18/03/2026
*We Don’t Know Christ After the Flesh (2 Cor 5:16–17, )*
Paul draws a line: we once viewed Christ “after the flesh”—Jewish Messiah under the Law, ministering to Israel, confirming covenants (Matt 10:5–6; Rom 15:8). *That framework was real but provisional.* Now, resurrected and seated, He gives a fuller revelation through Paul (Gal 1:12; Eph 3:9).
*To know Christ today means:*
- Not via His earthly walk but through His heavenly ministry.
- As Savior by grace alone, not Law (Rom 3:24; Eph 2:8–9).
- As exalted Lord—Head of the Body, not earthbound King (Eph 1:20–21).
- As the one who makes us a *new creature*, neither Jew nor Gentile, seated in heavenly places (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 2:6).
The shift isn’t a loss but a gain: we leave the “red-letter” framework that tied Christ to Israel’s program and know Him according to the mystery revealed from glory.
*Bottom line:* Paul’s “henceforth know we him no more” means we don’t relate to Christ through His earthly, covenant-bound identity—we know Him as risen Head of the Body, and that reframes everything.