2 Corinthians 5:21

Him who knew no sin (ton mh gnonta amartian). Definite claim by Paul that Jesus did not commit sin, had no personal acquaintance (mh gnonta, second aorist active participle of ginwskw) with it. Jesus made this claim for himself ( John 8:46 ). This statement occurs also in 1 Peter 2:22 ; Hebrews 4:15 ; Hebrews 7:26 ; 1 John 3:5 . Christ was and is "a moral miracle" (Bernard) and so more than mere man. He made to be sin (amartian epoihsen). The words "to be" are not in the Greek. "Sin" here is the substantive, not the verb. God "treated as sin" the one "who knew no sin." But he knew the contradiction of sinners ( Hebrews 12:3 ). We may not dare to probe too far into the mystery of Christ's suffering on the Cross, but this fact throws some light on the tragic cry of Jesus just before he died: "My God, My God, why didst thou forsake me?" ( Matthew 27:46 ). That we might become (ina hmei genwmeqa). Note "become." This is God's purpose (ina) in what he did and in what Christ did. Thus alone can we obtain God's righteousness ( Romans 1:17 ).