November 12 Click on verses for Full Scripture	previous - - - - - - - - - - next
Today's Pathway: II Corinthians 5:19-20 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Yesterday Paul began talking about the ministry of reconciliation. In today's passage he spells out this ministry in more detail. He states that God reconciles the world to Himself through the work of Christ. Don't misunderstand the expression "God was in Christ". Jesus IS God, so this is not saying that God somehow had to indwell Jesus. He means that through the work of Christ men can have a relationship with the Father. Notice also that God was reconciling the world "unto Himself". God has never needed to be reconciled to man. It is sinful man who needs to be reconciled to a holy God. God's position has never changed. He stated in Malachi 3:6,

"For I am the LORD, I change not".

"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight."

Because of what God had done for Paul, he understood that he had been given the responsibility to try to convince others to be reconciled to God. He was an "ambassador for Christ". An ambassador has several characteristics. He is commissioned by his sovereign as an ambassador. He a native of one country, but he is sent to another one. The country to which he goes often differs from his own in culture and language, and may in fact hate him and the country that he represents. He is constantly on duty for the entire time he is serving. And his job is to represent the interests of his sovereign, and not his own. This is what Paul, and those of us who are saved, must be living out as ambassadors for Christ. It is God, our Sovereign, Who has given us His Great Commission (John 20:21). We may live on this earth, but our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20). This world looks at everything differently that God does (I John 5:19), and thus it does not love God, and we should not be surprised that it doesn't love us (John 15:18). However, our responsibility is to represent God and tell the world what He wants them to hear. This is what an ambassador does, and this is what Paul did. He writes that he was preaching his message as if God Himself was preaching it, and he begs them to respond as if Jesus Himself was begging them. His message was this, "be ye reconciled to God", and this must be our message as well.

Albert Barnes wrote,

"We are the ambassadors whom Christ has sent forth to do what He would do were He personally present. Ambassadors are to make known the terms on which God is willing to be reconciled to men. They are not to follow their own plan, but are simply to explain God's terms. They are to seek the honor of the Sovereign Who has sent them, and to do only His will. They go not to promote their own welfare, but to transact the business which the Son of God would engage in were He personally on the earth."

In light of all this, what kind of ambassador are you?