now that we recognize that one man died for everyone,
which means that they all share in his death.
He died for all, so that those who live
should no longer live for themselves,
but only for him who died and was
raised to life for their sake.
No longer, then, do we judge anyone
by human standards.
Even if at one time we judged Christ
according to human standards,
we no longer do so.
When anyone is joined to Christ,
he is a new being; the old is gone,
the new has come.
All this is done by God,
who through Christ changed us
from enemies into his friends and gave
us the task of making others his friends also.
Our message is that God was making
all mankind his friends through Christ.
God did not keep an account of their sins,
and he has given us the message which tells
how he makes them his friends.
Here we are, then, speaking for Christ,
as though God himself were making
his appeal through us.
We plead on Christ's behalf:
let God change you from enemies into his friends!
Christ was without sin,
but for our sake God made him share
our sin in order that in union with him
we might share the righteousness of God.
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