Who are we in Christ? That is the subject of this series. Worded slightly different the series title is a statement: “Who We Are in Christ?” Through this series we will look at varying aspects of our status in Christ. Last week we looked at the fact that “in Christ” (a favorite phrase of Paul) we are a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
In the weeks that follow, we will see that we are His workmanship:
Ephesians 2:10 (CSB) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
And in consideration of the world in which we live, we will see that “in Christ” we are overcomers.
Romans 8:31 (CSB) What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Being in Christ we will see that to the world we are Salt and we are light:
Matthew 5:13a and 14a (CSB) 13 “You are the salt of the earth... 14 “You are the light of the world…
These and more we will consider. Yes, Jesus saved us from condemnation, but He has great purposes for us. Being a new Creation, we must grow in knowledge and grace.
Today we pick up from where we left off last week in 2 Corinthians 5. Last week we looked at verses 16-19, today we will overlap with last week and look at verses 18-21. As a new creation, as we will see, if we belong to Jesus, we represent Him to the world around us.
2 Corinthians 5:18–21
To have the title of ambassador, is truly an honor to bestow on someone to represent a nation to another nation. In Paul’s day, ambassadors looked a little different then they do today. But I want to compare for a moment an ambassador in Paul day to being the ambassador that Paul was “in Christ” and the ambassador “in Christ” we are called to be.
1. Ambassadors were considered to be inviolate and were never to be imprisoned. [1] To mistreat an ambassador was considered a breach of a universally accepted custom. Mistreatment of an ambassador could be looked at as an act of war, especially if the ambassador represented a greater power. Today, we would say diplomates and ambassadors have diplomatic immunity.
Paul on the other hand, as an ambassador for Christ, was often beaten, thrown in prison. He considered himself an ambassador in chains, and often dishonored. Yet Paul wore these mistreatments as something not to be ashamed of.
2. Ancient documents make it very clear that ambassadors and foreign envoys were usually sent as a sign of friendship and goodwill, to establish a relationship, to renew friendly relations or to make an alliance. As an ambassador from and for Christ, ours is much in the same vein. We are sent to bring about reconciliation. In verses, 18 and 19 we see that we have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18b and 19b (CSB) 18 … has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 … has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
More on thesein a minute.
3. In Paul’s day various cities and provinces usually sent their ambassadors to Rome to plead their cases before the emperor or to offer tribute to gain some sort of imperial favor. Rome never sent ambassadors to faraway places to negotiate. They sent armies to crush any rebellion. Consequently, from these places, ambassadors would go to Rome to seek peace. What a contrast between God and the emperor of Rome! The All-Mighty, the All-Powerful God does not wait for man to approach Him to make appeals for peace, but rather a loving God send out His ambassadors to make appeals of peace to lost humanity.
4. Lastly, Ambassadors were from the finest families, from the ruling elite. In contrast, God calls even the mostly lowly among us, to be His ambassador to a lost and dying world.
2 Corinthians 5:18 (CSB) Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
We discussed this last week. Through what Christ has done on the cross, God reconciled us to Himself. We had to act on what Christ had done. We had to accept the reconciliation that was provided to us. Thus those that have been reconcile to God, those who have made their peace of God (Romans 5:1), we have been given the ministry of reconciliation to take to the world.
2 Corinthians 5:19 (CSB) That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. This verse seems like a repeat of verse 18, but it is broader. The scope of our ministry is described. What Jesus did on the cross was for the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (CSB) He himself is the atoning sacrifice, for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
It was for the entire world. The problem is the entire world does not know this. They do not know that God has (back in verse 5:19), “not counting their trespasses against them.” Sins are no longer counted against them. There is forgiveness, the world need to know this.
Romans 8:1 (CSB) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
And how is that possible?
2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB) He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God made Jesus to be the sin in our place. God took the initiative to offer the sacrifice for sin that we could not offer. Jesus became that sin and consequently, we now are able to be the righteousness of God, by being in Jesus. It is not our righteousness. The old testament spells that out:
Isaiah 64:6a (CSB) All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment;
So when God see righteous in us, He sees Jesus.
