08 New Creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:12-21)

Wednesday in the Word

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In this episode of Wednesday in the Word, Krisan Marotta examines how the Apostle Paul defends his ministry against critics who judge him by outward appearance rather than by the message he proclaims. Paul insists that true transformation comes from God’s work in the heart, not from impressive credentials or presentation. Through this passage, Paul calls the Corinthians—and us—to see others through the lens of the gospel, not worldly standards.

In this week’s episode, we explore:

Why Paul refuses to judge others “according to the flesh”
What Paul means by being “beside himself” and “of sound mind”
How the love of Christ shapes Paul’s ministry and message
What it means to be a new creation in Christ
The meaning of the ministry of reconciliation
Why Paul calls himself an ambassador for Christ
How Paul explains the gospel through the exchange of sin and righteousness

By listening, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how Paul frames gospel ministry—not as self-promotion, but as a calling shaped by God’s grace and Christ’s love. This episode encourages us to reevaluate how we view others, how we assess ourselves, and how we respond to the gospel’s call to be reconciled to God.

New Creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:12-21)

Paul addresses criticism from the Corinthian church and explains the theological foundation and personal motivations behind his work. His message clarifies both the role of an apostle and the purpose of the gospel.

Review

We are still in a section that began at the end of chapter 1 and continues to chapter 7. Paul repeats three themes in this section.

Paul is not adequate to produce the results his ministry has been producing. The gospel is beyond him. He is just a man. He is not capable of inventing something as powerful and wise as the gospel.
Paul speaks with openness and integrity. He is not a salesman. His goal is not to manipulate you into buying the gospel. He sincerely speaks the simple truth as if he were standing in the presence of God.
The gospel is superior to the Old Covenant because, through his Spirit, God is transforming his people.

Paul claims his gospel has a huge impact, but he is not bragging about himself. His job is to preach the gospel, and understanding the gospel is a matter of life and death. His ministry is incredibly important, not because he is a big deal, but because his message is a big deal.

At the end of chapter 4, Paul gave two reasons he did not despair.

He does not lose heart because the reaction is not about him. It is about the gospel. If he faithfully preaches the gospel, some will accept it and some will reject it. That is the way it is. Paul admits freely that he himself is not up to the job. He is foolish, but God has given him the wisdom of the gospel. He is weak, but God has helped him stand in the midst of suffering and persecution.
He does not lose heart because he knows the outcome of his sufferings will be eternal life. He is learning to focus not on the temporary sufferings of today but on the eternal glory that awaits him.

He continues that theme in the opening verses of chapter 5.

He faces constant suffering and the threat of death in his ministry. Paul can face the loss of his earthly body with courage because he knows that life in this earthly body is not the best life. Here he is apart from Jesus. Better to leave this body and go to the existence where he will be with Jesus forever. He fears God more than he fears other men and makes it his aim to please God.

As we saw last week, Paul conducts himself in light of his future hope. He knows his sufferings today are temporary and that he has an eternal life filled with glory ahead of him.

Paul does not fear what people can do to him or what they think of him. He fears God. When deciding how to conduct himself or proclaim the gospel, his concern is to please God. Knowing he is answerable to God, he sets about persuading people of the truth of the gospel.

At the end of 5:11, Paul expresses his hope that the Corinthians would see him the same way. God sees Paul’s heart, and Paul wishes the Corinthians would see his heart. He wants his sincerity to be obvious to them.

Not Commending Ourselves

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. — 2 Corinthians 5:11-13

You give a letter of recommendation to someone who does not know you. But as Paul said in chapter 3, he and the Corinthians are not at the beginning of their relationship. He is not a stranger who has to introduce himself again. He has been ministering to them for years. They have every reason to know that Paul is a faithful minister of a powerful gospel.

He is not trying to convince them of something they have no reason to believe.

Why is he writing this? He wants them to understand the spirit and attitude behind this letter. He is giving them an opportunity to be proud of him. He is reminding and clarifying how he worked among them and why he did that work.

When they think about how Paul treated them, it should make them proud. They should rejoice and brag about how Paul sacrificed for them. Many in Corinth are not proud of Paul. Many criticize and reject him. He will speak more plainly about this by the time we get to the final chapters. Paul reminds them what is true about himself so they have an answer for those who criticize him.

