II Corinthians 5:16 · Bible study
2 Corinthians 5:16 Commentary: Knowing No One According to the Flesh
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What does it mean to know no one, including Christ, according to the flesh?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Believers are to stop evaluating people, including Christ, by worldly, external standards, because the cross has inaugurated a new creation.
- Key words: “Know” (οἴδαμεν / γινώσκομεν) shifts from factual acquaintance to ongoing personal recognition; “flesh” (σάρξ) means human nature apart from God’s renewal.
- Main debate: Whether Paul ever saw Jesus in the flesh, and whether “knowing Christ after the flesh” refers to his own pre-conversion expectation of a political Messiah or to valuing Christ’s earthly ministry over his risen glory.
- Theological theme: The new creation in Christ redefines all relationships, demolishing ethnic, social, and even historical privileges.
- Best use: Preaching on Christian community (unity across divisions); discipleship (moving from superficial to spiritual knowledge of Christ).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Therefore we know no one according to the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
So that we henceforth have known no one according to the flesh, and even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him no more;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
So that we henceforth know no one according to flesh; but if even we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we know [him thus] no longer.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Wherefore henceforth, we know no man according to the flesh. And if we have known Christ according to the flesh: but now we know him so no longer.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
De manera que nosotros de aquí adelante á nadie conocemos según la carne: y aun si á Cristo conocimos según la carne, empero ahora ya no le conocemos.
Portanto daqui em diante a ninguém conhecemos segundo a carne, e ainda que também tenhamos conhecido a Cristo segundo a carne, todavia agora não o conhecemos assim .
Ainsi, dès maintenant, nous ne connaissons personne selon la chair; et si nous avons connu Christ selon la chair, maintenant nous ne le connaissons plus de cette manière.
Darum kennen wir von nun an niemand nach dem Fleisch; und ob wir auch Christum gekannt haben nach dem Fleisch, so kennen wir ihn doch jetzt nicht mehr.
Zo dan, wij kennen van nu aan niemand naar het vlees; en indien wij ook Christus naar het vlees gekend hebben, nochtans kennen wij Hem nu niet meer naar het vlees.
Talché, da ora in poi, noi non conosciamo più alcuno secondo la carne; e se anche abbiam conosciuto Cristo secondo la carne, ora però non lo conosciamo più così.
Dlatego my od tego czasu nikogo według ciała nie znamy, a chociaśmy też znali Chrystusa według ciała, lecz już teraz więcej nie znamy.
Потому отныне мы никого не знаем по плоти; если же и знали Христа по плоти, то ныне уже не знаем.
所以，我們 從今以後，不 憑著外貌（原文是肉體；本節同）認人了。雖然 憑著 外貌 認過 基督，如今 卻 不再 這樣認他了。
For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Corinthians 5:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
All the supplied commentators agree: to “know after the flesh” is to evaluate people by outward, worldly standards, birth, wealth, nationality, social standing. Barnes notes that Paul “was not influenced in his estimate of people by a regard to their birth, or country.” Calvin says the phrase includes “all external endowments which mankind are accustomed to hold in estimation.” The word “know” (οἴδαμεν, oidamen) here means to form an estimate or reckon, not mere acquaintance. Even more striking: Paul applies the same logic to Christ himself. “If we have known Christ after the flesh” means regarding the Messiah from a merely human angle, expecting a political king, valuing his earthly lineage. Vincent’s Word Studies points out that Paul’s knowledge of Christ before conversion was “a hearsay knowledge, confined to reports of His personal appearance, His deeds, His relations to the Jews.” All agree that the cross and resurrection have created a decisive break. From now on, believers see people and Christ himself through the lens of the new creation. Wesley sums it up: “We consider all, only in order to save all.”
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Believers are called to stop evaluating people—including Christ—by purely human, worldly standards, because the cross ushers in a new creation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'know after the flesh' | All traditions agree it means evaluating people by external, worldly measures such as birth, wealth, race, or social status. | Catholic interpreters sometimes include valuing Christ's physical presence or relics as 'fleshly,' while Protestants emphasize the contrast between law and gospel, and Orthodox traditions connect it to theosis, moving beyond the merely human to participation in the divine nature. |
| Whether Paul saw Jesus in the flesh | All agree that Paul's direct knowledge of the earthly Jesus was limited (he was not an eyewitness). | Some (e.g., Gill, Lange) think Paul may have had some indirect knowledge of Jesus' life; others (e.g., Vincent, JFB) stress that Paul never saw Jesus personally and that his 'knowing Christ after the flesh' refers to his preconversion expectation of a Messiah, not to physical sight. |
| Implications for Christian relationships | Christians should not let outward distinctions (race, class, gender) determine their love or respect for others. | The debate is whether this means complete indifference to all external differences (so that e.g., ethnicity is meaningless for identity) or whether it means not letting those differences divide or exalt, while still acknowledging their reality. Reformed and Anabaptist traditions lean toward the former, while some Catholic social teaching holds that differences can be honored without being ultimate. |
| 'Now we know him so no more' and the risen Christ | After the resurrection, knowledge of Christ is spiritual, not fleshly; he is no longer known by earthly categories. | Some traditions (e.g., Lutheran and Reformed) stress that this means we do not seek a physical, tangible presence of Christ (contra transubstantiation), while Orthodox and Catholic traditions affirm that Christ's presence in the Eucharist is real but spiritual, not 'according to the flesh' in the sense Paul is rejecting. The verse is cited both for and against such sacramental views. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Second Corinthians 5:16 sits inside a sustained argument about Paul’s apostolic ministry. The previous verses speak of Christ’s love compelling him, and of his conviction that Christ died for all so that the living should no longer live for themselves. The keyword is “henceforth” (ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, apo tou nun): a decisive temporal marker.
In the Corinthian church, certain teachers, likely Judaizers, were boasting in external credentials. They prided themselves on Jewish ancestry, on having seen Jesus in the flesh, or on impressive speaking and wisdom. Paul faced this kind of “boasting in appearance” (2 Cor 5:12) throughout his ministry. At the Jerusalem council (Galatians 2:6), the pillars added nothing to him; elsewhere he counts his Jewish pedigree as loss for Christ (Philippians 3:4-10). The cross-leveled all such distinctions. “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all” (Romans 10:12).
Paul’s own conversion shaped this conviction. He had never known Jesus as an earthly companion; his knowledge of “Christ after the flesh” was secondhand, and even that limited knowledge was eclipsed when the glorified Lord confronted him on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1-9). From that moment, he valued no human relationship, not even the Messiah’s earthly kinship, over his union with the risen Christ. The letter as a whole shows a pastor reorienting a community away from worldly markers of status and toward the new creation.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note two minor textual variants. First, the phrase “after the flesh” is added in some manuscripts toward the end of the verse: the Arabic version includes it after “know we him,” making it read “know we him no more after the flesh.” Second, the connective “yea, though” in the KJV translates the Greek εἰ καὶ; the oldest manuscripts support reading it as “if even” (a simple conditional, not climactic). This affects the nuance: Paul is not saying “even if we have known Christ, which is unlikely, yet now…,” but rather “granting that we have known Christ after the flesh (which we have), yet now we know him so no more.” The variant does not change the core meaning.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this verse has been pivotal for understanding Christian identity and the role of external privileges. Early church fathers like John Chrysostom used it to argue that Jewish ancestry and the law no longer define God’s people. In the medieval period, it was cited in debates over the veneration of saints and relics, if even Christ is not known according to the flesh, how much less should we focus on the physical remains of holy people. The Reformation saw Luther and Calvin appeal to this verse to undermine reliance on human merit or lineage. Calvin explicitly refutes Servetus’s fanatical spiritualism that dismissed Christ’s humanity; the text, he argues, does not deny Christ’s incarnation but reorients how we relate to him after his exaltation. In modern mission contexts, this passage has empowered movements that break down ethnic and caste barriers within the global church.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The old frame of reference, “After the flesh” means evaluating people by their background, wealth, race, or reputation. This is the default human perspective, and it contradicts the gospel.
- The new frame of reference, In Christ, we “know no one according to the flesh.” The cross breaks down dividing walls. Our primary identity is not Jew or Greek, slave or free, but new creation.
- Even Christ is seen differently, Paul applies the principle to Jesus himself. We no longer relate to him as a merely human teacher or a national deliverer. He is the risen Lord, and our knowledge of him is now spiritual, not fleshly.
Five-point outline
- “Therefore”, Connects to the logic of Christ’s death for all (v.14). Because he died for everyone, we must not rank people by worldly measures.
- “Henceforth”, A decisive break. Conversion creates a new timeline; old evaluations are obsolete.
- “Know no one according to the flesh”, Esteem others based on their standing in Christ, not on their social or ethnic markers.
- “Even Christ according to the flesh”, Even the most privileged human connection to Jesus (e.g., Mary, the apostles, Paul’s absence of that connection) is irrelevant compared to knowing him as Lord.
- “Yet now we know him so no more”, The resurrection changes everything. We now relate to Christ through the Spirit, not through earthly categories.
Illustration hooks
- A church that is tempted to value a wealthy donor over a homeless person. Paul says: stop evaluating by fleshly standards. Both are new creations.
- A Christian who thinks they have an inside track with God because they grew up in a Christian home or had a dramatic conversion. Paul would say: that privilege is nothing compared to knowing Christ now.
- Two believers arguing over politics or ethnicity. Paul asks: are you seeing each other through the flesh or through the cross?
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I stop judging people by their appearances or social status when it feels so natural?
- Does this mean I should ignore all differences between people, or just not let those differences define my love for them?
- I have friends and family who know Jesus in a shallow way, how can I help them move from a fleshly knowledge of Christ to a spiritual one?
Leading a Discussion
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:16 cut to the heart of how we view other people, and how we view Jesus. This passage comes right after his massive statement about new creation (v.17). Before you discuss, read verses 14-17 aloud together. Then work through the questions below, keeping the group focused on the actual text and what it means for daily life.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does Paul say he no longer does “from now on”? What does he say about his former knowledge of Christ?
- Interpretation: The phrase “according to the flesh” appears three times. How would you define it in your own words based on the context?
- Interpretation: Why does Paul include Christ in this “no longer” statement? What kind of knowledge of Christ might someone have “according to the flesh”?
- Connection: Read Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11. How do these verses reinforce what Paul says about knowing no one after the flesh?
- Application: Think of a relationship in your life where you tend to judge someone by outward factors (their background, income, personality, etc.). How would seeing them as a “new creation” change your attitude?
- Application: If someone says “I’d believe in Jesus if I could have seen him walk the earth,” how would you use this verse to respond?
- Reflection: What is one practical step you could take this week to know someone “not after the flesh” but as a new creation in Christ?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 33:9 | He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant. |
| I Samuel 2:29 | Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?’ |
| Matthew 10:37 | He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me. |
| Matthew 12:48 | But he answered him who spoke to him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” |
| Matthew 12:50 | For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.” |
| Mark 3:31 | His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. |
| Mark 3:35 | For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother.” |
| John 2:4 | Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists that no outward privilege—not even being a relative of Christ or having seen him in the flesh—carries weight with God. What matters exclusively is redemption from spiritual death and living for the One who died. The old nature, however noble its human connections, remains under judgment; only the new creation meets God's approval.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that Paul's conversion completely overturned his old ways of judging people and even the Messiah. Before Christ, Paul valued birth, rank and national pride; afterward he estimated everyone by moral character alone. He likewise abandoned the expectation of a conquering earthly king and now saw Jesus only as a spiritual Redeemer.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin explains that "knowing after the flesh" means judging by external endowments and worldly status. He argues that believers must stop evaluating people, and even Christ himself, by such carnal criteria. Christ is now known spiritually, not by his earthly life or human advantages, and no one should be considered a servant of Christ on grounds of fleshly excellence.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that Paul’s words apply to every relationship, even the most sacred: we no longer evaluate anyone by worldly standards, not even Christ Himself. Believers once knew Christ merely as a human descendant of David, but now see Him as the divine Son of God. This transformed vision of Christ
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that Christ's resurrection changes how believers evaluate everyone, even Christ himself. After the flesh means judging by outward, worldly standards. Now that Christ is glorified, believers must stop relating to him or anyone else based on mere human appearances or earthly connections.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that knowing no one after the flesh means ceasing to value people by Jewish descent, wealth, or learning, and not judging Christ by his humble earthly appearance. The resurrection transforms this perspective, so believers view others and Christ spiritually, relinquishing former carnal expectations.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that Paul considered his lack of personal acquaintance with Jesus in the flesh an advantage, because it forced him to know Christ only in His risen, spiritual life. The commentator draws a sharp contrast between evaluating people by outward worldly ties and recognizing them as new creatures in Christ, which was the true aim Paul pursued.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that Christ's death produces two essential outcomes: regeneration and reconciliation. Regeneration means believers are weaned from worldly attachments and learn a holy indifference toward earthly comforts and relationships, including no longer knowing Christ merely by human acquaintance.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent explains that "after the flesh" means judging people by worldly categories like race, wealth, or learning. Paul declares he no longer knows anyone that way, including Christ. Even if Paul once knew Christ only from outward reports before his conversion, that changed completely when the risen Lord confronted him.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley applies "know no one after the flesh" to all human relationships, including how believers think of Christ himself. To know Christ after the flesh is to love him with merely natural affection or to expect only earthly benefits from him, which falls short of true spiritual knowledge.