The state of the child of God between death and the rapture is discussed in verses 1-8. This is often called the Intermediate state. The state of existence after death for the child of God is mentioned in verse 1. In view of the present difficulties faced by Paul and his fellow servants, there was hope given in the face of possible death. The human body is viewed as an earthly home or tent which can easily be dissolved. The human body in its present state is earthly and incapable of celestial dwelling (I Cor. 15:40, 48-50). Therefore, at death this body I now possess does not go directly into the presence of God. Since the resurrection of the body is yet future (I Thess. 4:16-18), the question becomes in what state do I find myself between these two happenings. We have a building of God's, a house not made with hands. First of all, this could not be the body from the grave since it is from heaven. There are varied opinions as to the meaning and sense of these words. There are those who feel that house not made with hands is heaven itself. There are others who feel this refers to the resurrection body. If this be the case, then no light is here shed on the state of the soul between death and resurrection. Some note that between death and resurrection, we pass out of the body, and our pure spirits enter the presence of the Lord. Others feel the soul enters at death into an intermediate body, a body prepared for it and adapted to the state between death and resurrection. First of all, we have a "building" or structure, an abode or dwelling made without hands. The Greek word oikosunv (acc. Sing.) refers to a building or structure. The Greek word oikiav is a house or dwelling, an abode. It would seem there is a personal abode of the soul provided by God for His own. Possibly the use of a personal abode or dwelling place would be more acceptable than "body." It is eternal in the heaven with respect to its qualities as any dwelling from heaven must be. What we are saying is that the use of this word does not limit or do away with the intermediate state. Our earnest desire is to occupy, which is in verse 2. It is not death that is here desired, for that would be unnatural. A Christian does not desire to die, for it is God who has given life and strength. Until He takes us home, it is to be our desire to serve Him. In this earthly body, however, we do groan or desire to be clothed with our personal abode, which is from heaven. The Greek word oikntnpiov again backs up the thought of a personal abode of the soul. It is this personal assurance that brought forth the great boldness of the Apostle in the face of grave danger. Death will not leave the soul of the Christian naked (verse 3). Death is the result of sin's entrance into the human family and the curse we are now under. The hope of the Christian not under the curse because of Christ is to be clothed with a heavenly abode in death. So then, death is not seen as the taking off of this body but the putting on of a new sphere of existence. The sting of death and its fear are removed in light of the wonderful truth of the Word of God. What is behind this desire to occupy (verse 4)? Paul's burden and groaning here seem to look back or take into consideration the suffering or burden of sorrow that he was enduring as servant of God. He has mentioned previously the things which he was called upon to endure. His burden did not make him want to die, but it did make him want to put on that place of abode that God had prepared for him. Trials in the life of a Christian should not bring about the despair that leads one to the point of wanting to die, but it should cause in us the desire to see our Wonderful Lord, who shall clothe us with that which is far better. This desire is to the end that our dying body might be swallowed up by life which is immortal. Confidence that we shall occupy is in verse 5. The one who prepares and makes us fit for this position after death is God. Thus we look forward with joyful expectation to that for which God has prepared us. The Holy Spirit has been given as our guarantee that God will fulfill His promises to us. The Holy Spirit is seen here as the guarantee that the glorious presence of God shall be our portion immediately after death. The earnest of the Spirit carries the thought of promise in view of the resurrection and also hope in the view of death (Ephes. 1:13-14). The desire of the faithful child of God is to be home with his heavenly Father (verse 6-8). Though we are abroad from the home that the Lord has promised, we have confident courage (verse 6). While we are not with the Lord yet, we are still cheerful, confident of the hope we possess. As long as we are at home in this body, we are away from the home the Lord has prepared for us. Presence with the Lord is a matter of faith (verse 7). Here is a parenthetical remark intended to confirm the preceding declaration. The walk of the child of God is one of faith and not sight or appearance. As God's children we regulate our lives by what we believe to be the will of God (Co. 1:9 - Col. 4:13). The basic desire of the child of God is to be home with his Lord (verse 8). There is no soul sleep here, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There is no purgatory here, for there is no time lapse or process of being purified before being present. The Christian's heaven is to be with the Lord, in His presence. This all takes place in an instant as we are carried into the presence of God at death by the angels; to be absent is to be present.

