Regard No One According to the Flesh (2 Cor 5:16)
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. - 2 Cor 5:16
Not everyone in the world has found their true identity in Christ. There are many people who still identify themselves completely with their flesh. They think that the carnal desires they feel are truly "them," rather than merely their fallen nature. Christ enlightens us to the truth that our fallen ego is not our true God-given identity. Our real identity is found only in Christ, through our spirit, which is the part of us made in God's image.
Some have had this revelation, and others have not.
The remarkable thing about this verse is that Paul does not say, "we regard no one in Christ according to the flesh." No, he says, "we regard no one according to the flesh."
Yes - even the people who still live their lives according to the flesh, we are told to regard them not according to the flesh.
So what does this mean?
It doesn't mean excusing sin or ignoring people's need for the gospel. It means that we are to see people in light of the gospel. We are to see people the way Christ sees them.
And how does Christ see them? He sees every person - whether they have accepted Him as Lord and Savior or not - as in desperate need of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
We are called to see every person this way.
We must learn to separate the sin from the sinner. The sin should absolutely be seen as the parasitic evil that it is. It is to be judged with no compromise. But the person committing the sin needs to be seen as a lost sheep separated from his shepherd.
By regarding a person according to the flesh, we reaffirm that fallen identity in them and thus help keep them locked into it. But by regarding someone according to the spirit, we affirm a brand-new identity in them – the identity given to them by Christ – and thus help to liberate them from their false identity, which they have been enslaved to.
When Jesus prayed for the men who were nailing Him to the Cross, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do," He was regarding them not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
We must ask daily for His help in this, as it is only through His eyes that we can see rightly.
Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly
John 7:24
That was very apropos for our time
After reading your post, I thought about that in the medical field, people are often referred to as - “my gallbladder patient, my pneumonia patient, my HIV or AIDS patient, etc”. Instead of referring to their names, their medical condition becomes identity.