Constrained into a deeper understanding of Made Him to Be Sin For Us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV
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2 Corinthians 5:20
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
* Reconciled: "to restore to union and friendship after estrangement or variance," This is our doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology) which "restores (mankind, sinners) to favor or grace," "to bring together again" with God.
King James Version (KJV)
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
King James Version (KJV)
Exodus 13:13
“And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.”
King James Version (KJV)
While in the depth of this study I was compelled to go back to my FIRSTLING of an Ass redeemed by a LAMB - Exodus 13:13 KJV study.
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2021/10/come-meet-my-kinsman-redeemer.html
The firstborn of an ass requires either a lamb sacrifice or breaking the donkey’s neck in Exodus—the perfect example of the principle of substitutionary redemption established from the beginning.
The preposition FOR in " to be sin "for" us" is the substitutionary redemption of 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV.
So Christ as the Lamb in Second Corinthians and Romans becomes the fulfillment of that Exodus pattern.
Note:
- Human firstborn son → simply “redeem” (the method is not a lamb).
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2026/07/the-great-paradox-of-our-sanctification.html
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2021/10/come-meet-my-kinsman-redeemer.html
2 Corinthians 5:14
“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:”
King James Version (KJV)
Constrained* into to a Deeper Understanding Through Knowing 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV”
2 years ago I completed a deep study on 2 Corinthians 5:21 in order to reprove, correct and rebuke the preponderance of false teaching from corrupted modern bible translations that Jesus Christ became Sin for us and that he was fully human.
Here is the background study link:
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2024/08/doctrine-matters-jesus-christ-did-not.html
Recently in these past few months I am constrained to strive for a deeper understanding of 2 Corinthians 5:21 by breaking this scripture down in its fullest contextual meaning, word by word to prove and teach again that Jesus Christ was offered - offering himself * - as a sacrifice for our sins and the sin of humanity was placed upon him in the role of a sacrifice.
Note: Offered himself: To understand this phrase we must understand the Godhead and NOT the pagan Trinity. See Background studies:
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2026/01/jesus-is-melchizedek-and-why-this-is.html
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2022/09/he-that-hath-seen-me-hath-seen-father.html
Scriptures that prove Jesus Christ Offered himself as the sacrifice for Sin.
Christ laid down His life of His own will
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.John 10:15
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Hebrews 7:27
Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 9:14
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 9:26
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 10:10-12
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Galatians 1:4
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1 Timothy 2:6
Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Old Testament foundation fulfilled in Him (the sin offering)
Isaiah 53:10
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
See notes on Sacrifice and I ask the reader to ponder this powerful point from the Etymology and the Oxford English Dictionary: “The act of giving up or surrendering something valued or desirable for the sake of something considered more important or pressing; the thing given up. (e.g., parental sacrifices for a child’s education; the “ultimate sacrifice” of dying for others or one’s country.)”
Sacrifice is the act of offering something valuable (often life, blood, food, or a prized possession) to a deity or higher purpose, or more generally, of giving up something desirable for a greater good or claim.
Etymology
Latin sacrificium derives from sacrificus (“performing priestly functions or sacrifices”), itself from sacra (neuter plural of sacer, “sacred, holy, set apart”) + a form of facere (“to make, to do”). The core sense is thus “a making sacred” or “performing sacred rites.” etymonline.com
• Related Latin root sacer connects to ideas of consecration and setting something apart for the divine.
Epistemological Aspects
In religious studies, anthropology, and philosophy, scholars examine how sacrifice functions and is understood:
• As a gift to the divine (E.B. Tylor).
• As a means of communion with the sacred or social bonding (William Robertson Smith, Émile Durkheim).
• As a form of gift exchange with expected reciprocity (Marcel Mauss and Henri Hubert).
Relationship Between Sacrifice and Atonement
Atonement (from “at-one-ment”) refers to reconciliation, the covering or removal of sin/guilt, purification, or the restoration of a broken relationship—most often between humans and God.
