“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. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
”

— 2 Cor. 5:16-21

“The lengthy, weighty passage in vv.16-21 has many facets but one master theme. In it Paul is setting down the Christian conviction that in the Christ event a new world has been born and a new age has supervened on world history. Phrases like “a new creation,” “reconciliation,” and “righteousness of God” are all virtual synonyms for this new eon which has radically affected both divine-human and all earthly relationships.”

— Ralph Martin, 2 Corinthians: WBC, vol. 40 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1985), 158.