Judging by Appearance

Some in Corinth are judging him by outward appearance, not his motives. They are more concerned with how he proclaims his message than with the content. They find Paul’s presentation boring and unimpressive. Paul does not fit their definition of a good speaker or their idea of the sophisticated elite. They judge him by the external standards the world uses.

Later in the letter, his opponents say his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible. In their eyes, he is not a charismatic, entertaining speaker. They prefer others and want Paul to be like them. Paul urges the Corinthians not to judge appearance but to judge content and motives. He wants them to be proud of his sincerity and integrity.

“Beside Ourselves”

What does Paul mean by “beside ourselves” (2 Corinthians 5:13)? The Greek word translated beside literally means to stand outside oneself. It can mean to displace, to remove from its place, or, metaphorically, to be amazed or astonished. It can describe being so astonished you almost fail to comprehend what happened. It can also mean to be out of one’s senses.

Examples in the New Testament include:

Matthew 12:23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” (astonishment)

Mark 2:12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Mark 3:21 When his own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of him; for they were saying, “He has lost his senses.”

There is also discussion about the Greek verb tenses in 2 Corinthians 5:13. The first verb is aorist and the second is present. It is possible to translate it, “If we were beside ourselves, it was for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.” That could suggest something in the past that could be characterized as being beside himself.

Some argue Paul is talking about an ecstatic experience, like speaking in tongues. In this context that seems unlikely. The immediate context is the way some Corinthians judge him according to externals. Most likely Paul is echoing a criticism of his past preaching. Judging by externals, some said he was so passionate that he seemed crazy.

If he looked crazy, it was because he was being true to God. If he spoke clearly and calmly, it was so they would understand. He may or may not have a specific event in mind. We cannot say for sure. But the context requires that it refers to how people in Corinth judge him by external factors.

Whatever led them to call him crazy, his commitment to following God was behind it. In contrast, when he teaches them, as in this letter, he is of sound mind.

Paul hopes that when they look at his life and ministry, they will see his sincerity and the depth of his understanding. In the past he may have said or done something that looked out of control. The one who judges Paul rightly will see past those weaknesses to the truth of the gospel and the sincerity with which he proclaims it.

What Christ’s Death Accomplishes

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:14-17

The statement “we regard no one according to the flesh” connects directly with his warning against boasting in appearance. Something about what Christ has done makes it foolish to judge by the flesh.

The love of Christ controls Paul. Whether he seems beside himself or in his right mind, his actions are determined by his understanding of Christ’s love and its purpose. Christ’s love led him to die for us to bring about a specific result. He died so that those who live would no longer live for themselves but for him.

From my study of Scripture, this is how I understand the salvation that comes through the death of Christ.

Because of sin, we are alienated from God and under his wrath. We do not deserve forgiveness or mercy. We deserve condemnation because we are guilty. Justice demands we pay the price for our guilt, and that price is death.

Jesus died to reconcile us to God. He paid the price for our guilt by dying in our place and taking the punishment we deserve so that God could forgive us and we could be reconciled to him. We call that justification.

Justification has a two-part result. Right now, those of us who trust in the blood of Christ are forgiven and reconciled to God. Because we are reconciled, God gives us his Spirit to change us from the inside out. Our choices, values, goals, wants, and desires show the mark of the Spirit. We seek God and want to be holy as he is holy because of the Spirit’s work in our lives.

God is doing this work in his people today to ensure that we belong to him and will arrive at eternal life in the end. On the day of judgment, we will not be condemned; we will enter eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

Paul has been talking about that first benefit throughout this letter. When he talks about the new covenant, the Spirit writing the law on our hearts, and the Spirit as the down payment, he is referring to something brought about by Christ’s death.

In 5:14-15, Paul is talking about this first benefit. Jesus died to reconcile us to God so that God would give us his Spirit, and the result is that we become people who live for the one who died and rose for us. When Jesus literally died on the cross, we metaphorically died to sin. Sin no longer controls us as it once did. Now that we are reconciled to God, God writes the law on our hearts. We can live this new way because God has given us his Spirit.

Therefore it is no longer appropriate to assess believers by what we are in the flesh. If we belong to Christ, we are new creatures.

No Longer According to the Flesh

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. — 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Paul’s picture is not merely, “You ought to live for Christ since he died for you.” His point is more profound. You cannot judge this new creation the same way. You are a new creature. The flesh is not enough to explain who you are anymore.

