2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Helpful Background Information:
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul builds on his prior letter as he urges the people to be unified with him in their ministry. In chapter 5, Paul says that Christ’s love is the reason why they should live for Him (v.14). Part of living for Christ, according to Paul, is seeing people differently. Before a person is reconciled to God through Christ, they simply live for themselves and preoccupy themselves with outward appearances (v.12, 15). In Christ, however, the believer is a new creation (v.17) with a new vocation (v.20a).
In verse 21, the basis for redemption and reconciliation is made clear: Jesus, who lived a truly righteous life without sin, took on the sin of the unrighteous. The one who was innocent chose to die the death the guilty deserved, so they didn’t have to. Jesus takes upon Himself the death sentence of the unrighteous and gives them His own righteous status instead. When God sees a believer, He sees the righteousness of Christ—who has reconciled the relationship between God and the believer through His own life, death, and resurrection.
As those who have been reconciled to God, believers are given “the ministry of reconciliation.” The work of an “ambassador” (v.20) is a ministry given to all Christians! In other literature that was written around the same time as 2 Corinthians, the word “ambassador” was used with reference to a spokesman or a representative. In this sense, ambassadors are God’s representatives on earth who speak on His behalf. Paul tells the Corinthian believers that it is as though God were “making His appeal through us” (v.20b). God chooses to use His people to accomplish His redemptive purposes in the world.
Reflection Questions:
2 Corinthians 5:21 is a verse that is worth committing to memory. Take the time to memorize it, and then try to explain what Paul is saying in your own words.
Whether you’re up early at the jobsite, in and out of the house, up late for school, or waiting in line at the drive-through, you are a representative of Jesus to the watching world. If someone were to follow you around throughout the course of your normal daily routine, would they conclude that you represent Christ well? Explain why or why not.
What makes representing Jesus difficult? List a few things that come to mind. Then, close by spending time in prayer and ask God to form you into the kind of person who does what Jesus would do if He were you.