2 Corinthians 5:21 (YLT)

Passage

for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:19 how that God was in Christ--a world reconciling to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses; and having put in us the word of the reconciliation,

2 Corinthians 5:20 in behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as if God were calling through us, we beseech, in behalf of Christ, `Be ye reconciled to God;'

2 Corinthians 5:21 for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behalf", "make", "become", and "righteousness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behalf" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "in behalf of Christ then we are...", giving immediate footing for "behalf" and "make". In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behalf" and "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.