2nd Corinthians 5:18-21 | What Does it Mean to be an Ambassador for Christ?
We are there in 2nd Corinthians 5. Of course, on Wednesdays we have been going through this book verse by verse, chapter by chapter. The last several weeks we have been in 2nd Corinthians 5. Tonight, we will look at verse 18 through 21. It’s a very famous passage. It has to do with reconciling sinners with Christ. It has to do with soul winning and reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s something we care a lot about here at Verity Baptist Church. If we are imbalanced as a Church, this is the area I would want to be a bit too zealous about. In this passage, we see 3 points that we are going to look at tonight.
Point 1 – The ministry of reconciliation. 2nd Corinthians 5:18 “18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”. Notice verse 19 “19 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.”. Verse 19 is my favorite Christmas verse in the Bible. It’s not a verse about Christmas at all but it’s really what Christmas is about. Christmas is about the fact that God became a man without ceasing to be God. Reconciliation is defined as the process of two people or two groups that are at odds with each other making amends, making things right. This is what happened when Jesus came to earth. What you need to understand is that Jesus came to the earth to reconcile us to God. That was his purpose.
Isaiah 59:2 “2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”. The Bible teaches that our sins had separated us from God. When I say “us”, I mean mankind. I mean human beings. Man was separated from God as a result of our sin. Our sin had brought separation between the relationship that we had with God. The Bible says that our iniquities, which is just another word for sin, have separated between you and your God. Your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear. Our sins have separated us. Jesus came as the God-man to be a mediator between God and man.
See, mankind and God were at odds, were at enmity. The Bible says in the book of James that we’re at odds with each other. In order for us to be reconciled unto God, Jesus had to become a man. The 2nd member of the Godhead was made flesh and dwelt among us. The perfect solution was Jesus Christ because he was 100% God and 100% man. That’s why the Bible says that Jesus was able to mediate on our behalf. Why did he come to earth? Look at Luke 19:10. Luke 19:10 “10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”. Why did Jesus come to this earth? We were at odds with God. We could not be reconciled unto God. However, Jesus came as the great mediator, the God-man. He came and was able to bridge between us and God. That’s why the Bible says that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.
When we talk about the ministry of reconciliation, what we need to understand and hopefully you get this is that Jesus came to this earth to reconcile us to God. Like I said, at Christmas we will celebrate the fact that Jesus came to this earth, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why did he come? We sing that song “Born to Die Upon Calvary”. He came to die. He came to be a sacrifice for us that we might be reconciled. Hopefully you are saved here tonight and that makes a lot of sense. Here’s what you need to understand. Jesus came to this earth to reconcile us to God. However, Jesus also left this earth. That’s called the ascension. When Jesus left this earth, he then has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
2nd Corinthians 5:18 “18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 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.”. See, the Bible teaches that Jesus came to this earth, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, never sinned and he died on the cross as a payment for our sins. He came to this earth that we might be reconciled unto him. However, when he left this earth, he then left us with a commission. He left us with a ministry. He left us with a responsibility.
What we like is the message that God the Father sent his Son to die on the cross. He sent his Son to reconcile us unto God. In fact, we like it so much that we make an entire holiday out of it. I think we should like that. We celebrate it by buying gifts and giving gifts. There is nothing wrong with that. I love the fact that we celebrate the fact that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. However, please don’t miss this. In the same way that God the Father sent the Son to seek and save the lost, when Jesus left this earth he gave us a commission.
John 20:21 “21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”. I wish all Christians like soulwinning as much as they like Christmas. I’m all for Christmas. I like Christmas and think we should celebrate it. We are about to celebrate Christmas. Let me tell you something though. In the same idea and concept that God the Father sent the Son to reconcile the world unto himself, Jesus also sends us to preach the gospel. That is why Paul said that he has giving to us the ministry of reconciliation and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Have you ever stopped to think about this? Have you ever stopped to think about what we are doing here? I mean why are we here? I’m not using a philosophical “Why are we here?”. I’m actually asking why are you here at “320 Harris Avenue Suite A Sacramento California 95838”. Why do we have a Wednesday night Bible study or a Sunday morning Church service or Sunday night Church service. Why do we do what we do? I’m thankful you are here. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m glad you’re here. I hope you’ll come back. However, I want you to understand that there’s a purpose to why we are here. What is the purpose of a local Church like the one you are sitting in?
First, we need to define a Church. What is a Church? A Church is a called-out assembly. A Church is a called-out assembly of believers who have voluntarily banded themselves together under the authority of a Pastor. Why? For the purpose of the great commission. To accomplish what Jesus left us to do. People get this idea that Churches have to have activities and develop friendships and have homeschool groups. Don’t misunderstand me. I think those things are all good. However, please understand this. What we are doing here can be fit under 2 categories. I’ve shared this with you in the past. Everything we do around here should fall under two categories. Number 1 – reaching people. Number 2 – teaching people. Why those 2 things? Because that is the great commission. Reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. He left us with a responsibility, the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus came to this earth to reconcile us to God and then he left this earth and gave us a commission or a ministry or a job to do.
Point 1 – The ministry of reconciliation. Point 2 – The message of reconciliation. What exactly is that? Notice verse 19 “19 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.”. Impute means to ascribe or to give. He says, “not imputing their trespasses unto them”. Why did Jesus come? Why was God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself? He did that so our trespasses and sins were not imputed unto us. He did that so our sins may be forgiven or taken away. He did that so my sins could be as far as the east is from the west. My sins are gone. That is what salvation is. What is the message of salvation? The message is that you can be forgiven. What is the message of salvation? The message is that your sins can be taken away.
I hope you don’t take this in the wrong way or in a boastful way because that is not my intention. I want this Church to be the smartest Church in the world. I want you to know what you believe and why you believe it. We talked about this on Sunday night about building your life on the Bible. Our goal is that you don’t just do something because that is what they do at Church or because that is what Pastor says. Our goal is you would be a Baptist not just by name but also by conviction. I am a Biblicist. What does that mean? I can show you where the Bible says this and that is what I believe. I do what I do and believe what I believe based on what the Bible says.
A word that I have taught you before and want you to understand is the word “propitiation”. It’s a theological term but it is actually a biblical term. It’s in the Bible. Propitiation is defined as the action of gaining the favor of God by pleasing or appeasing God. It means to make things right between us and God. It means to reconcile. I want you to notice that the Apostle Paul not only teaches about the ministry of reconciliation but also the message of reconciliation. I am not going to assume everyone is saved here tonight. I want you to understand what the message of the gospel is or the message of reconciliation.
2nd Corinthians 5:20 “19 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. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”. Why did God have to come in the flesh? Why did God have to become a man while not ceasing to be God? Here is why. Because the perfect sacrifice had to be without sin and no man could do that. The word propitiation means the removing of our sin. It’s the removing of that which separated us from God. As a result, we are able to be reconciled unto God. In order for there to be reconciliation between man and God, those sins had to be paid for. The Bible says that Christ had no sin.
1st Peter 2:21 “21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”. Look at verse 22 “22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:”. See, the Bible teaches that Christ had no sin. Christ was without sin. Why does that matter? Why is that important? Go to 2nd Corinthians 5.
2nd Corinthians 5:21 is a very important verse when it comes to doctrine and what we believe. “21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”. Sometimes I preach these things and I think that maybe they are really basic, and everyone is already aware of them. What I’ve learned is that not everybody knows this. Here is the gospel. I’m a sinner. Jesus Christ came to earth and took my sin. He paid for it on the cross. It had to be Jesus. It had to be God in the flesh. God came to be manifest in the flesh because nobody else could pay for my sin. Why couldn’t I pay for your sin? Why can’t I pay for my wife’s sin or my children’s sin? Why can’t we pay for the sin of someone we love? Even if you could go to God and ask to pay for somebody else’s sins, the answer coming back would be “Well who is going to pay for your sin?”. You can’t pay for somebody else’s sin because you are a sinner. I can’t pay for your sins because I’m a sinner. Jesus, who was without sin, had to come back and take our sin. The Bible says, “21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”.