• In the Levitical system, blood sacrifices (sin offerings, guilt offerings, the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur rituals) effect purification and reconciliation. Leviticus 17:11 links the life/blood of the animal to atonement: “for the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement.”
• The Hebrew root behind atonement (kippur) involves ideas of covering, ransoming, or purifying.
In short: etymologically “to make sacred,” sacrifice is the ritual or act of consecrating/giving up something of value; in its classic religious form it is the primary vehicle for atonement—restoring right relationship with the divine by dealing with sin, impurity, or estrangement.
ATONE is a verb OED page 135 To Appease (bring to PEACE Pacify, Propitiate )Reconcile - one who has been alienated by a wrong committed - propitiate
THE ACTION WAS AN OCCURRENCE A HAPPENING OF THE Cross and the action of what literally happened to Jesus Christ
2 Corinthians 5:21 is a FUNCTIONAL OCCURENCE and NOT an ontological ACTION.
As I pointed out clearly in the blog study link above, the object in the grammatical point is 2 Corinthians 5:21, the clause “hath made him to be sin for us” is best read as a divine act of appointing Christ into a representative, sacrificial role, not a change in his nature.
The verse’s structure naturally supports a functional or vocational reading: God made him stand as the sin-bearer “for us,” so the emphasis falls on substitution and purpose rather than ontological transformation.
"To be” as mere static existence, but as the actional entry into a role, where the “being” is the performed state of Christ as sin-bearer in the atonement event.
Action within being
In biblical language, “to be” can function as more than simple existence; it can introduce what someone is constituted to be in a given act or office, which is why the “action phase” language makes sense here. On that reading, “hath made” is the divine act, and “to be sin for us” is the enacted role Christ enters on our behalf.
Why this matters
That preserves both sides of the verse: Christ remains the sinless one who “knew no sin,” yet he is genuinely appointed into the sin-bearing work that accomplishes reconciliation. This fits the sacrificial pattern of Isaiah 53 and Hebrews 9, where the servant bears sin and offers himself without spot.
This brings us to "Constrained."
Note: “Constraineth” in 2 Corinthians 5:14
1. The Immediate Context (KJV)
2 Corinthians 5:14
“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:”
Seven verses later stands the related verse of my study:
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The love of Christ that “constraineth” in verse 14 is the very love demonstrated in the great exchange of verse 21.
2. Greek Strong’s Analysis (G4912) – The Exact Word in 2 Corinthians 5:14
Greek word: συνέχω (synechō)
Strong’s Number: G4912
Form in the text: συνέχει (synechei) – Present Active Indicative, 3rd person singular (continuous action: “keeps on constraining / continually holds and presses”).Strong’s definition (as given in KJV concordances):
“from G4862 and G2192; to hold together, i.e. to compress (the ears, with a crowd or siege) or arrest (a prisoner); figuratively, to compel, perplex, afflict, preoccupy: — constrain, hold, keep in, press, lie sick of, stop, be in a strait, straiten, be taken with, throng.”Root breakdown:
σύν (syn = G4862) = “with, together”
ἔχω (echō = G2192) = “to have, hold”
Literal sense: “to hold together.”
Figurative sense in Paul: the love of Christ both holds the believer together and presses/compels him with irresistible force into living for Christ rather than self.
3. Every KJV Occurrence of the English Word Family “Constrain / Constrained / Constraineth”
According to KJV concordances:
constraineth – used twice
Job 32:18 – “For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.”
2 Corinthians 5:14 – “For the love of Christ constraineth us…”
constrain – used once
Galatians 6:12 – “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised…”
constrained – used six times
2 Kings 4:8 – “And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread.”
Matthew 14:22 – “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship…”
Mark 6:45 – parallel to Matthew 14:22.
Luke 24:29 – “But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us…”
Acts 16:15 – “And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”
Acts 28:19 – “But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar…”
These are the complete KJV occurrences of the English word family.
