2 Corinthians 5:14 (DBY)

Passage

For the love of the Christ constrains us, having judged this: that one died for all, then all have died;

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:12 [For] we do not again commend ourselves to you, but [we are] giving to you occasion of boast in our behalf, that ye may have [such] with those boasting in countenance, and not in heart.

2 Corinthians 5:13 For whether we are beside ourselves, [it is] to God; or are sober, [it is] for you.

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of the Christ constrains us, having judged this: that one died for all, then all have died;

2 Corinthians 5:15 and he died for all, that they who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who died for them and has been raised.

2 Corinthians 5:16 So that *we* henceforth know no one according to flesh; but if even we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we know [him thus] no longer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "love", "christ", "constrains", "having", "judged", and "died". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "love" and "christ", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "For whether we are beside ourselves it..." into verse 15's "and he died for all that they...", so "love" 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 "love" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.