Ambassadors
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
(2 Corinthians 5:20)
As I write, the Middle East and North Africa are experiencing one of the greatest political upheavals in modern history. Rulers of two countries have been toppled by protests, and civil war beckons in Libya. Recently the Libyan ambassador to the United States resigned, no longer able to support the policies and practices of his home country.
This image of an ambassador sheds light on an important aspect of the church's ministry. The church does not represent itself. Rather, we are ambassadors - official representatives - of God's coming kingdom that has begun with the coming of Christ. We receive our marching orders from Him. We represent and promote His policies and practices. And we have the promise that Christ will be with us to the end of the age. This identity is both freeing and challenging. It is freeing because it means we do not depend on our own wisdom to represent Christ. We simply point to Him and His Word. But it also challenges us to know His policies that we might rep-resent Him faithfully.
INSIGHT
Praise God that He has chosen to use us to accomplish His work on earth.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 27-28
Psalm 144
1 Thessalonians 5
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
We Are God’s Ambassadors
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.[c] 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Corinthians 5:12 Some manuscripts read proud of yourselves.
b. 2 Corinthians 5:14 Or urges us on.
c. 2 Corinthians 5:14 Greek Since one died for all, then all died.
d. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Or to become sin itself.
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