BaptistWay Bible Series for Oct. 10: Christians are ambassadors of reconciliation_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

BaptistWay Bible Series for Oct. 10

Christians are ambassadors of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

By Todd Still

Truett Seminary, Waco

Christian believers arguably are at their worst when they are disconnected from one another and unbelievers. It is easy to become self-absorbed in tasks and routines and to ignore the spiritual and physical needs of neighbors both near and far. When we fail to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we sin against them and God.

Adding insult to injury, some Christians have embraced a doctrine of election whereby they seek to exonerate themselves from the responsibility of outreach. They reason that God has destined some to be saved (and others to be damned), and nothing can be done to alter divine design.

If this theological orientation were not objectionable enough, some of these “elect” also possess an attitude of hubris and hardheartedness. Their beliefs and behaviors say, “We are the chosen few; all the rest are damned. There is no room in heaven for you; we don't want heaven crammed.”

Christian believers at their best view outsiders as potential insiders and lovingly seek to bring them into the Good Shepherd's fold. This is what the Apostle Paul did in his ministry. Having been entrusted by God with the ministry and message of reconciliation, Paul perceived himself Christ's ambassador (5:18-20). As such, he entreated and sought to persuade people in Corinth and elsewhere to embrace the evangel (5:11, 20).

The text for this week not only highlights Paul's reconciliatory ministry but also gives important insights into the motives and message that underpin Christian ambassadorship.

Because Paul believed Christians would be held accountable by Christ for the way they live their lives (5:10), and because the apostle felt an acute sense of accountability to a holy God in the midst of life (5:11), he sought to persuade people to “walk by faith, not by sight” (5:7). Perhaps some detractors of Paul accused him of trying to please people (Galatians 1:10) and of “breaking his arm trying to pat himself on the back” (5:12). Slanderous accusations notwithstanding, the apostle propounds he has a clear conscience before God and hopes the Corinthians can see their way clear through the smear campaign of his opponents (5:11).

Paul insists his purpose in “setting the record straight” is not to commend himself again to his converts; rather, he is attempting to equip the church with the necessary knowledge and motivation to defend him when others malign him (5:12). While Paul thinks his adversaries are guilty of putting on airs and placing too much value on external appearances (5:12), the Corinthians should have known full well he knew what Samuel of old knew–whereas people look on the outward appearance, the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The apostle knew his own heart and did not lose faith (4:1, 16), because Paul, like King David, was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

During the course of his Christian life, Paul was sometimes privy to ecstatic spiritual experiences, including “speaking in tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:18), “being caught up into the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:1-6) and certain other revelations (Galatians 2:1). Be that as it may, the apostle, in contrast to those who criticized him, did not make much ado about his mystical encounters with God when relating with the Corinthians. On the contrary, he conducted his ministry with clarity and frankness for the benefit of his congregants in Corinth (5:13).

Spiritual oneupmanship did not drive Paul; Christ's love compelled the apostle. He did not think for a moment, however, that the love of Christ was his individual preserve. His conviction was that Christ's wondrous love as shown through his vicarious death was for any and for all (5:14). Paul was persuaded that there is no shortage of or limit to the love of God in Christ (Romans 5:8; 8:38-39).

Why did Christ die? According to Paul, it was not merely so people could go to heaven. The apostle asserts Christ's physical death led to the spiritual death of all people. What is more, he contends Christ's resurrected life enables those people who believe the gospel to truly live, not for or unto themselves and not for this life only, but for and unto Christ the Lord, both now and forevermore (5:14-15; Romans 14:7-9; Galatians 2:20).

There was a time, Paul acknowledges, when he conceptualized Christ and others “according to the flesh,” that is, from an unregenerate perspective. What was once true, however, was not always true (5:16). His conversion and call, coupled with subsequent theological reflection, led Paul to conclude a new day had dawned and a new epoch had begun in Christ. Resultantly, Paul proclaimed that those who would entrust themselves to Christ could live in the new reality. In Christ, “there is a new creation; the old things passed away, behold new things have come” (5:17).

Paul grounded God's reconciliatory work in Christ's life-giving death. The One who knew no sin became sin so the people who knew sin all too well might experience and express God's righteousness (5:19, 21).

Discussion questions

If you perceived yourself as Christ's ambassador, what would change in your life?

Are Christians Christ's ambassadors whether they accept the position or not?

How is the value of the sacrifice of Christ's life evidenced in the life you lead each day?