2 Corinthians 5:18 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech [you] on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "reconciled", "himself", "through", "christ", "gave", "ministry", and "reconciliation". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "reconciled", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Wherefore if any man is in Christ..." into verse 19's "to wit that God was in Christ...", so "all things" and "reconciled" 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 "all things" and "reconciled" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.