2 Corinthians 5:17 (LSB)

Passage

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:15 And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

2 Corinthians 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Therefore from now on we recognize no..." into verse 18's "Now all these things are from God...", so "therefore" and "anyone" 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 "therefore" and "anyone" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.