4. Every KJV Verse Where the Greek G4912 Appears (Even When Rendered Differently)
G4912 occurs 12 times in the New Testament. Only once is it translated “constraineth.” The other KJV renderings reveal the full range of meaning:
Matthew 4:24 – “sick people that were taken with divers diseases”
Luke 4:38 – “Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever”
Luke 8:37 – “they were taken with great fear”
Luke 8:45 – “the multitude throng thee and press thee”
Luke 12:50 – “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!”
Luke 19:43 – “thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side”
Luke 22:63 – “the men that held Jesus mocked him”
Acts 7:57 – “they stopped their ears”
Acts 18:5 – “Paul was pressed in the spirit”
Acts 28:8 – “the father of Publius lay sick of a fever”
2 Corinthians 5:14 – “constraineth”
Philippians 1:23 – “I am in a strait betwixt two”
In every case the idea is a powerful holding, pressing, or compelling force.
5. Hebrew Equivalent
The only Old Testament use of the English word “constraineth” is Job 32:18. Hebrew word: צוּק (tsûq)
Strong’s Number: H6693 Strong’s definition: “A primitive root; to compress, i.e. (figuratively) oppress, distress: — constrain, distress, lie sore, (op-)press(-or), straiten.”This Hebrew root carries the same core idea of pressure that compresses or forces action—exactly parallel to the Greek synechō. Other Hebrew roots that convey related ideas of compulsion or restraint in the KJV include:
חָזַק (chazaq – H2388) – often “force,” “strengthen,” or seize
אָנַס (anas – H597) – compel, force
עָצַר (atsar – H6113) – restrain, shut up
H6693 is the direct Hebrew counterpart for the single OT occurrence of “constraineth.”
Impelled means driven, moved, pressed forward, or inwardly compelled toward action.
This does not mean forcing scripture to fit the carnal mind’s understanding, but rather it means the believer is moved by the indwelling Spirit into a deeper, studious apprehension of
Ephesians 1:6 — “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
Ephesians 2:6 — “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
Romans 8:9 — “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
John 16:13 — “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
1 John 4:13 — “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”
King James Bible
Impelled to a Deeper Understanding Through Knowing 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV
The indwelling Spirit of Truth impels the child of God to a deep apprehension of 2 Corinthians 5:21.
This knowing flows from our accepted standing in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), our heavenly union seated together in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6), and the assurance that we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit because He dwells in us (Romans 8:9; John 16:13; 1 John 4:13).
Thus impelled, we heed the command of 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Through disciplined epistemology—context, exegesis, and harmonizing—we press into the very essence of the words.
How the phrase “TO BE SIN” and the preposition ‘FOR’ Unlocks 2 Corinthians 5:21
In the same manner the Lord gave me the unction to spent 21 days studying Genesis 32:28 KJV, I’ve been impelled to study 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV.
Note: This has taken place in addition to and after the previously deep study in 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV that I point out in the essential study links below on DOCTRINE MATTERS Jesus Christ did NOT become Sin.
The focus for me has been the infinitive phrase TO BE SIN and the preposition FOR.
This combination in full study explodes into the full display of the doctrine of SALVATION - SOTERIOLOGY* .
1 Corinthians 2:2 (KJV)
“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
This is the perfect Scripture for this study. Paul deliberately set aside all other knowledge, wisdom, or topics so that the message of Christ and Him crucified would be central
Soteriology studies the doctrine of salvation (from the Greek sōtēria = deliverance, preservation, salvation).It examines:
The need for salvation (human sin and guilt).
The means of salvation (the person and work of Jesus Christ).
The application of salvation (how the benefits of Christ’s work are received and experienced by the believer).
The results of salvation (justification, sanctification, glorification, eternal life, and reconciliation with God).
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Our JUSTIFICATION - REDEMPTION - received by the ATONEMENT - PROPITIATION of Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice is this doctrine.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in this context “For” means on behalf of, for the purpose of, concerning, and with regard to — revealing that Christ’s work was not abstract but intimately directed toward us in love and grace.