So back to verse 19: “and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.” The message of reconciliation is the gospel. This message has been entrusted to us, not the angels, not just for those in full time paid ministry, but to all those who have experience this reconciliation with God through Jesus. The ministry of reconciliation therefore involves more than simply explaining to others what God has done in Christ. It requires that one become an active reconciler oneself. Like Christ, a minister of reconciliation plunges into the midst of human tumult to bring harmony out of chaos, reconciliation out of estrangement, and love in the place of hate. [2]
In light of verses 18 and 19, Paul says “therefore, draws a conclusion to what he has just said:
2 Corinthians 5:20 (CSB) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.”
As ambassadors for Christ, we represent Jesus to the world around us. Especial in this day of social distancing, we each must do our part. It is not up to the paid professionals.
I heard stories this past week about fathers baptizing their own children because of closed church buildings. Reaching others, reaching your own families, is not up to those in a paid full-time ministry. We help, we train, we assist, but the ministry is up to all the saints. There is so much we can do, even in this time of limited social contact. For example, organize watch parties on Facebook, people can attend and worship online from their own homes. Once this crisis has past, invite them into the fellowship. As an ambassador we are to called to speak God’s word with authority:
1 Peter 4:11a (CSB) If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words;
Paul uses the analogy of an ambassador. Peter says much the same, except he uses a the word “Priest” We have been called to a royal priesthood.
1 Peter 2:9 (CSB) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,, a holy nation,, a people for his possession,, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
What is a priest? A priest is some one who is a go-between God and man. We believe in the priesthood of the believer. We each have direct access to God. We do not need an intermediary between us and God. We go directly to Him. But to the rest of the world, to those who do not know God, to those who do not know the work of Jesus, to those who do not know what Jesus has done for them, they need someone to tell them. As such, we become a priest to them, or Paul would say an ambassador. We all have this responsibility.
We who have experienced the reconciliation to God, provided by and through Jesus have been given the message and ministry of reconciliation to give to the world.
How are we do to this? Not just anyone can do it, only those who have experience the saving power of Jesus, and have be reconciled themselves. And according to Peter, we are to, “proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
That should be easy, we have been save from condemnation, from the wrath of an angry God, we have peace with Him through Jesus, we have been reconciled. It will take all of eternity to proclaim His praises, and in doing so we proclaim them now, to the world.
How we minister the message of reconciliation to the world. Just tell the world what Jesus has done for you. Don’t expect the world to give you the royal treatment due an ambassador. remember what Jesus said:
John 15:18 (CSB) “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.
We are ambassadors in world that is hostile to God. But there is one other thing in 2 Corinthians 5:20 I want us to notice; the urgency and passion of Paul: “We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” Paul pleads with them. Remember Paul is writing to believers, not unbelievers. When we look at the whole context of 1 & 2 Corinthians, Paul was writing to a church with a number of sin issues. Being reconciled to God is something we must all work on daily, Why? Because we sin daily. We fall short daily.
Yes, our salvation is secure, but often we loose that peace of God and that peace with God due to sin in our lives. Paul tells them to be reconciled to God because they have fallen short, because of their bickering, sinful lifestyles, and participation with idols, all of which necessitate his frank reproof. [3]
We have the ministry of reconciliation to the world and to each other. The key here in Paul’s plead to the Corinthians is to be reconciled “to God.” Not just to each other or even with ourselves. But peace must be restored with God.
1 John 1:9 (CSB) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
As we are reconcile to God by the confession of our sins to Him, we can be His ambassador to calling for the same with each other.
Have you been reconciled to God?
[1] The comparison of ancient ambassadors was taken from David E. Garland, 2 Corinthians, vol. 29, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 295-297.
[2] Ibid., 291–292.
[3] Ibid., 299.
