What does 2 Corinthians 5:17 mean?

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) reads: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." It sits in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, a piece of personal apostolic defence from the New Testament, and is most often read as a verse about new year. The meaning sharpens when you read the verses immediately around it and notice how 2 Corinthians as a whole is arguing its case.

What is the context of 2 Corinthians 5:17 in 2 Corinthians?

2 Corinthians 5:17 belongs to 2 Corinthians 5, which fits inside 2 Corinthians's wider message as personal apostolic defence. Before applying the verse, read at least the paragraph it appears in so you can see who is speaking, who is being addressed, and what situation prompted the words.

Is 2 Corinthians 5:17 from the Old or New Testament?

2 Corinthians 5:17 is from the New Testament — specifically the book of 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. That matters because New Testament verses are written after the resurrection and speak directly into the life of the church under the new covenant.

What translation of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is used here?

Every verse on Bible Sundays is quoted from the King James Version (KJV), the public-domain English translation first published in 1611. We use the KJV consistently so the wording you memorise on one page matches the wording on every other page of the site.

How can I memorise 2 Corinthians 5:17?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 aloud three times, write it out by hand once, then try to recite it from memory. Repeat morning and evening for a week. Pair it with the theme of new year so your mind has a natural retrieval cue. Reviewing on day 1, day 3, day 7 and day 30 locks it in for the long term.

How should I apply 2 Corinthians 5:17 today?

Identify one specific situation in the next 24 hours — a conversation, a decision, a fear, a temptation around new year — where 2 Corinthians 5:17 should change your response. Pray the verse back to God for that situation, then act on it. Application is what turns reading into obedience.

New Year Card Verse

2 Corinthians 5:17 for New Year Cards

A free, printable, share-ready KJV card verse. Pick a theme, download as a high-resolution image, or copy the text for handwritten cards.

For New Year

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

King James Versionbiblesundays.com

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Why 2 Corinthians 5:17 works for new year cards

All things new — not just a new calendar year, but a new you.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Read 2 Corinthians 5 (KJV) →

How to use this new year card

Pick a theme above that matches the recipient's taste — botanical for weddings and showers, midnight for solemn occasions, kraft for rustic.
Download the PNG at 1200×1500 — Pinterest-optimized and high enough resolution for printing on standard 5×7 cardstock.
Send digitally via text, email, or social, or print and pair with a handwritten note inside.
Reference the chapter — readers often want to look up the surrounding context. Tap the link above to read 2 Corinthians 5 in the KJV.

More New Year card verses

Lamentations 3:22-23

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Isaiah 43:19

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Philippians 3:13-14

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark."

Psalm 90:12

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."

Isaiah 40:31

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles."

Psalm 65:11

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness."

See all 12 new year card verses →