When we rightly divide the King James text — “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” — the preposition “For” unlocks the verse’s heart:
Jesus Christ is our sin offering, in the role and office of substitute, for us. This is functional positioning, not ontological transformation. The sinless One is positioned for our redemption so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him
Made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”The King James rendering preserves the exact syntax the Spirit uses to protect the truth: “hath made him to be sin for us.” The infinitive “to be,” when traced through the Oxford English Dictionary, yields the contextual force of occur — to present itself.
Jesus Christ presents/offers himself AS the sacrifice for Sin.
“As”distinguishes functional positioning from ontological transformation.
“As” (implied in the construction “to be sin” in the King James Bible and as the meaning and function of the preposition “for”) clearly separates corrupt modern bible translations and the false teaching of Jesus “became” sin and the King James translation that Jesus was offered as a sin offering.
Two very different ideas: Christ was arranged, positioned, and presented as our sin offering / sin-bearer / substitute (functional positioning), versus any idea that He literally became or was transformed into sin in His essential being or nature (ontological transformation).
Essential background including study links:
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2024/08/doctrine-matters-jesus-christ-did-not.html
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2026/07/the-great-paradox-of-our-sanctification.html
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2021/10/come-meet-my-kinsman-redeemer.html
I draw attention to the Preposition “FOR” as the centerpiece of this study showing a RELATIONSHIP OF CONCERN. In the context of 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV, - “FOR” means concerning - CONCERNING - FOR CONCERN OF US. “CONCERN” here can be understood as “to belong to,” “to appertain,” (to belong to something as a part, attribute, right, or relation ) and “to be implicated ( intimately connected, involved, or necessarily bound up with something ) in” the matter at hand .
2 Corinthians 5:21, “for” may be studied as “concerning / with regard to / on behalf of,” while “concern” carries the senses of belonging, appertaining, and being intimately implicated in the matter of our redemption.
Textual force
The KJV verse reads, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The first “For” opens the verse, and the second “for us” marks Christ’s act as directed toward us in a relational and salvific way, not as an isolated event.
Concern as belonging
Concern as “to belong to” and “to appertain” is supported by KJV dictionary language that defines concern as “to relate or belong to” and “to relate or belong to, in an emphatical manner; to affect the interest of.” Applied here, Christ’s sin-bearing work pertains to us because it belongs to the matter of our deliverance and justification.kingjamesbibleonline+1
As I bring out in my “how to study the King James Bible”
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2022/04/understand-bible-from-workman-approved.html
and the process of deep bible study involves the basic 3 steps: CONTEXT, EXEGESIS, HARMONIZING. In the process of Exegesis, we must use disciplined practice of Vocabulary, Syntax in Context. The essential element of course is the proper dictionary (Oxford English Dictionary) understanding Etymology and Epistemology.
I often refer to the practice of epistemology as KNOWING the very essence of what a word means in context. Note: Please understand what the words KNOW and BELIEVE mean in my background study blog.
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2025/02/believe.html
Using epistemology for word studies in Scripture is a powerful, disciplined approach. It shifts the focus from surface definitions or mere etymology to the deeper question: How do we reliably come to know and understand what this word truly represents in its context?
We know of course that the KNOWING Comes from the HOLY SPIRIT - as the Spirit of TRUTH who gives us the RHEMA inspired WORD as the LOGOS the written WORD is gained by STUDY.
I go over the word study in great detail in the blog study above. Study is work - reading for understanding. Taking each word and parsing it.
Why This Approach Is Valuable
Epistemology (the study of knowledge: its nature, sources, justification, and limits) treats words not as isolated labels but as vehicles of justified true belief.
My example of CONCERN: “concern” is not just a dictionary entry. It represents a reality we can know with warrant. In biblical study, this method guards against:
Subjectivism (“It means whatever I feel it means”).
Anachronism (imposing modern assumptions).