Maybe you say, “Doesn’t everybody know this?”. I don’t think so. There are lots of people out there who think they have to live a good life to get to heaven or repent of your sins to get to heaven. We don’t have to go to Church or change your life. When somebody makes statements that these things are required, it reveals that they don’t understand salvation. Salvation is this. You are a sinner. There is nothing you could do to save yourself. Jesus came to this earth because nothing else would do. Keeping the law, going to Church, being a good person or any other method would not work. None of it would have been enough to take away your sin.
1st Peter 2:23 “23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”. Notice verse 24. “24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,…”. That is salvation. If you think that you have to live a good life, then you don’t understand it. If you believe that you have to do something or you have to go to Church or something has to change, that is not salvation. “24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”. Salvation is that “he who had no sin became sin for us”. He took my sin that I might not have sin. He paid for it. He died for it. The Bible says that his soul went down for 3 days and 3 nights. An eternal God, a triune God in three days and three nights paid for an eternity of hell. This is what we refer to as propitiation.
I want to give you another biblical term and also a theological term. Let us look at the word “justification”. I want you to know this but also understand this. I want you to really understand salvation. Salvation is that my sins were taken from me and put on Jesus. I think that is probably a basic thing to get. However, I want you to understand it. That is only the propitiation part. The propitiation part is that sin was removed from me that I might be reconciled unto God. By the way, anyone who rejects Jesus Christ, they don’t have to have Jesus pay for their sins. They can go ahead and pay for their own sins in hell for all of eternity. Propitiation is that my sins were taken from me and put on Jesus.
Justification is the receiving of God’s righteousness. Acts 10:38 “38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”. Did you ever stop to wonder why Jesus came here as a baby? Why did he come here and live 30 plus years rather than just coming and dying on the cross? Why did he have to be born and live a life here rather than just dying on the cross? The Bible tells us in Acts 10:38 that he went about doing good. Jesus was not only without sin but also was with all sorts of righteousness. He did all sorts of good things.
2nd Corinthians 5:21 “21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”. See, salvation is that my sins were taken off of me and put on Jesus. He paid for the sins that I should have paid for. That is propitiation. That means that I no longer have to pay for those sins. Those sins are gone. However, that’s just one part of salvation. Justification is that the righteousness of God was taken from him and put on me. This is why the Bible says that we are clothed in his righteousness, we are in Christ. This is why the Bible says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. This is why Jesus said “and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand.”. Why? Because we’re in Christ. This helps us understand why salvation is forever. When God sees me, he sees Jesus Christ. He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That’s what salvation is. My sins were taken, and he paid for them. We also are credited with his righteousness. I could not earn salvation. Christ lived a righteous life and Christ gave us his righteousness.
Go to Romans 3. In a lot of people’s soul-winning presentations, Romans 3:23 is a verse that is used. It’s a good verse. I want you to notice some other good verses from this passage. Here is what I want you to understand. When you and I were given the ministry of reconciliation, that’s not the gospel. You were already saved when you received the ministry of reconciliation. What is the ministry of reconciliation? The ministry of reconciliation is that now I am saved, it is my job to go out and find other people who are sinners, other people who need their sins forgiven. You don’t have to look very far. There are plenty of unsaved people out there who are still dead in trespasses and sins. Our goal is to reach other people who can have their sins removed and the righteousness of God placed on them.
Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”. This is what makes us in need of salvation. “24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”. Justified is a theological term but also a biblical term. We’re not justified by going to Church or living a good life or putting money in the offering plate or getting baptized. All of those things are good things but that is not how you get justified. You are justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:25 “25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”. That’s you and me. When we believe in Jesus, we are justified. This is the message of reconciliation. What’s the message? The message is that we’re all sinners and our sin has condemned us to hell. However, you don’t have to go to hell. It’s not about being religious or going to Church or doing any of that. Those things are good things, but salvation is simply allowing Jesus to take your sin. He paid for it already. Salvation is allowing his righteousness to be placed on you.
