Saturday, December 16, 2006

Biblical Roles: The Brethren (Part 3)

Ambassador of Christ

“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. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

The Greek word translated here as “ambassadors” means “to be a senior” or “to act as a representative”. While some apply verse 20, “we are ambassadors”, to the apostles, I believe that Paul was referring to all believers, not just to himself and his fellow apostles. In context, we have all been reconciled to God through Christ and we have all received the word and ministry of reconciliation. Because of this, we have all been called as ambassadors of Christ.

As Christ’s ambassadors, it is important to remember that we are called to represent Christ rather than ourselves. Our lives should be a reflection of the one who sent us rather than a reflection of our own will and desires. If a king or president sent an ambassador to a distant country, he would expect that his representative would act in a way keeping with his own. But if that representative proceeded to live an unruly life or act in a way contrary to the nature of the one who sent him, then he would not be a faithful representation to those to whom he has been sent. This is why Paul encourages all believers to, “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” (Ephesians 4:1) We are to walk worthy because we have been made worthy by Him who called us, and when we walk worthy, we are portraying a clear representation of Him who called us. When we walk worthy, we also give testimony to the truth that God has sent us to proclaim. Paul writes of those who chose to live a life contrary to the truth of God saying, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” (Romans 1:18-19) As believers, we have the truth within us, that we have been reconciled to God, but if we live as if we had never been reconciled, living in our old ways of sin, then we obscure the truth of God and suppress it with our unrighteousness.

Along with walking worthy, we must also remember that our message is His message, not our own. The message we have been given to deliver to the world is a message of reconciliation. I have meet some Christians who believe that they have been given a message of judgment for the world, but even Christ said “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47) This is not to say that we should not speak of sin or try to help people understand that they are sinners, but the message we have been given is not that people are sinners, but that their forgiveness has been purchased by Christ and that through His sacrifice on the cross they can be reconciled back to God. It’s not a message of condemnation, but a message of forgiveness and reconciliation. We are called to take this message to the world, to implore people everywhere to be reconciled to God; to let people know that, though they are sinners, in Christ they can find forgiveness and reconsolidation through His blood. “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.’” (Luke 14:23)

David Robison

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