A Ministry of Reconciliation (5:18–21)
A Ministry of Reconciliation ( 5:18–21 ) 2 Corinthians 5:18 Excerpt The reason trespasses are not credited to our account is that God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God ( v. 21 *). The fact that Christ had no sin is well documented in the New Testament. He was tempted as we are “yet was without sin” ( Heb 4:15 ); one “set apart from sinners” ( Heb 7:26 ). The NIV had no sin is actually “knew no sin” ( ton mē gnonta hamartian ). The verb ginōskō (to know) denotes personal acquaintance with something. Christ did not possess the knowledge of sin that comes through personal experience. He did not sin either in thought ( “in him is no sin,” 1 Jn 3:5 ) or in action ( “he committed no sin,” 1 Pet 2:22 ). The rest of verse 21 is theologically elusive. The first problem is to determine the sense in w...