Superficiality (stopping at “Strong’s number” without asking how the concept is known).
Instead, it asks:
What grounds our understanding? How does the text, its language, history, logic, and divine revelation provide reliable access to the truth the word conveys?
This mirrors how the Bible itself presents knowledge — “that you may know…” Ephesians 1:18 and 1 John 5:13 KJV.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV is a command, an imperative: “STUDY” which is reading for understanding and requiring a disciplined approach to Epistemology according the OED page 884 is the GROUNDS (the base, foundation, or bedrock that supports ) OF KNOWLEDGE.
In this light, KNOW that our foundation is JESUS CHRIST. 1 Corinthians 3:11 KJV. We are therefore compelled to take our understanding that we KNOW (which is spiritual) the Truth from our spirit from the unction of the Holy Ghost - The Spirit of Truth - The Spirit of God who IS the SPIRIT OF CHRIST DWELLING IN US. What our spirit KNOWS our MIND through STUDY UNDERSTANDS.
The question is not only what the word says, but how we know what it means in this verse.
Epistemology forces the study to ask what counts as legitimate knowledge: the KJV wording, syntax, immediate context, and DOCTRINE, the opposite of man’s wisdom (Philosophy) from false teachers and false prophets.
The NIV translation says "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us." That phrasing "to be sin" does the heavy lifting for the false teachers, doesn't it? It reads as though Christ literally became or transformed into sin itself.
My deep work shows that's a mistranslation or at least a poor rendering. The original Greek and the proper definitions clearly show "presented himself as" or "presented in the role of" is what's actually written.
The NIV's phrasing collapses that distinction and makes it sound like ontological transformation rather than substitutionary positioning. That's how the corruption spreads—sloppy translation language that conflates two entirely different concepts.
Ontological means relating to the actual nature or being of something—what something fundamentally is. So if Christ became sin ontologically, that would mean his essential nature, his very being, transformed into sin. That's what the false teachers are implying with their reading.
But the Greek doesn't support that at all. The Greek points to something substantive—a role, an office, a position he took on. It's functional, not essential. Christ assumed the role of sin-bearer, the office of the one standing in our place, but his nature remained unchanged. That's the critical distinction. The N-I-V translation obscures this by using language that slides toward ontological meaning when the actual Greek text is talking about assumption of function and position.
Now the King James translation for “FOR”. I've looked up the Oxford English dictionary, and this context means “BECAUSE HE” and that is the father, who is really the one person personified as Jesus Christ, hath made is the present perfect tense, the ongoing action of literally arranging him. Or arranged himself.
That is the object, Jesus Christ, and that's what brought me to understand to be in the Oxford English dictionary, page 180 means not only to exist in this context, but to occur, which means to present literally, and that comes into a role of presenting himself as the sacrifice for our sin.
So the King James gets closer to the nuance. "Hath made" in the perfect tense captures that ongoing action of the Father arranging, positioning Christ in this role.
In other words, when you trace "to be" back to its root meaning—to occur, to present—it reinforces that Christ is being positioned, presented in the capacity of sin-bearer.
As I’ve brought out in hundreds of studies, the King James, with its tense and structure, are far better preserved of what the original Greek actually conveys—an ongoing arrangement and presentation into a role, not an ontological shift into sin itself. The K-J-V's language holds that distinction better than the N-I-V's flattened phrasing does.
The NIV and other modern bible translations say, who had, versus who the king James says who knew no sin. "Had no sin" suggests a state of possession—sin is something you either have or don't have. But "knew no sin" goes far deeper.
To know sin, in that sense, means to be familiar with it, to own it, to approve of it, to consent to it. So Christ didn't just lack sin as a possession; he had no familiarity with it, no complicity in it, no consent to it. He stands entirely outside that realm.
The N-I-V's "had" implies “innocent” of a charge and has no comparison to the absolute nature of “knew” compared to the KJV. .
