2 Corinthians 5:17 (WEB)

Passage

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Corinthians 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Study Lenses

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

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