2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2

International Standard Version

¹⁴ The love of the Messiah^[a] controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. ¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

¹⁶ So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view.^[b] Even if we did think of the Messiah^[c] from a human point of view,^[d] we don’t think of him that way anymore. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah,^[e] he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new!

¹⁸ All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah^[f] and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ for through the Messiah,^[g] God was reconciling the world to himself by not counting their sins against them. He has committed his message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰ Therefore, we are the Messiah’s^[h] representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah’s^[i] behalf: “Be reconciled to God!” ²¹ God^[j] made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.^[k]

Workers with God

6 Since, then, we are working with God,^[l] we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain. ² For he says,

Listen, now is really the “right time”! Now is the “day of salvation”!