Our desire to be with the Lord causes us to labor in a manner pleasing to Him (verse 910). If we truly possess this hope of being with Christ, it will have a purifying effect in our lives (I John 3:3). To love the Lord is to seek to please Him in everything. As ambitious men/women desire and strive after fame, so a child of God ought to be ambitious and labor to be pleasing unto God. The judgment seat of Christ is given as incentive to every Christian, for we must all appear (verse 10). I Corinthians 3 has much to say about the judgment seat of Christ, and Romans 14:10 also reminds the Christian of this event. We are not to dread this occasion, but we should be ready for it. It might be a blessed occasion rather than a time of suffering loss.

The hope we have beyond the grave should affect our service for God in our serving and living (verse 11-21). This hope should spur us on to winning people to Christ (verse 11-15). In view of our pious reverence (fear) of the Lord, we seek to persuade men of the truth of the gospel. The heart of the soul winner is spurred on by the realization that we must all appear, and each child of God should be stirred to personal purity in light of the judgment seat of Christ. Paul declares that God knew his conscience, and all that he did was thoroughly understood by God. It was hoped that these people, plainly, by reason of their discernment, would know that he was honest before God and that the charges leveled against him were unjust. Paul was not seeking to boast (verse 12) but to give those who loved him an answer to the charges made. There are always those far more interested in the outward than with the inward, taking up with that which men can see rather than that which God can bless. Some had declared Paul mad, and he says here in verse 13, if he be mad, it was for Christ. The truly spiritual Christian is looked at as if mad even by some Christians and by the world in most cases. To walk by faith is not natural, and the carnal Christian who is living after the flesh does not understand even though he/she is a child of God. Whatever we are, Paul says it is for you that you might benefit from it. The love of Christ for men is in view (verse 14). The word constraineth carries the thought of controls or governs us. It also means restrain, which this meaning may well fit here. The love of Christ implies me and drives me forth in the work and also is the motivating source for Godly personal living. As in Roman 5:12 where sin is seen as the result of Adam's sin, so is righteousness available through the work of one even Jesus Christ our Lord. As the sin of Adam brought condemnation to all, so the work of Christ makes righteousness available to all. Those who have been purchased through Christ's death are now to live unto Christ (verse 15). The person who has been redeemed unto God is now to live for Christ and not self Christ is to be the end of our living and action. This will put an end to self living (Luke 12:16 Parable of the rich fool).

The message we possess that brings this hope originated with God (verse 16-19). The message of God's redeeming love can only be spiritually evaluated (verse 16). Paul says no longer do we estimate anybody by purely fleshly standards as we once did. Paul was guilty as many are of having evaluated Christ from purely a human standpoint. No longer am I guilty of this, Paul declares, for the spirit of God had brought entrance of light. Christ brings a commencement of a new state of being (verse 17). The person in view here has been "engrafted" in Christ and as such shares His life's principle. The previous moral and spirit condition has passed away, which is the result of being spiritually dead. A new condition now becomes part of the man with Christ, for he has been the recipient of spiritual life from above. The ministry of reconciliation is in verse 18. All our blessings are from God who has brought us into favor through Jesus Christ. Now with His life's principle running through our very being, we shall be in harmony with Him. Now as those who have received and are benefiting from this message of reconciliation, we have a duty. We are to share the message of God's redeeming love with others as God's ambassadors or spokespersons. To have had deposited this message in us and then to be sent to others holds no small obligation. We are to share with others how they, too, might have right standing through Jesus Christ our Savior. Through Christ we are reconciled (verse 19). God was in Christ. Here bears out the truth of the incarnation, a cardinal truth. Through Christ our state was changed from one of being under condemnation to one of justification. This is the position of every one who believes. We have deposited in us the word of reconciliation. Reconciliation can only be brought about by the removal of that which causes it in the first place. Sin brought the estrangement, and through the blood of Christ, man is brought to God (Heb. 9:22). Reconciliation carries more thought than this because a believer is made perfectly righteousness in Christ as well.

A personal appeal to be reconciled to God through Christ is found in verse 20 and 21. As the envoy of Christ, I appeal to you to be reconciled to God (verse 20). As an ambassador for God, we neither speak or act for ourselves but do what we have been commissioned to do. It is God's desire that man's hatred of God should be turned to love. Here is divine favor offered to those who will accept. The purity of the Mediator is brought to our attention in verse 21. "He knew no sin"-the sinless righteousness of the Son of God. He was made sin for us-not a sinner but sin or a sin offering, a sacrifice for sin. The reason for all this is "that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." We are justified freely through His grace by the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.