Even Jesus, our Lord, took on flesh to identify with humanity's problem of sin and death in order to bring us to righteousness and life. And so, I believe Christ calls us, his followers, to this same kind of life. We all need to know we are not alone in our sinfulness and brokenness. We receive hope, encouragement and yes, even joy when we openly confess our sins and the inability to attain the perfection of God's glory . We also benefit from the gentle hand of Christ's love, mercy and forgiveness experienced in his acceptance.
Every believer needs to be 'inoculated' with the gospel serum for the sense of hope it provides.
Even though he looked forward to going home to be with Christ, Paul understood their continuing need for him to remain with them in his ministry so their hope and joy in Christ Jesus would abound and be made complete.