2 Corinthians 5:16

My Notes

What Does 2 Corinthians 5:16 Mean?

Paul declares a new way of knowing people: wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Henceforth (apo tou nun — from now on) know we no man after the flesh (kata sarka) — Paul announces a permanent change in how he evaluates people. After the flesh means according to external, human, worldly criteria: ethnicity, social status, appearance, education, achievements, family background. Paul no longer assesses anyone by these categories. The henceforth is decisive — this is a line crossed, not a gradual adjustment.

Know (oida — to perceive, to regard, to evaluate) no man — the knowing is evaluation. Paul no longer regards any person through the lens of fleshly categories. The change applies to everyone — no man. The new perspective is universal: every person is evaluated differently now.

Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh — Paul acknowledges that even his knowledge of Christ was once kata sarka — according to external, human categories. Before his conversion, Paul knew about Jesus through fleshly evaluation: a man from Nazareth, a carpenter's son, a crucified criminal, a failed messiah. The fleshly assessment concluded: Jesus was a blasphemer who deserved death.

Yet now henceforth know we him no more — Paul no longer knows Christ that way. The Damascus road shattered the fleshly evaluation. The crucified criminal is the risen Lord. The failed messiah is the exalted king. The carpenter's son is the Son of God. The fleshly knowledge has been replaced by spiritual knowledge — and the replacement is permanent.

The context (v.14-17) explains why: Christ died for all; therefore all died. The old categories died with Christ. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (v.17). The new creation produces new evaluation. The old way of seeing — through ethnicity, status, appearance, achievement — is crucified with Christ. The new way of seeing recognizes every person as someone for whom Christ died.

The verse has profound implications for how the church relates to people: no evaluation by race, class, education, appearance, or any other fleshly criterion. Every person is evaluated as someone Christ died for — and that evaluation supersedes every other.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does 'knowing after the flesh' describe — and what external categories was Paul using to evaluate people before?
• 2.How did Paul's fleshly knowledge of Christ (before Damascus) differ from his spiritual knowledge (after) — and what changed?
• 3.What does 'new creature' (v.17) have to do with the way you evaluate people — and why does new creation demand new evaluation?
• 4.What flesh-based categories are you still using to assess people — and what would it look like to stop knowing anyone 'after the flesh'?

Devotional

Henceforth know we no man after the flesh. From now on. A line crossed. Paul will never again evaluate a person by the external categories the world uses: race, status, wealth, appearance, education, family name. Those categories are finished. The flesh-based evaluation system is dead. And the death is permanent — henceforth.

Though we have known Christ after the flesh. Even Paul's knowledge of Jesus was once flesh-based. Before Damascus, Paul saw Jesus through human eyes: a Nazarene carpenter, a blasphemer, a failed pretender, a criminal executed on a Roman cross. The fleshly evaluation said: this man deserves death. The spiritual evaluation — which arrived with a blinding light on the road — said: this man is the Lord.

Yet now henceforth know we him no more. The old way of seeing Christ is gone. Permanently replaced. The Jesus Paul once evaluated as a criminal is the Jesus Paul now proclaims as Lord. The change in how Paul sees Christ produces a change in how Paul sees everyone: if the old evaluation of Christ was wrong, the old evaluation of every person is equally suspect.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (v.17). This is why the categories change. The old creation — with its fleshly hierarchies, its status markers, its who-matters-and-who-does-not — has passed away. The new creation has arrived. And in the new creation, every person is evaluated by one criterion: Christ died for them. That criterion supersedes every other.

How do you evaluate people? By appearance? By status? By what they can offer you? By the categories the world uses to sort humans into valuable and disposable? Paul says: that evaluation system died with Christ. The new way of knowing people sees every person as someone Christ died for — and treats them accordingly. The flesh-based seeing is over. The new creation seeing has begun.

Henceforth. From now on. The old way of knowing is dead. The new way starts now.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

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