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2 Corinthians 5:1-10 – Is Paul Speaking of the Disembodied State?
God created man to have a body. Various people have said something to the effect, “You do not have a soul, you are soul;” or “You are not a body with a spirit, you are a spirit with a body.” Both contain truth, but may the most accurate is that we are a body, a soul, and a spirit (1 Thess.5:23). While we can exist without a body – like we can exist without parts of our body – God never created us to exist permanently without a body. That is one purpose of the resurrection, to restore what Satan destroyed (1 Cor.15). Too many think that after death, there is eternity in heaven as a spirit. They forget the resurrection. 2 Corinthians 5 is one of the glorious texts on this new and permanent state of being. But what exactly, and all of what, is Paul discussing?
Three questions and possibilties: 1) Is 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 “the most extensive teaching in Scripture on the ‘disembodied state,’ or the condition of believers between death of the body and the resurrection” (HCSB Study Bible, Note on chapter 5)? If so, then how much is being revealed? I do not take this view, but will grant that maybe v.8 speaks of being at home with the Lord in this intermediate time state, and that place is heaven not some intermediate realm. I will suggest in the analysis below that much of the rest, such as being “naked” does not refer to that time, but to now. If this text is speaking of an intermediate realm, then is the disembodied state in Heaven and Hell or some intermediate realm called Paradise and Hades? While I do believe in an intermediate time between death and resurrection, and not an intermediate place; I currently do not believe this passage is dealing with such. Although not the time here to go into detail, I do not believe the scriptures teach an intermediate realm of Paradise which is not heaven; and Hades or Taturus, which is not hell.
2) Is the building not made with hands, heaven or our resurrected body? If it is the resurrected body, then there might not be any reference at all to any disembodied time (except maybe v.8). What happens in between death and resurrection is not Paul’s point. No single verse contains all the truth on any topic.
3) Or is Paul referring to the temporary body we now have, this tent, as being naked; and the building and permanent clothes as the resurrection? Such sounds self-contradictory, and maybe it is. That is why I do not believe this passage is talking about an intermediate state, except for maybe v.8, but is rather just contrasting before and after the resurrection.
In support of this third position, consider the following. Paul is a huge fan of the original creation story. Several times in his writing Paul refers to both original creation and the fall (1 Tim.2). Even in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul refers to original creation as the model for male-female relationships. Then again in 1 Corinthians 14:34 when Paul says, “as the Law says,” some suggest refers back to Genesis 3:16. Sticking with the topic of the resurrection, in 1 Corinthians Paul calls Jesus the first Adam (1 Cor.15:45). Both of those are in the first letter to the Corinthians; and there are several similarities between these two letters.
So what does original creation have to do with our text? In favor of this third view being the contextually correct one, consider the following. Adam and Eve discover they are naked. They put on temporary “clothes,” which are just fig leaves. God then makes them permanent clothes out of animal skins. So the first comparison we see is that both passages discuss temporary and permanent clothing. Second, fig leaves could still be considered a state of nakedness. Just imagine someone walking around downtown like that; they would probably be arrested for indecent exposure! “Naked” does not necessarily mean completely nude; for example, Mt. 25:36; Lk.10:30. Gummos (i.e., naked) can mean poorly clothed. Verses 2-4 refer to this “state” as being current, as being naked. So this is not a later disembodied state; it is the condition of temporary clothes. Third, verse 1 of this chapter says that the house, the eternal dwelling from heaven, was not made with hands. That obviously describes something made by God (Heb.11:10). The fig leaf clothes were made with human hands; but God’s animal skins clothes were not. He prepared them. Also, original creation itself was also not made with hands. Finally, consider that further down in this chapter Paul calls the reconciliation through Christ New Creation. Reconciliation had been needed since old creation was disrupted by sin.
Taking these three arguments, instead of this being one of the passages that most clearly describes the disembodied state; it might not be that at all. Now if I am correct, what made me consider this unusual interpretation? This goes back to the foundation of how to study. Considering Paul’s over-all context of defending himself and his apostleship by at least partially discussing and revealing his suffering in this body, it makes sense to see if that is the comparison here. It makes more sense to see if the only two ideas – nakedness now in this tent; and clothed later in the resurrection – is also connected to chapter 4, the outer person and the inner person; and chapter five, walking by faith not by sight. Comparing this temporary body to the permanent next body fits; but bringing in the most extensive discussion of the disembodied state does not fit the context. I considered this unusual view because we must not only look to see what is said, but why it is being said.
Now if this reinterpretation is correct, it is more than just a change facts; it is supposed to be a change of life. That is the purpose of Paul’s writing. This is his philosophy of life. Now is temporary. Later is permanent. Now is not our focus. Later is our purpose.
Modern day Christianity has almost forgotten the resurrection. We think and preach that the end is dying and going to heaven. If that is the gospel, the story would have ended with Jesus saying, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Then He would have died and gone to Heaven. End of story. But that is not where the story ends. That is the not the gospel. The good news is a total defeat of Satan, in spirit and body. The last enemy to be defeated is death, not sin (1 Cor.15:26). No resurrection is not God’s story; of Jesus or us. Without the resurrection, there is no completeness. Without the resurrection there is not defeat of Satan. Without the resurrection there is no gospel.
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