2 Cor 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled *~ to God!“
An ambassador is the highest–ranking diplomat who represents a foreign sovereign in another country. His task is to make sure the foreign land understands the values of his country on every issue.
Though Paul was a physical citizen of Rome, he had a dual citizenship with a heavenly nation, along with every believer. We “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19). Not only are we citizens, but we are also called to be “ambassadors for Christ.” We must represent our sovereign King in an antagonistic world.
We who have become “ambassadors” were first the recipients of His grace: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor 2:19).
To reconcile means to change from a relationship of enmity to one of friendship. When one of the two parties is the holy God, who is so horribly offended by our sinfulness that only the physical death of the God–Man Jesus Christ could appease His wrath against our sin, the value of this reconciliation becomes exponentially greater.
Can you imagine a sentence of an eternity in hell justly canceled because God inflicted a far worse penalty of wrath on His beloved Son to satisfy the Father’s indignation against sin? Now God is just and willing to forgive all sins because the debt has been paid for all who want it.
Just as Jesus announced His offer of salvation, so we must continue allowing “God [to make] His plea through us.” Paul wrote, “He might reconcile them both [i.e., Gentiles and Jews] to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near” (Eph 2:17). This is what He is all about.
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Tim 2:3). Our mission in life as ambassadors is “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake” (Rom 1:5).
“Heavenly Father, please make me aware of the sins I need to confess to You; I desire to be used as Your ambassador to take the gospel to the world.”