The King James's "knew" emphasizes Christ's absolute separation from and non-participation in sin itself. It reinforces his holiness isn't just technical but relational and moral. He's not just innocent; he's untainted and uninvolved. The UNBLEMISHED LAMB OF GOD. John 1:29 KJV.
"To know" in the Old Testament carries that profound intimacy—Adam knew Eve means a deep, personal union. So when it says Christ "knew no sin," it's saying he had no intimate connection with sin, no union with it whatsoever. He stands completely apart from that realm in the deepest sense. It's not just doctrinal distance; it's relational separation at the most fundamental level. That intimacy of "knowing" makes the contrast even sharper—Christ's complete non-involvement with sin is absolute and total, which reinforces why he alone could stand in that substitutionary role without compromise.
Now finally, in the syntax of the NIV syntax, look strictly at syntax. NIV syntax k j v syntax. Why the NIV and all corrupted modern translations are easily misunderstood and construed to become sin by the syntax compared to the King James.
Modern translations read "God made him...to be sin for us." The structure is straightforward: subject, verb, object, infinitive phrase. "To be sin" sits there as a direct object of transformation—it reads like "made him into sin," a clear ontological shift. The syntax itself pushes toward that interpretation.
The King James reads "hath made him...who knew no sin to be sin for us." The relative clause "who knew no sin" interrupts and separates. It forces you to hold two truths in tension simultaneously—his absolute non-knowledge of sin and his presentation as a sin offering.
Modern Bible Translation’s linear syntax invites the false reading of BECOME SIN whereas the K-J-V's embedded structure protects against it.
.
To summarize: Modern Translations The syntax of modern translations does not create any friction or interruption. It flows straight from action to result, which makes it easy for readers to interpret as Christ becoming sin ontologically.
Now contrast that with King James: "hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us." The K-J-V includes that relative clause "who knew no sin"—it's embedded right there, interrupting the flow. That clause forces the reader to hold two truths simultaneously: Christ's absolute separation from sin and his presentation in that role. The syntax does not all allow for the collapse into simple transformation.
While conducting this study I was amazed by how important STYNTAX is in Bible Study. I had learned this earlier but again found myself in a deeper understanding of this.
Additionally, the King James preserves the causal connection—"for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin." That "for" ties it back to verse twenty, which gives the theological context for why Christ is presented in that role.
Because the entire context of 2 Corinthians chapter five is all about Jesus Christ as our sacrifice, as our propitiation.
Substitution is functional positioning—Christ steps into the role, the office that we should occupy. Propitiation is the result of that positioning—God's wrath is appeased because someone qualified stands there. But "becoming" implies nature change. The FUNCTIONAL ROLE
=
FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US WHO KNEW NO SIN.
FOR = Preposition OED Page 1047 in context - On behalf of, on account of, for the Purpose of.
HE - The Father who is Spirit who is the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of Christ The Godhead - Elohim = Jehovah = Lord = Jesus Christ the visible image of God, who no man hath seen who is spirit, Jesus Christ who is the fullness of the Godhead visibly. Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 45:5, John 4:24, 1 John 4:2, 12, Colossians 1:16, 2:9 KJV
HATH = 3rd person subject pronoun of the infinitive TO HAVE used as an auxiliary to express the present perfect tense meaning an action has taken place in the past and is relevant and ongoing to present. OED 1266: To hold, keep in the sense of “continuance of possession”.
MADE = Past Participle of the verb to Make with the auxiliary verb to have meaning TO ARRANGE - FASHIONED - Naturally fitted to, Destined OED page 1700.
HIM = 3rd person object pronoun masculine referring in context to Jesus Christ having been destined to be the unblemished lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, who offered himself as the sacrifice for mankind’s sin.
Major KJV Scriptures on Jesus as the Unblemished Lamb of God and Sacrifice for Sin
- John 1:29“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
- John 1:36“And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”
- 1 Peter 1:18-19“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
- Exodus 12:5 (Passover lamb requirement fulfilled in Christ)“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats.”
