2 Corinthians 5:16 (DRB)

Passage

Wherefore henceforth, we know no man according to the flesh. And if we have known Christ according to the flesh: but now we know him so no longer.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the charity of Christ presseth us: judging this, that if one died for all, then all were dead.

2 Corinthians 5:15 And Christ died for all: that they also who live may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth, we know no man according to the flesh. And if we have known Christ according to the flesh: but now we know him so no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:17 If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away. Behold all things are made new.

2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "henceforth", "flesh", "known", "christ", and "longer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "henceforth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And Christ died for all that they..." into verse 17's "If then any be in Christ a...", so "wherefore" and "henceforth" 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 "henceforth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.