Note 6 at 2 Cor. 5:16: All of Paul's statements in the previous verses about us being dead in Christ are speaking about something that is a reality in our new spirit, but needs to be appropriated in our mortal bodies. Our born-again spirit is changed automatically (see note 9 at v. 17), but not our flesh. Therefore, a Christian's true identity and all his potential, lie in the spiritual realm.

For this reason, Paul had quit judging people based on their physical appearances and capabilities. He knew all Christians have the same potential of Christ in their spirits. Therefore, he looked past their exterior to their born-again potential.

The Living Bible paraphrases verses 16-17 as, "So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, merely as a human being like myself. How differently I feel now! When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!"