1 Peter 2:24
About this verseChrist carried our sins in his own body on the cross so that we could be finished with sin and live rightly — his wounds have healed us.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God placed our sin on Christ, who had never sinned, so that in him we could be counted right before God.
Christ had never known sin, yet for our sake God made him to be sin, so that, united with him, we might become God’s righteousness.
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Say the verse aloud, filling in each blank. Tap a blank for a hint.
What 2 Corinthians 5:21 means
This is the great exchange stated in a single sentence. The sinless one is treated as sin; those who are guilty are counted righteous. Nothing about either party’s actual record changes the direction of the transfer — it runs entirely on substitution.
‘United with Him’ is the hinge. The righteousness described is not produced by the believer but received by union with Christ. Paul compresses more theology into this verse than almost any other, which is why it repays being known word for word.
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Questions about 2 Corinthians 5:21
What does 2 Corinthians 5:21 mean?
It means God treated the sinless Christ as though he were sin, bearing what we deserved, so that we might be counted righteous before God through union with him.
What is ‘the great exchange’?
The term for what this verse describes: Christ receives our sin and its penalty, and we receive his righteous standing — an exchange neither side earned by merit.