2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Study Note
Study Note
'For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him' — this verse is the most compact statement of the doctrine of penal substitution and imputed righteousness in the New Testament. The double 'made' (epoiēsen) applies to both transactions: Christ 'made sin' and believers 'made the righteousness of God' — a symmetrical exchange. Luther called this verse the 'great exchange' (fröhliche Wechsel), and it became foundational for Reformation soteriology. Galatians 3:13 and Hebrews 9:28 articulate related aspects of the same substitutionary logic.
Other Translations
Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.
For him who had no knowledge of sin God made to be sin for us; so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Cross References
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