Point 1 – The Ministry of Reconciliation. Point 2 – The Message of Reconciliation. Point 3 – The Method of Reconciliation. Now that you understand the ministry of reconciliation – God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and that God has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. Now that you understand the message of reconciliation – God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Then Paul explains the method of reconciliation. How is this supposed to be carried out? How is this supposed to be done?
2nd Corinthians 5:20 “20 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.”. An ambassador is a representative. Usually when we think of an ambassador, we think of an ambassador in a political sense. There might be a President or King or ruler who needs their message taken to a foreign land. What happens is the ruler does not go themselves, but they send an ambassador as their representative to bring the message that they have been tasked with.
The Bible tells us that we as saved people are ambassadors. What does that mean? Let me just give you 3 quick things that we need to do as ambassadors. Number 1 – An ambassador must go. You see, the United States has a President who lives in the White House. We don’t have ambassadors that just sit home. The whole point of an ambassador is for them to go to a foreign land where the President is not going. See, the Bible says that we are ambassadors for Christ. What does that mean? It means that we must go. An ambassador will go to Africa or South America or the UK or wherever the President sends them. Instead of the President or ruler or King going, they send their ambassador or representative. What is the job of an ambassador? The job of an ambassador is to go. The Bible says, “20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:…”. What this means is that it is our job to go.
Matthew 28:19 “19 Go ye therefore,…”. Jesus just talked about how all power has been given unto him in heaven and in earth. Then he says that because he is in charge and is the ruler, he tells them to go. “19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”. Matthew 10:6 “6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”. Both of these verses tell us to go. I’m here to tell you that this Church has been given the ministry of reconciliation. We have been made ambassadors for Christ. As an ambassador, my job is to go. Go teach all nations. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mark 16:15 “15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”. Luke 14:23 “23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”. Here is a question I have for you. As an ambassador, how is your going? When do you go? Where do you go? I mean if I was an ambassador for the US or an ambassador for another country, they would ask me where I had gone. Where did I represent the President on behalf of the US?
A lot of people believe in lifestyle evangelism. Now our lifestyle should match our evangelism. The Bible says, “that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”. I am all for us being out there and being a good representation of Christianity to our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc…However, that is not going. Go means that you get up and go and confront. Soul winning is not a defensive thing but an offensive thing. We don’t sit back and wait. Many Churches today just wait for sinners to come to them and then they try to get the person to walk down the aisle after a gospel sermon. That is now what the Bible says. The Bible doesn’t say that we wait for them to come to us. We are ambassadors and must go. I have a simple question for you? When do you go? Where do you go?
Now look, I’m all for living a life that is for the gospel. I’m all for giving the gospel to unsaved people that come across your way and inviting them to Church and taking advantage of those divine appointments. That’s great. I think we should do a better job of that. However, I am also for going. Why? Because an ambassador has to go. An ambassador has to go out and bring the message that he has been given.
Not only does an ambassador go but an ambassador represents. 2nd Corinthians 5:20 “20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,…”. An ambassador means to be an official representative. Ephesians 6:20 was spoken by Paul in prison. Ephesians 6:20 “20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”. Paul was in bonds or in prison, but he was an official representative of the Lord. Not only does an ambassador go but an ambassador represents the sovereign that sent them. They represent the President, King, Emperor or ruler that sent them. When you go out soulwinning, not only are you a representative of our Church but you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The idea in Ephesians 6:20 is that when I go walk up and knock on that door, you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now please don’t say “Jesus Christ sent me.”. However, that is literally what is taking place. The Lord Jesus Christ is sending you to knock on that door and preach to them. You are there to represent him. By the way, that’s why it matters. That is why it matters how you act when you are out soulwinning. That is why you shouldn’t be getting in fighting or shouting matches. Do you what you want but you ought to be mindful of the way you look and the way you act and the things coming out of your mouth when you go out soulwinning. When you are out soulwinning, you are not just representing yourself, but you are also representing the Lord Jesus Christ.
