2 Corinthians 5:16-21
The Ministry of Reconciliation
16So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
18All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Berean Standard Bible
Paul says that Christ changes the way His people see others. They are no longer to regard anyone according to the flesh—that is, by the world's surface measures or by a former way of judging. Even Paul's earlier view of Christ had to be corrected. Meeting Jesus changes the lens through which a person looks at the world.
The change is described as new creation. In Christ, the old has passed away and the new has come. Paul does not mean that believers instantly forget their history or never struggle with old habits. He means that God has begun a new work with a new center and a new future.
All of this comes from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. God was not counting people's trespasses against them in Christ; He was bringing enemies back into relationship. Paul calls believers ambassadors, carrying God's appeal: be reconciled to God.
The foundation is Jesus. God made the sinless Christ to be sin on our behalf so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Paul presents reconciliation as God's gracious action before it becomes our assignment. We invite others into a peace we have first received.
How We Know
Romans 5:6-11 describes reconciliation through Christ's death while people were still sinners and enemies. Colossians 1:19-23 likewise connects Christ's cross with peace between God and those who were once alienated.
Questions
1 How should Christ's people regard others?
AnswerThey should no longer judge people according to the world's surface measures or former ways of seeing.
2 What happens to someone who is in Christ?
AnswerThat person is a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come.
3 What ministry has God given believers?
AnswerGod has given them the ministry and message of reconciliation, inviting others into the peace He provides through Christ.
4 What does an ambassador for Christ carry?
AnswerAn ambassador carries God's appeal for people to be reconciled to Him through Christ, speaking as a representative rather than the Savior.
What This Means for Us
Reconciliation begins with God, so no household has to manufacture peace by pretending harm never happened. Truth, repentance, forgiveness, and wise boundaries belong inside a peace that is real.
Look again at people you have reduced to a label: difficult, immature, successful, or hopeless. Christ may be teaching you to see a neighbor as someone God is still making new.
Prayer
God of reconciliation, thank You for bringing us near through Christ. Teach us to see people with mercy and truth, repair what can be repaired, and carry Your appeal without pretending to be the Savior. Amen.