We are all Christ’s Ambassadors

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

What comes to mind when you hear word “ambassador”? Perhaps you picture a respected foreign dignitary who represents his country’s interests abroad. As a child, my parents had a number of friends who served in the diplomatic corps, and I was drawn to the notion of living overseas as an emissary of my homeland. Then, I came to faith in Christ as a teenager, and I stumbled into 2 Corinthians 5:20:

 

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 

Our New Identity

Overnight, this became my life verse. And the best part is that this is not something we have to wait for or aspire to. As believers, this is our identity: We are all Christ’s ambassadors! But in order to fully grasp the weight of this title, we should understand it in the context of 2 Corinthians 5.17-21.*

 

A New Creation

In v. 17, Paul characterizes anyone in Christ as “a new creation.” This covers every single believer, and not merely an elite group of pastors, elders, deacons/deaconesses, or overseas missionaries. Rather, it’s a title befitting all of us for whom “the old has passed away” and for whom “the new has come.” And what are these old things? Our guilt and condemnation, our old way of life when we were controlled by the flesh. And what exactly is the new? Our dispositions, our priorities, our world view. This doesn’t mean that we don’t continue to sin, but rather that we no longer take pleasure in our sin in the same way that we once did. When we stumble and fall, we find our joy in turning to our Saviour for forgiveness and restoration. 

 

Christ Reconciled us to Himself

Verse 18a then names the source of this metamorphosis: “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…” We were at enmity with God because of our sin. Through his reconciling work, Christ brought an end to that estrangement. We’ll see more about how he did that in v. 21. What’s important to note is that this took place at God’s initiative. He is the agent. No act of human will could have brought it about. 

 

Christ Gave us the Ministry of Reconciliation

And he didn’t stop at reconciling us. He then enlisted us as his peacemakers: “…and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (v. 18b). Paul restates this notion in the following verse:

 

That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (v. 19)

 

Having ensured our reconciliation, Christ makes us messengers of God’s great peacemaking endeavor. This brings us to the heart of this discussion, v. 21. In light of our transformation from God’s enemies to his allies, Paul makes this declaration: “We are ambassadors for Christ…” This is no invitation or suggestion. It is a statement of fact. The apostle continues, “…God making his appeal through us.” 

 

Why Us?

This phrase raises two important questions: First of all, why does God choose to make his appeal through us? He could have chosen the angels to be his ambassadors. At one point, God even gave a donkey a voice to speak (Numbers 22:28), and on another occasion Jesus said that if the children did not praise him, the very rocks would cry out (Luke 19:4). Nevertheless, in his infinite wisdom, the Lord has appointed redeemed men and women to bear witness to the nations of his cross, resurrection, ascension, and future glory. 

 

Why Must We Appeal?

The second question it raises is, why do we need to appeal, beg, implore? If God is sovereign, won’t the lost come to faith without such efforts? The answer lies in the condition of our hearts. Human beings are by nature hostile toward God, whether they realize it or not. They love their sin and do not wish to abandon it. Our gospel proclamation should therefore exalt the supreme beauty and worth of Christ above the cheap, passing pleasures of this world. The onus is, therefore, on us to exegete both our Bibles and our culture, in order to make the most winsome appeal possible, all the while entrusting our efforts to our sovereign God. This passage thus beautifully lays out the collaborative work of reconciliation: God in Christ reconciles, and we, in Christ, appeal on his behalf.

 

The Great Exchange

Paul concludes this passage with one of the most theologically rich verses in the Pauline corpus: 

 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (v. 21)

 

At the cross, Jesus bore in his body the sentence of death our sins deserved. The Father treated Christ as if he’d committed our sins, in order that he may forever look upon us as if we’d lived his Son’s perfect life. In other words, we once wore putrid rags of sin and shame. And Jesus not only washed away the filth of sin that clung to us, but he also dressed us with the royal robes of his righteousness. This is that great exchange theologians call penal substitutionary atonement. 

 

Jesus Has Work for Us

God in Christ reconciled at a great price. And he did so in order that we may be his ambassadors of reconciliation. Jesus has work for us. Traveling around the globe as a foreign diplomat for one’s country of origin may seem like a cool job. But representing our great Lord and Savior and his eternal kingdom by far surpasses any such earthly assignment. Let us adopt our identity as new creatures and ambassadors of reconciliation, for the sake of the lost, the joy of our souls, and the glory of God.

 

* Some commentators believe that in the context of Paul’s defense of his apostleship in 2 Corinthians, his use of the title “ambassador” is exclusive to him. Other scholars, however, believe the apostle speaks of all believers. Given his use of “we” throughout this passage in reference to all believers as “new creations” (v. 17) and as those for whom Christ “became sin” (v. 21), I believe it’s safe and orthodox to make the argument that he refers to all believers when he uses the term “ambassadors.”