2 Corinthians 5:19

ὡς ὅτι θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσμον καταλλάσσων ἑσυτῷ. The ὡς indicates that this is S. Paul’s view rather than an absolute statement: comp. 2 Corinthians 11:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:2. There are three ways of taking this sentence: to wit, that there was God, in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (Theodoret); to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling &c. (A.V.); to wit, that God in Christ was reconciling &c. The last is to be preferred, making ἦν καταλλάσσων the periphrastic imperfect. Comp. John 1:9 and Luke 1:10 for similarly doubtful cases; but there the ἦν should probably be taken separately. For the omission of the article before κόσμος comp. Galatians 6:14; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 1 Corinthians 14:10; Romans 4:13. The verse contains the Pauline doctrine that in redemption the Father is the Source, the Son the Mediator: Romans 3:24; Colossians 1:20. See Origen, Philocal. xiv. 10.

μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, καὶ θέμενος κ. τ. λ. Comp. Colossians 1:19-20; 1 John 2:2. There were two things which showed that God was working to win over the whole human race to Himself, (1) His not reckoning against them sins for which Christ had atoned, (2) His having deposited with the Apostles His message of reconciliation. The change from present to aorist participle indicates that the not reckoning sins went on continually, while the commission was given once for all. As in Galatians 1:1, the Apostle claims to have received his commission direct from God. On the difference between the πάρεσις (Romans 3:25; comp. Acts 17:30; Wis 11:23 [24]) and the ἄφεσις of sins see Trench, Syn. § xxxiii. The former is putting aside, praetermission, for future treatment, of foregone sins; the latter is putting away, full and unreserved remission.