{"id":6807,"date":"2025-07-03T07:17:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T11:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/?p=6807"},"modified":"2025-07-30T11:32:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T15:32:38","slug":"atonement-2-corinthians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/topics-themes\/commentaries\/atonement-2-corinthians\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He Died for All\u2019: Atonement Through Jesus Christ\u2019s Death in 2 Corinthians 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The psalmist says that God is \u201cfull of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth\u201d (Ps 86:15<\/a> KJV). For Paul, the supreme example of God\u2019s mercy is not counting our sins against us (2 Cor 5:19<\/a>) but acting through Christ\u2019s death to redeem us and to create the opportunity for reconciliation with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God is not like the easily riled, vindictive deities that people tried to mollify with sacrifices. No sacrifice we might offer, however, could suffice to placate God\u2019s holy wrath against sin. Thankfully, Christ is the sacrifice<\/a> that humans could not offer themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s grace is something that God has done for <\/em>us through Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was God, not us, who \u201cpresented\u201d Christ \u201cas a sacrifice of atonement\u201d (Rom 3:25\u201326<\/a>; see Rom 5:6\u201310<\/a>; 2 Cor 5:18\u201319, 21<\/a>). What Paul writes in 2 Cor 5:14\u201321<\/a> is a majestic summary of this atoning sacrifice. He says three times (emphases mine) that \u201cone [Christ] died for <\/em>all\u201d (5:14b); \u201che died for <\/em>all,\u201d defined as \u201cthose who [now] live\u201d (5:15a); and he \u201cdied for <\/em>them and was raised again\u201d (5:15b).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Threefold Significance of the Greek Preposition ‘Hyper’ in 2 Corinthians 5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Greek preposition translated as \u201cfor\u201d (hyper<\/em>) can also mean \u201cin place of,\u201d \u201cas a representative of,\u201d or \u201cfor the benefit of\u201d (\u201cin the interest of\u201d). Must one choose only one meaning for this preposition? It is possible that Paul \u201cplays with the meaning\u201d and \u201cshifts back and forth between\u201d the three meanings.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Substitutionary Significance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, the phrase that \u201cone died for all\u201d (5:14b) has a substitutionary significance. Christ died in place of<\/em> all. Paul\u2019s conclusion in 5:21, \u201cGod made him who had no sin to be sin for [hyper<\/em>] us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God,\u201d highlights this interchange in Christ (see also Gal 2:20; 3:13<\/a>).[2]<\/a> Christ has done something for others and had done it in their stead \u201cto produce a salvific effect<\/em>.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He died a death under the divine wrath that sinners deserve.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Banner<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This interchange \u201cis achieved, on the one hand, by Christ\u2019s solidarity with mankind, on the other, by our solidarity with Christ.\u201d[5]<\/a> Why does God not just forgive sin and leave it at that? G. B. Caird answers, \u201cTo forgive sin by fiat would be to ignore it, to treat it as though it did not exist; like cancelling traffic offences by abolishing the rules of the road.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to recognize that \u201cDivine retribution for sin is real, and humans had better not discount the reality of God\u2019s wrath against sin.\u201d[7]<\/a> But God does not just avert wrath through Christ\u2019s becoming a sin offering; God also offers to restore a broken relationship caused by human sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God did not create the problem, \u201cas if God were a cruel tyrant from whom humans rebelled. Human sinfulness created the problem, and this sinful condition had to be dealt with before there could be any reconciliation.\u201d[8]<\/a> In this case, God, the injured party, took action to resolve the falling out. The forgiveness of sins required Jesus to stand in for sinners to spare them from facing the supreme penalty for their rebellion against God. Christ\u2019s vicarious sacrifice wipes the slate clean and paves the way for reconciliation with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Representative Significance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Second, Christ\u2019s death has a representative significance. For instance, in 2 Cor 5:20<\/a> the preposition hyper<\/em> has a representative sense. As Christ\u2019s ambassador, Paul implores the Corinthians on Christ\u2019s behalf (hyper<\/em>), that is, as Christ\u2019s representative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement in 5:14c, \u201ctherefore all died,\u201d also suggests this representative sense.[9]<\/a> Moyer Hubbard reasons, \u201cA substitute dies so that others do not, whereas a representative embodies the community as its delegate and so includes others in his\/her sacrificial act (see Heb 7:9\u201310<\/a>).\u201d[10]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hubbard continues: \u201cDescribing Christ as a representative whose story somehow affects the whole of humanity, the submerged analogy of Adam-Christ again becomes visible. First Corinthians 15:22<\/a> confirms this connection: \u2018In Adam all die; in Christ all will be made alive\u2019\u201d (see also Rom 5:12\u201320<\/a>).[11]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Udo Schnelle explains how this could be: \u201cBecause Christ is in no way affected by the realm where sin is dominant, he can represent us in becoming sin, in order thereby to effect our incorporation into the realm where he is Lord.