Ambassadors for Christ 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

In the previous two articles we have been talking about how Jesus divides people, and He also unites people. Jesus divides people because some people accept Jesus and others reject Him. When people accept Jesus as Savior and Lord they receive the Holy Spirit to guide and direct their lives. The Holy Spirit empowers them to walk in the ways of God instead of the passions of the flesh (Gal. 5:16-26). In our scripture passage today Paul the apostle writes to the church at Corinth. In 2 Corinthians Paul addresses his relationship to God and the church. He addresses the nature of his ministry, its purpose and the effects.

In chapter five Paul talks about the temporal and the external. When a person gives her/his life to Jesus that person becomes a new creation. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. The new life that one has in Christ Jesus is the result of God’s work of reconciliation through the forgiveness of sin by God because of the death of Jesus on the cross. The Ministry of Reconciliation is the primary task of the apostle. God uses messengers to preach the gospel of reconciliation. Paul says that since God uses him and others to proclaim the message they are ambassadors for Christ. This article is written to highlight the responsibilities of an ambassador for Jesus Christ.

The first responsibility of an ambassador is to know who she/he is. What is an ambassador? How did I become an ambassador? What authority do I answer to? What is my job description as an ambassador? An ambassador is a person chosen by a nation or a kingdom to communicate with other nations. Christ calls Paul to be a spokesperson to the Gentiles. This is seen in Acts 9:10-16 when the Lord sends Ananias to minister to Paul after Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. The Lord explains to Ananias the nature of Saul’s (Paul) ministry. “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake’” (Acts 9:15-16, NASB). The ministry that Paul has is not of his own choosing. Rather, it is the result of God’s own choice and call of Paul to represent the kingdom of God and the church of God in the world.

When we first meet Paul (Saul) he is standing with the Sadducees and the Jewish religious leaders. They are stoning Stephen because Stephen is convicted and convinced that Jesus is raised from the dead; a claim that the religious leaders do no not believe (Acts 8:8-7:60). A young man named Saul (later changed to Paul) holds the robes of those men stoning Stephen (Acts 7:58). A great persecution against the church begins and Saul/Paul becomes a leading figure in the movement. “But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he put them in prison” (8:3, NASB). Although Paul is a well respected person among the Jewish religious leaders, God stops him on the road to Damascus. Saul is converted and becomes an apostle of Jesus Christ. He no longer represents the religious establishment. He represents the Lord Jesus Christ.

Having been converted by God, Saul no longer answers to the religious authorities. This is an important fact that we should take note of. The ambassador of Jesus is authorized by Christ; not some religious group. Why is this of paramount importance? It is because in spite of their good intentions religious groups often have an agenda that is different from the agenda of Christ. For example: There are a lot of Churches that seek to bring about social justice. Elizabeth Warren, candidate for the democratic nominee for president of the United States said in a debate on CBS television on February 25, 2020 that she is guided by Matthew 25:45. “‘Then He will answer them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me’” (NASB). Now, this sounds good, and this scripture is quoted by a lot of politicians, community leaders, and church leaders; including church pastors. However, these people are not claiming to be authorized by Jesus Christ. Instead, they are using the words of Jesus as a philosophical model that they believe is good for their agenda. Be careful to listen not only to the words spoken. Consider closely the motivation of the speaker of the words.

The job description of an ambassador is based on the objectives and goals of the authorizing nation or kingdom. Now, social justice is a concern of God. However, in God’s plan social justice is a result of people being joined together under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is plain to see that people cannot come to a solution for peace. Nations and other people groups can negotiate agreements, but tell me, when was the last time that you saw a negotiated peace between enemies last? They all sooner or later dissolve and hostilities resume. Why is this? The reason is that Satan works to deceive people with lies. Through his representatives, often religious leaders, he sets forth agendas that ultimately kill, steal and destroy (Jn. 10:10). In our scripture passage, Paul tells us about the agenda of the kingdom that he represents. The objective of God is the determining factor for his job description as an ambassador for Jesus Christ.

The goal of an ambassador for Jesus Christ is to bring about a radical change in the life of people. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17, NASB). This means that there is not an attempt to bring about a negotiated agreement between enemies. Christ does not come to the earth to reform people. Instead, Christ comes to radically transform people. They do not accept a part of Christ and keep a part of themselves. Christ comes to do away with the old person and bring about the new person. This is a process that begins in the life in the present age and is completed finally in the new life when Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit is given now as a deposit for the new life that is finalized when Jesus returns.

In order to become a new creature one must be reconciled to God. Adam and Eve fall in the garden and they and all of their descendants are enemies of God. In our sins we are alienated from God. God cannot abide sin so in order to be reconciled to God something must be done to eliminate the curse and the power of sin. Paul tells us that God is the One that brings about reconciliation. “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (5:18-19, NASB).

The job description that Christ gives to His ambassadors is to first seek to bring about reconciliation between people and God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached not to settle differences between opposing people groups through political and social justice reforms. These things are not bad in and of themselves. This is the way of the world that we live in. Ambassadors of Christ seek to bring reconciliation between a person and Jesus Christ. Only those persons that are reconciled to Christ are able to live according to the ways of Christ. Here is a truth that the church must admit to and live by. Everyone will not surrender themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Everyone will not give up their present lifestyles to live according to the ways of Christ. Therefore, our job as ambassadors for Jesus is to engage people with the ministry of reconciliation. We are not ambassadors for any human entity in the world. We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ.