Why is Jesus referred to as "sinless" in 2 Corinthians 5:21? Canonical Context of 2 Corinthians 5 : 21 “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” The verse sits at the climax of Paul’s argument that God, through Christ, is “reconciling the world to Himself” (5 : 19). Christ’s sinlessness is presented as the indispensable qualifying condition for that reconciling act: only a flawless substitute can bear another’s guilt. Original-Language Insight Greek: τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν (ton mē gnonta hamartian) = “the One who did not know sin.” • γνόντα (aorist participle of γινώσκω) conveys experiential knowledge; Paul declares Jesus never experienced sin personally. • ἁμαρτία (hamartia) in the singular often carries a collective sense—“the totality of sin.” By contrast, Christ’s relationship to sin is absolute non-acquaintance. Witness of the Rest of Scripture 1. Affirmations of Sinlessness • Hebrews 4 : 15—“yet was without sin.” • 1 Peter 2 : 22 (citing Isaiah 53 : 9)—“He committed no sin.” • 1 John 3 : 5—“in Him there is no sin.” • John 8 : 46—Jesus’ public challenge, “Which one of you can prove Me guilty of sin?” met no rebuttal. 2. Enemy Testimony • Pilate: “I find no guilt in this man.” (John 18 : 38; Luke 23 : 4) • Sanhedrin witnesses conflicted (Mark 14 : 56), underscoring no actionable wrongdoing. 3. Prophetic Anticipation • Exodus 12 : 5—Passover lamb “without blemish.” • Leviticus 16—scapegoat bears the people’s sins; only an unblemished animal qualifies. • Isaiah 53 : 9—“no deceit in His mouth.” Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ) confirm the wording centuries before Christ. Old Testament Typology Fulfilled Every sacrifice demanded perfection (Leviticus 22 : 19-21). These shadows met substance in Jesus, “the Lamb of God” (John 1 : 29). Paul’s temple vocabulary—“made … sin”—echoes the transfer of guilt onto a spotless victim (cf. 2 Chron 29 : 23-24). Theological Logic: Substitution & Double Imputation 1. Necessity of a Sinless Substitute • A sinful victim would need atonement for itself (Hebrews 7 : 27). 2. God “made” (ἐποίησεν) Him “sin” = charged our guilt to Christ (Isaiah 53 : 6; Galatians 3 : 13). 3. Purpose clause ἵνα ... “so that” = reciprocal transfer: our sin to Christ, His righteousness to us (Romans 5 : 19; Philippians 3 : 9). 4. Result: believers stand before God “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 1 : 4). Impeccability Versus Peccability Historic orthodoxy holds Christ not only did not sin but could not sin because: • Union of two natures in one Person precludes moral deviation (John 1 : 14; Colossians 2 : 9). • Temptation was real (Hebrews 4 : 15) yet always met by divine inability to err—akin to a magnet forced against like poles. Early-Church Affirmation • 1 Clement 49 : “Jesus Christ our Lord… committed no sin.” • Ignatius, Smyrnaeans 3 : 2—“spotless Lamb.” The uniform voice of the sub-apostolic age mirrors Paul’s assertion. Historical & Archaeological Corroboration • Pilate Stone (Caesarea Maritima) verifies the prefect whose judgment attested Christ’s innocence. • Caiaphas’ ossuary (Jerusalem, 1990) situates the very high priestly dynasty before whom Jesus stood faultless. • Dead Sea Scrolls preserve pre-Christian copies of Isaiah 53 used by NT writers to argue His blamelessness. Philosophical and Behavioral Considerations Universal human fallenness is empirically observable—cross-cultural studies in moral psychology confirm deviation from internalized moral standards (Romans 3 : 23). A singular life free from moral dissonance points beyond natural explanation, matching the claim that the incarnate Son uniquely “knew no sin.” Practical Implications for Believers 1. Assurance—our standing rests on an unblemished Surety (Hebrews 10 : 14). 2. Ethics—called to “walk as He walked” (1 John 2 : 6), drawing on His imparted righteousness. 3. Worship—the sinlessness of Christ fuels doxology: “Worthy is the Lamb without blemish” (Revelation 5 : 12). Answer Summarized Jesus is called “sinless” in 2 Corinthians 5 : 21 because Scripture uniformly testifies that He never committed, conceived, or was tainted by sin; only such a flawless person could bear the world’s guilt and impart God’s righteousness to believers. Manuscript evidence, prophetic anticipation, historical corroboration, and theological necessity converge to make His sinlessness both a factual claim and the foundation of salvation. |
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