An ambassador goes. An ambassador represents. Thirdly, an ambassador speaks. The whole point of an ambassador is that they would bring a message. That’s the whole point. 2nd Corinthians 5:20 “20 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.”. The word beseech means to ask or to plead with urgency. W0hen the Bible says pray, we think the word pray as simply just praying to God. But the word pray simply means to ask. When we are praying to God, we are asking and bringing our request before God. In 2nd Corinthians 5:20, we are asking in Christ’s stead that they would be reconciled to God.
See, the purpose of an ambassador is to bring a message. Now in our world today, the idea of an ambassador is a little more obsolete. We have technology that can get messages across. There was a time though such as during the New Testament times where an ambassador would literally be sent to send a message on behalf of the King. They would show up to a foreign land and say that the king of that country sent them to bring this message. See, the purpose of an ambassador is to go, to represent, to speak.
Ephesians 6:20 “20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”. This doesn’t mean rude or confrontational. We confront people with the gospel. We’re not confrontational but we’re supposed to speak. We’re supposed to persuade. Go back to Luke 14:23. Luke 14:23 “23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges,…”. That is literally what we do at Verity Baptist Church. If you show up on a Saturday morning or Thursday afternoon or Sunday afternoon, we go out with maps in the streets and avenues. We tell you exactly where you are going? Why? Because we are ambassadors for Christ. We represent Christ. We bring a message. We compel them to come to Jesus. Jesus said, “that my house may be filled.”. We persuade them. We plead with them. “We pray you in Christ’s stead be reconciled unto God.”. We tell people that they don’t have to die and go to hell, but they can have their sins forgiven.
If you are saved tonight, you have been given a great gift. We have been reconciled unto God by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, please understand something. When you were reconciled unto God, you were also given a responsibility. I want you to notice this in 1st Corinthians 15. 1st Corinthians 15:1 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”.
You see, I was given something. I received something. I want to help us understand something tonight. Sometimes I think we need a little bit of perspective. If you are saved here tonight, not only did you not save yourself, but someone took the time and understood the ministry of reconciliation. They understood that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and he has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. They understood that we have the responsibility to give that gospel to somebody else. For me, it was my dad who gave me the gospel. For you, it might not have been your parent. However, somebody cared enough to tell you that you didn’t have to die and go to hell. When you were reconciled, you were given a great responsibility to then take that message to others. Why? Because we’re ambassadors to go and represent and to speak.
He said, “3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”. I am all for us training soulwinners. We have an entire soulwinning seminar. You can show up to soulwinning and we will partner you up and you can just be a silent partner if you want. You can just listen and pray and learn until you feel comfortable and ready to start speaking. We’re not going to pressure anybody. Sometimes we make this big deal of thinking that we don’t have the ability to do it. I would say that the message we are bringing is very simple. Christ died for our sins, and he was buried, and he rose again third day. You’re a sinner and can’t save yourself. You needed a Savior who was without sin. He became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m just telling you that if you’re saved and you understood the gospel when you got saved, you could explain that to somebody. We have been given a great responsibility.
Go to 2nd Corinthians 4. Somebody loved you enough to give you the gospel. Somebody cared enough about you. I am talking to you if you are saved. If you aren’t saved, let me say that we love you enough to give you the gospel. Don’t leave here without us giving you the gospel. We want you to be saved. If you are saved though, somebody loved you enough to take the time out of their schedule to give you the gospel. When we were reconciled, we were given a great responsibility.
2nd Corinthians 4:3 “3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:”. I want to encourage you this Christmas season to make sure that you’re being a proper ambassador. Decide that you will go, and you will represent. Decide that you will speak. If you don’t know how to speak, decide to learn to speak. Decide to start as a silent partner but to be trained and go through the soul winning seminar and learn how to preach the gospel. Do the things that you need to do that way you might go out there this Christmas season and knock on somebody’s door and tell them what Christmas is all about. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.
Let’s pray.