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Beneficial Significance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Third, Christ\u2019s death also is \u201cfor the benefit of\u201d believers. Paul speaks of our resurrection earlier in chapter 5 (vv. 1\u20135<\/a>) and contends elsewhere that Christ \u201cwas raised to life for our justification\u201d (Rom 4:25<\/a>) so that \u201cwe too may live a new life\u201d (Rom 6:4<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ\u2019s resurrection breaks the calamitous interconnection between sin and death that menaces humanity. Thus, all three connotations of the preposition hyper <\/em>express what Paul understands Christ\u2019s death for us means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obtaining Justice, Bestowing Uprightness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Paul concludes this unit in 2 Cor 5:21<\/a> by describing a mysterious exchange. Christ, who was sinless, is bonded to our sin and condemned as if he were a sinner. Being \u201cin Christ\u201d (5:17) bonds believers, who have no righteousness in themselves, to his righteousness. They \u201cbecome the righteousness (dikaiosyne<\/em>) of God\u201d (5:21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word translated as \u201crighteousness\u201d can refer to \u201cjustice\u201d \u2014 giving out rewards or punishments that a person is due \u2014 and to a person\u2019s right standing before God. Paul knits the two meanings of this noun together: God obtained justice on the cross and gave believers the gift of uprightness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Paul says in 5:21 encapsulates what he affirms more fully in Rom 3:25\u201326<\/a>: \u201cGod presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood \u2014 to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished \u2014 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.\u201d[13]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The language of \u201crighteousness\u201d recurs throughout 2 Corinthians (3:9<\/a>; 6:7, 14<\/a>; 9:9-10<\/a>; 11:15<\/a>), and Isaiah\u2019s use of \u201crighteousness\u201d (the root zedek <\/em>appears eighty-one times in Isaiah) helps clarify what Paul means in this context. Paul appropriated from his theological reading of Isaiah, particularly Isa 46:13<\/a> and 51:5-8<\/a>, the idea that the righteousness of God refers to \u201cnot counting people\u2019s sins against them\u201d (5:19<\/a>). Christ\u2019s becoming sin for us resulted in God blotting out our sins in the same way that Christ\u2019s death for us swallowed up death and gave us the promise of resurrection (1 Cor 15:54<\/a>; see Isa 25:8<\/a>).

It is important to clarify the meaning that Christ\u2019s death is \u201cfor all\u201d in 5:14\u201315. It is potentially <\/em>beneficial for all. However, it is only operative for those who \u201clive by faith, not by sight\u201d (5:7), who believe that Christ died for them and that God raised him from the dead, and who \u201cno longer live for themselves but for him who died for them\u201d (5:15). Those who reject the gospel are perishing (2:15\u201316<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reconciliation With God Through Jesus Christ\u2019s Death<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Paul\u2019s statement that as part of the process of reconciliation God did not count \u201cpeople\u2019s sins against them\u201d assumes that human sin shatters the relationship with God. That relationship needs mending \u2014 but given our weak, sinful, and rebellious condition we can do nothing to restore that relationship on our own. We might make attempts to do so through sanctimonious supplications (contrast 2 Macc 1:5; 8:29<\/a>), repeated attempts at repentance, and recurrent sacrificial offerings, but they are all futile. Paul\u2019s assertion that \u201cGod was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself\u201d (2 Cor 5:19<\/a> ASV) means that God took the initiative in restoring the relation through what God did in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This concept would have been theologically stunning in Paul\u2019s Hellenistic context. Instead of being on the receiving end of a sacrifice, God chose to be <\/em>the sacrifice.[14]<\/a> This reconciliation does not placate God\u2019s enmity; it seeks to overcome our <\/em>enmity through God\u2019s sacrificial act of love (Rom 5:8<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, this is not a matter of the divine judge letting us off the hook and wiping the slate clean. The divine judge is the One whom we have sinned against, and he does far more than forgiving our trespasses and letting us start again. Indeed, God offers himself to us in friendship through Christ and gives us the power to start again through the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God drew near to us through Christ and was involved in Christ\u2019s death to create the possibility for \u201cthe world\u201d (5:19) to enter an intimate relationship with God. \u201cThe world\u201d (kosmos<\/em>) does not refer to the cosmos in this context but to humankind (Rom 3:6, 19<\/a>; 11:12<\/a>). In this case it denotes ungodly, sinful humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\n
