This post contains a brief email exchange between Bill Fiess and Zane Hodges concerning the meaning of “the love of Christ” in 2 Corinthians 5:14, especially whether Paul refers to our love for Christ or Christ’s love for us.
Presented here as archived correspondence, the exchange records Hodges’s concise explanation of the phrase in relation to substitution, Christian living, and the flow of thought in 2 Corinthians 5:14–15.
From: Bill Fiess
Sent: Apr 7, 2008 2:10 PM
To: Zane Hodges
Subject: 2 Cor. 5:14
Hi Zane,
I hope that you are having a good week. Here is a brief question concerning 2 Cor. 5:14. In this verse, Paul states: “The love of Christ compels us…“. My question is:
- Is Paul speaking of 1) our love for Christ [objective genitive] or 2) Christ’s love for us [subjective genitive]?
It seems to me that the following verse [15] suggests that he is thinking of meaning #1 – but I am not sure of how the statement “because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died” fits in with this.
Thanks for your help on this verse.
Bill
From: Zane Hodges
Date: 4/7/2008 11:19:03 PM
To: Bill Fiess
Subject: Re: 2 Cor. 5:14
Bill,
Without being too dogmatic(!), I think Paul means that Christ’s love for us constrains us to live for Him (vs. 15) in the light of our conclusion (=because we judge thus) that His death was a sunstitution for everyone (= all died) and that those who get life from this (believers) should live to the One who died and rose for them.
Take care,
Zane
Document type: Email Q&A
Date: April 2008
Topics: 2 Corinthians 5:14–15; the love of Christ; objective genitive; subjective genitive; substitution