2 Corinthians 5:17 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

2 Corinthians 5:19 For God indeed was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their sins. And he hath placed in us the word of reconciliation.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Wherefore henceforth we know no man according..." into verse 18's "But all things are of God who...", so "all things" 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 "all things" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.