 'reckon'

and 'impute'.  This aspect of the term is considered under the heading,

Reckoning7, which see.  There are eight occurrences of the word, 'account' in

which the Greek word so rendered is logos where it is used of 'giving

account' as of a stewardship, which must here be given a place.  The passages

are as follows: