2 Corinthians 5:14 - Exposition

The love of Christ. It matters little whether this be interpreted as a subjective genitive, "Christ's love to man," or as an objective genitive, our love to Christ;" for the two suppose and interfuse each other. St. Paul's usage, however, favours the former interpretation ( 2 Corinthians 13:14 ; 1 Corinthians 16:24 ). Constraineth . The word means that it compresses us, and therefore keeps us irresistibly to one object ( Luke 12:50 ). That if one died for all, then were all dead. This is an unfortunate mistranslation and wrong reading for that one died for all, therefore all died . What compels Paul to sacrifice himself to the work of God for his converts is the conviction, which he formed once for all at his conversion, that One, even Christ, died on behalf of all men ( Romans 5:15-19 ) a redeeming death ( 2 Corinthians 5:21 ); and that, consequently, in that death, all potentially died with him—died to their life of sin, and rose to the life of righteousness. The best comments on this bold and concentrated phrase are—"I died to the Law that I might live to Christ;" "I have been crucified with Christ " ( Galatians 2:19 , Galatians 2:20 ); and, "Ye died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God" ( Colossians 3:3 ). When Christ died, all humanity, of which he was the federal Head, died potentially with him to sin and selfishness, as he further shows in the next verse.