2 Corinthians 5:15

They which live. Paul proceeds to amplify the import of Christ’s death (see on v. 14). He speaks concerning the experience of those who have been “baptized into his death” (Rom. 6:3) and have risen to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4; cf. Eph. 2:5-7). Legally, their debt of sin is canceled, and they stand justified before God. Spiritually, they are enabled by divine grace to live a life acceptable to God, here and now, and through all eternity. The emphasis here is the complete reorientation of the life from self to God. The new life bears witness to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. The heart’s warmest affections and best energies are given to Christ, in the small things of life as well as in the great. The life brings forth the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23) and reflects the soul’s delight in doing the will of God (Ps. 1:2; 119:97). Love to God and to one’s fellow men becomes life’s controlling motive, and the glory of God is the end of all thought and action. Such a life becomes more and more sensitive to sin, more conscious of its own need, and more ready to depend upon the grace of Christ.