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outside our legitimate enquiry, this word is so used in II Corinthians as to warrant the
following list before we pass on to other epistles.
Baros and its derivatives in II Corinthians:
Pressed out of measure. (1: 8).
Overcharged. (2: 5).
Weight of glory. (4: 17).
Being burdened. (5: 4).
Weighty. (10: 10).
Not being burdensome. (11: 9).
I did not burden you. (12: 16).
We return to our main theme, namely the varied aspects of resurrection that the
Scriptures present, and consider the meaning of the Apostle when he said:
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be
present with the Lord" (II Cor. 5: 8).
These words are often incorrectly quoted as a proof text, "Absent from the body, is to
be present with the Lord", as a proof that at death the believer immediately passes into an
intermediate conscious state in glory. Let us first of all notice that at the introduction of
this willingness, the Apostle says "We are confident". In this second epistle
"confidence" can be a "persuasion" pepoithesis (II Cor. 1: 15; 3: 4; 8: 22; 10: 2),
a substratum or ground hupostasis (II Cor. 9: 4; 11: 17), or courage and good cheer
tharreo (II Cor. 5: 6, 8; 7: 16). It is this last word that we have in II Cor. 5: What
was it that gave the Apostle this confidence and courage? He has been speaking about
the contrasting facts, while here we live in a frail tent, in resurrection is awaiting us a
"building of God". For this he earnestly waited, and expressly ruled out from his
expectations "being UNclothed", which would apply to an "intermediate state". He
waited for and desired the day when "mortality" should be swallowed up of life, when
"This mortal shall put on immortality" in resurrection as I Cor. 15: has so clearly
revealed.
"Now He that hath wrought us for the self same things is God, Who also (i.e. before the
day comes, and while we wait) hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (II Cor. 5: 5).
This power, purpose and earnest, gives us confidence, enabling us to walk by faith
while here in the body and absent from the Lord, and willing rather:
"to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
This was Paul's ardent wish, but if it turned out to be the Lord's will that he should
remain here in the body, his confidence was unshaken. The earnest of the blessed hope
was his, and as he wrote to the Hebrews:
"Faith is the substance (`confidence', `title deeds') of things hoped for" (Heb. 1: 1).