2 Corinthians 5:17 (ASV)

Passage

Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:15 and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know [him so] no more.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Corinthians 5:19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "christ", "creature", "things", "passed", "away", "behold", and "become". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "christ", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Wherefore we henceforth know no man after..." into verse 18's "But all things are of God who...", so "wherefore" and "christ" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "wherefore" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.