\"Cover<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Adapted from David E. Garland’s <\/b>2 Corinthians<\/a><\/b><\/em><\/span>, volume 8 in the New Word Biblical Themes series.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theologians have not often mined 2 Corinthians for its theological gemstones, but careful reading of the letter uncovers significant, profound doctrinal insights into the Trinity, atonement, reconciliation, being in Christ, cruciform ministry, and the hope of the resurrection.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Footnotes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> Reimund Bieringer, \u201cDying and Being Raised For: Shifts in the Meaning of hyper in 2 Cor 5:14\u201315,\u201d in Theologizing in the Corinthian Conflict: Studies in the Exegesis and Theology of 2 <\/em>Corinthians<\/em>, ed. Reimund Bieringer, Ma. Marilou S. Ibita, Dominika A. Kurek-Chomycz, and Thomas A. Vollmer, BTS 16 (Leuven, Belgium: Peeters, 2013), 175.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> See Morna D. Hooker, \u201cInterchange and Atonement,\u201d BJRL <\/em>60 (1978): 462\u201381, and Morna D. Hooker, \u201cOn Becoming the Righteousness of God: Another Look at 2 Cor 5:21,\u201d NovT <\/em>50 (2008): 358\u201375.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> Udo Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament<\/em>, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 249. Emphasis original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/a> Rudolf Bultmann (The Second Letter to the Corinthians<\/em>, trans. Roy A. Harrisville [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1985], 165) argues, \u201cThe meaning is, just as believers are \u2018just\u2019 because God regards (\u2018reckons\u2019) and treats them as such, though they are sinners, so Christ is regarded and treated by God as sinner . . . though he is sinless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The abundance of allusions to Isaiah in the context suggests that Paul paraphrases Isa 53:10, \u201cYet it was the Lord\u2019s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.\u201d See B. J. Oropeza, \u201cReconciliation in \u2018Light\u2019 of Isaiah 8:22\u20139:7: Confirming Isaianic Influence on Paul\u2019s Use of \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03b1\u03b3\u03ae in 2 Corinthians 5:17\u201321,\u201d in Scriptures, Texts, and Tracings in 2 Corinthians and Philippians<\/em>, ed. A. Andrew Das and B. J. Oropeza (Lanham \/ Boulder \/New York \/ London: Lexington Books \/ Fortress Academic, 2022), 85\u2013106.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/a> Hooker, \u201cInterchange and Atonement,\u201d 463.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]<\/a> G. B. Caird, Theology of the New Testament<\/em>, ed. L. D. Hurst (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994), 146.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7]<\/a> David E. Garland, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary,<\/em> TNTC (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2021), 149.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]<\/a> David E. Garland, 2 Corinthians<\/em>, CSC (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2021), 324.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9]<\/a> They do not literally die but are dead to sin when they are made alive in Christ and live for Christ. They no longer live for themselves, since living for oneself is the essence of sinning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10]<\/a> Moyer V. Hubbard, \u201c2 Corinthians,\u201d in A Biblical Theology of the Holy Spirit<\/em>, ed. Trevor J. Burke and Keith Warrington (London: SPCK, 2014), 172.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[11]<\/a> Hubbard, \u201c2 Corinthians,\u201d 172.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[12]<\/a> Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament<\/em>, 255.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[13]<\/a> Charles Lee Irons, \u201cThe Isaianic Judicial Background of \u2018The Righteousness of God\u2019 in 2 Cor 5:21,\u201d in Scriptures, Texts, and Tracings in 2 Corinthians and Philippians<\/em>, ed. A. Andrew Das and B. J. Oropeza (Lanham \/ Boulder \/New York \/ London: Lexington Books \/ Fortress Academic, 2022), 107\u201320.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[14]<\/a> Thomas C. Oden, The Word of Life: Systematic Theology: Volume Two (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989), 370.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though often overlooked by theologians, 2 Corinthians 5 presents a majestic summary of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and what it means that he “died for all.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461],"tags":[377,443,444,71,285,221,113],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018He Died for All\u2019: Atonement Through Jesus Christ\u2019s Death in 2 Corinthians 5 | Bible Gateway News & Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Though often overlooked by theologians, 2 Corinthians 5 presents a majestic summary of Christ's atoning sacrifice and what it means that he "died for all."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/topics-themes\/commentaries\/atonement-2-corinthians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018He Died for All\u2019: Atonement Through Jesus Christ\u2019s Death in 2 Corinthians 5\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Though often overlooked by theologians, 2 Corinthians 5 presents a majestic summary of Christ's atoning sacrifice and what it means that he "died for all."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/topics-themes\/commentaries\/atonement-2-corinthians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bible Gateway News & Knowledge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BibleGateway\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-03T11:17:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-30T15:32:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/staticblog.bgcdn.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/26161404\/lamb-and-cross.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jacob Edson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@biblegateway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@biblegateway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David E. 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