September 26, 2023 – Tuesday
2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20 RGT
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God is exhorting you through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God!
Comments
This is one of my favorite verses in the New Testament. I never tire of thinking of myself and my brothers and sisters in Christ as ambassadors for Him. It is interesting to know that the Miriam-Webster online defines an ambassador first as an official envoy, especially: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment and next as an authorized representative or messenger or an unofficial representative.
That is all well and good, but what is an ambassador in the Bible? Here I found that In the Bible, an ambassador is someone who acts on God’s behalf as his representative to others. Jesus sent out his twelve disciples as his ambassadors. Paul said he was Jesus’ ambassador. Followers of Jesus serve as his ambassadors, with the responsibility to act rightly and represent him properly. (boldface in the original) From this definition we could rewrite the above verse to say, Now then, we are acting on God’s behalf as His representatives to others.
Thus, in our day to day lives, we are as Christ’s ambassadors. We are always on duty as it were as His ambassadors. We, each and every one of us, represent Christ to the world. That is a heady and heavy responsibility. It is also why when a very visible Christian falls it ‘hurts.’ It is painful to see a very public ambassador take a fall. We take pleasure in those who continue to stand firm even when we have some doctrinal disagreements with them. Some of those for me are Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, Chuck Smith, David Guzik, and John MacArthur.
Looking again at our verse for today, using the NKJV, here are the two verses that preceded it, 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Then we have our verse for today followed by verse 21 via the RGT, 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God is exhorting you through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God! 21 For He has made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we should be made the righteousness of God in Him.I like this translation for the word exhorting alone as it is more challenging to us, for us. God is using us, as His ambassadors, to help bring others to the fold before Jesus returns.
Bottom Line: Through God’s grace we have been saved, and having been save we become His ambassadors so others may be saved.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Please keep us on our toes as we live our lives as Your ambassadors. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
PLEASE NOTE:
The email address this is from is PastorRileyDriver@pm.me, NOT PastorRiley@calvarydayton.com