- Isaiah 53:7“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
- Hebrews 9:26“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
- Hebrews 9:14“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
- Hebrews 10:10“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
- Hebrews 10:12“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
- Hebrews 10:14“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
- 1 John 2:2“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:7“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:21“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
TO BE = the infinitive of the verb BE to Exist and in the context of 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV means OCCUR - HAPPEN (come in the way of) OED page 180. Occur = Present, to PRESENT; Present itself - Present Himself Object Complement. Occur OED page 1970: To IMPELL (internal drive to a course of action. Note: Compel = an external force driving to a course of action whereas Impell is an internal force to a course of action.
TO OCCUR AS SIN”
1. Isaiah 53:6 (KJV)
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”→ Our sin occurred upon Him — it was laid on Him (imputation).
2. Isaiah 53:10 (KJV)
“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…”→ It was an internal divine impulse (“it pleased the LORD”) that caused sin to occur to Him as our offering.
3. 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV)
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”→ He bore our sins — they occurred upon Him in His body.
Key Clarification on “TO OCCUR AS SIN”
“To be sin” = to occur as sin = to present itself (Himself) as sin.In the context of the Godhead:Jesus Christ willingly impelled (was internally driven) to do so. He was not passively forced — He actively gave Himself. Jesus presented Himself as the sin offering, so that our sin could occur upon Him (be laid upon Him by imputation).
Supporting Scriptures (KJV)
Isaiah 53:10 — “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him… when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.”
Hebrews 9:14 — “…who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God…”
Hebrews 10:5-7 — “…Lo, I come… to do thy will, O God.”
Why “occurrence” fits
In that frame, “to be sin for us” is the functional identity Christ assumes in the atoning event, and “occurrence” names the enacted reality of that role. So the emphasis is not on ontological change, but on the happening of substitution: Christ stands in our place, bears sin, and accomplishes reconciliation.
This was an internal divine impulse (impel) within the Godhead — Christ was willingly impelled from within to present Himself for sin to occur upon Him.
The infinitive phrase "to be sin" describes what state or role "him" assumes. It's not an indirect object because there's no second recipient. It's the complement that tells us what "him" becomes or is positioned as. So grammatically, "to be sin" is an object complement describing the role or function that Christ assumed—which aligns perfectly with "present himself as sin"...
Object compliment. To be the object compliment of the... to be, that literally comes into existence as the preposition as, which means literally, as I said in my study, to be in the roll of and the position of... in the office of... and literally as it regards to in regards to as far as concerning with respect to sin.
Which means propitiation.
So the object complement "to be sin" is completed by the preposition "as"—Christ presented himself as sin, in the role of, in the office of, with respect to sin. And that's precisely propitiation. He's taking on that functional position as the one bearing sin, appeasing God's wrath, standing in our place. The grammar and the theology lock together perfectly.
"As" doesn't require him to become sin ontologically; it positions him functionally in that role.
TO BE in the context of 2 Corinthians 5:21 goes into the depths of
The Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 provides the Old Covenant shadow. Hebrews 9 reveals how Christ fulfills and surpasses it in heavenly reality.
Isaiah 53 (KJV) is the prophecy —the Suffering Servant who accomplishes it all.Isaiah 53 portrays the Messiah as the ultimate sin-bearer in language that is fulfillment of both the Levitical ritual and its New Covenant fulfillment:
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” (v. 7)
“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand… He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities… and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (vv. 10, 11, 12)
Harmonization Across the Three Passages
The Sin Offering and Substitution (Leviticus 16 → Isaiah 53 → Hebrews 9): The slain goat whose blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat and the scapegoat that bore sins away find their perfect antitype in the Servant who is “an offering for sin,” upon whom the LORD laid “the iniquity of us all,” and who “bare the sin of many.”
Once for All vs. Repeated (Leviticus 16 → Hebrews 9): The annual ritual could only cover for a year. Isaiah foresaw the Servant’s soul as a singular offering that would prosper and justify many. Hebrews declares the fulfillment: Christ “once” entered the true sanctuary with His own blood and “once offered to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:26, 28), putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
The Spotless Lamb and Bearing Sin (Isaiah 53 → Hebrews 9): The Servant is led “as a lamb to the slaughter” and is righteous (Isa 53:7, 11). Hebrews echoes this: Christ “offered himself without spot to God” (Heb 9:14). He bore sins functionally as the substitute and sin offering (paralleling 2 Corinthians 5:21’s “made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin”) without any ontological transformation into sin. He remained the spotless Lamb while taking the role and position of our sacrifice.
Summary of Leviticus 16 (KJV)
Leviticus 16 gives detailed instructions to Aaron (the high priest) for the annual Day of Atonement. Key elements include:
The high priest offers a bull for his own sins and those of his house.
Two goats are chosen by lot: one for the Lord (as a sin offering) and one as the scapegoat (Azazel).
The high priest, wearing special linen garments, enters the Most Holy Place (behind the veil) once a year with the blood of the bull and the goat. He sprinkles the blood on and before the mercy seat (above the ark of the covenant) seven times for atonement.
He confesses all the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of Israel over the head of the live scapegoat and sends it away into the wilderness, symbolically bearing the sins away.
The sanctuary, altar, and people are cleansed and atoned for.
This was a statute forever—an annual ritual of atonement and purification.
The ritual emphasized blood (life poured out), separation (the veil), substitution (one goat slain, one bearing sins away), and temporary covering rather than permanent removal of sin.
The Earthly Tabernacle and Its Limitations (Hebrews 9:1-10 KJV)
“Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all...” (vv. 1-3)
The chapter opens by describing the earthly sanctuary with its two compartments: the Holy Place (daily priestly service with lampstand, table of showbread, and altar of incense) and the Most Holy Place (behind the veil, containing the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat overshadowed by cherubim).
Christ’s Superior Sacrifice and Ministry (Hebrews 9:11-14 KJV)
The turning point comes with Christ:
“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (vv. 11-12)
Christ ministers in the true heavenly sanctuary (not a copy made with hands). He entered once (not repeatedly) by His own blood, securing eternal redemption. The contrast is stark:
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (vv. 13-14)
Old sacrifices provided temporary, external purification of the flesh. Christ’s blood—offered by the eternal Spirit and without spot.
SIN: Is the full weight of guilt, penalty, and curse that humanity deserves — a curse that entered the world through the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3 (KJV), Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s clear command by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). As a result, sin entered the human race, bringing spiritual and physical death, shame, separation from God, and a cursed creation (see Genesis 3:7–19; Romans 5:12 — “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”)
FOR: Preposition OED Page 1047 On behalf of on account of FOR the Purpose of: As Purpose As Preparatory to:
On behalf of / in the interest of someone
On account of / because of
For the purpose of / with the aim of
As preparatory to / in order to prepare the way for
In place of or instead of (a substitutionary sense)
Romans 3:25 in the King James reads: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.“
“FOR”— here is PURPOSE - FOR - the purpose of - the remission of sins. God set Christ forth as PROPITIATION (an offering; that which appeases, an offering that appeases, atonement) for the purpose of declaring righteousness and remitting (blotting out completely) sin. Both passages use “for” to show divine purpose in redemption.
This is covered in depth in my Blog study in my essential background
https://www.thethirdheaventraveler.com/2026/07/the-great-paradox-of-our-sanctification.html
Romans 3:25 shows God set Christ forth as propitiation “for the remission of sins”— “for” reveals the divine purpose. 2 Corinthians 5:21 uses “for” to show Christ was made a sin offering for us, Romans 3:25 uses “for” to show the purpose was remission of sins. Both passages reveal that “for” connects to God’s ultimate redemptive purpose, not just the fact of substitution but why it happened—the remission and restoration of humanity.
Note:
Exodus 13:13 reads: “And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck.”
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