To recognize a person according to the flesh is to judge the natural, external attributes of life: status, intelligence, importance, good looks, contribution to society, personality, and all the traits that make someone impressive by worldly standards. Believers have become more than that. The spiritual change happening in believers transcends worldly attributes and accomplishments.

Paul says he does not think about people that way anymore. He used to think that way about Jesus. In the flesh, Jesus was a poor, traveling peasant who got himself killed as a troublemaker. That is how Paul once thought of him. When Paul came to understand the truth, he could see past the worldly insignificance of Jesus to the true significance of his life and work.

Paul has abandoned that external standard for Jesus and for God’s people. The way to evaluate them is not their place in the world or their talents or wealth. The way to evaluate them is who they are becoming in Christ.

There is a double message. Paul recognizes no one according to the flesh, and he wants the Corinthians to do the same. In particular, he wants them to stop judging him by external appearance.

Ambassador for Christ

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. –2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Jesus did not have to convince God to forgive us or twist God’s arm to accept his sacrifice. God himself wanted us reconciled to him. God sent Christ to accomplish this. This is God’s work and God’s plan.

Notice the language about Paul and his ministry: “entrusting to us the message of reconciliation,” “we are ambassadors for Christ,” “God making his appeal through us.” This whole letter is about how the Corinthians should think about Paul’s ministry and what attitude they should have toward him.

First, God reconciled Paul to himself through Christ. Then God gave Paul the task of proclaiming this reconciliation to others. The message is that God is reconciling his people to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them. God will forgive and adopt us into his family. He brought this about through Jesus.

Therefore Paul is an ambassador for Christ. It is as if God were entreating them through Paul. He begs them on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

In 5:21, Paul articulates the heart of the message. On the cross, Jesus, the righteous, took upon himself the sins that were not his. He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. The righteous man was treated like a sinner so that sinners could be treated as righteous.

In this context, righteousness points to justification rather than moral perfection. He became sin so that we might be reconciled to God.

Why This Matters for Corinth

Paul wants the Corinthians to see him clearly, not through the lens of external standards. He gives two reasons to abandon those standards.

The gospel implies we should not judge each other by external appearance. Worldly measures do not apply anymore because those who belong to Christ are new creations. The Spirit of God is at work in us now, making us new.
Paul is an ambassador for Christ. God is reconciling his people to himself through Christ, and Christ sent Paul as his ambassador. The Corinthians should see Paul as the ambassador charged with proclaiming the king’s message: be reconciled to God.

There is urgency here. If you dismiss Paul because of worldly standards, you may also dismiss the gospel. Who cares if Paul is impressive by worldly standards? He is the ambassador for the Savior of the world.

Why This Matters for Us

We are not apostles. We do proclaim his message, but we bear witness to what we have heard from the ambassador. We are representatives of the ambassador, though without the authority Paul had. Still, it is true of us that, as believers, we are a new creation in Christ.

Each of us has a unique personality and life experience. Becoming a believer does not erase that. People still judged Paul by his personality. If he was personally unimpressive before he became a believer, he remained personally unimpressive after, and the Corinthians pointed that out.

The person who belongs to Christ has something else: the work of the Spirit of God. In John 3, Jesus said the Spirit’s work is like the wind. You cannot see it, but you can experience its effects. Jesus describes it in the Beatitudes: poor in spirit, humble, merciful, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians: love, patience, joy, and kindness.

Both things are true of believers. We are who we are, and we are still sinners with strengths and weaknesses. But the Spirit is changing us and making us new creatures. Those changes will be real, visible, and tangible.

When another believer hurts or offends me, I should remember both facts. That person is still a sinner and will sometimes act badly. But that person is also a child of God who is learning, growing, and changing. I can forgive and pray for them because the same is true of me.

We are all inclined to judge by externals, not just appearance but the whole set of values we use to measure who is worthy. We judge ourselves and others by the qualities the world tells us are most valuable. We are either happy or unhappy with ourselves depending on how we score on those scales.

The gospel tells us what is truly valuable. Like Paul, we should learn to say to others: When I look at you, I do not think about how impressive you are or your status in the world. I think about the Spirit of God at work, marking you as a person of God. I am grateful for that. I rejoice with you about that. I boast with you about that. That is worth celebrating and seeking.

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Next: 09 Receiving Grace in Vain (2 Corinthians 6:1-12)

Previous: 07 Why We Should Not Fear Death (2 Corinthians 5:1-11)

Series: 2 Corinthians: When Church Hurts

Resources to help you study: 2 Corinthians

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