Text -- 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NET)

5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died. 5:15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised. 5:16 So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer. 5:17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away– look, what is new has come! 5:18 And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 5:19 In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” 5:21 God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 2Co 5:14

¹ tn The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ (Jh agaph tou Cristou, “the love of Christ”) could be translated as either objective genitive (“our love for Christ”) or subjective genitive (“Christ’s love for us”). Either is grammatically possible, but with the reference to Christ’s death for all in the following clauses, a subjective genitive (“Christ’s love for us”) is more likely.

² tn Grk “one”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: 2Co 5:15

¹ tn Or “but for him who died and was raised for them.”

NET Notes: 2Co 5:16

¹ tn Grk “we know.”

² tn Grk “no one according to the flesh.”

³ tn Grk “we have known Christ according to the flesh.”

NET Notes: 2Co 5:17

¹ tn Grk “old things have passed away.”

² tc Most mss have the words τὰ πάντα (ta panta, “all things”; cf. KJV “behold, all things are become new”), some after καίνα (kaina, “new”; D² K L P Ψ 104 326 945 2464 pm) and others before it (6 33 81 614 630 1241 1505 1881 pm). The reading without τὰ πάντα, however, has excellent support from both the Western and Alexandrian texttypes (Ì⁴⁶ א B C D* F G 048 0243 365 629 1175 1739 pc co), and the different word order of the phrase which includes it (“all things new” or “new all things”) in the ms tradition indicates its secondary character. This secondary addition may have taken place because of assimilation to τὰ δὲ πάντα (ta de panta, “and all [these] things”) that begins the following verse.

³ tn Grk “new things have come [about].”

NET Notes: 2Co 5:19

¹ tn Or “he has entrusted to us.”

NET Notes: 2Co 5:20

¹ tn Or “as though God were begging.”

² tn Or “we beg you.”

NET Notes: 2Co 5:21

¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn The one who did not know sin is a reference to Jesus Christ.

³ sn That is, “in Christ.”