Verse of the Day Devotion:  2 Corinthians 5:20 

“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 5:20

Why are we still here now that we are saved?  The answer to this question is to do the work He has called us to.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.  We are not just to get saved, and then patiently wait for His return and do nothing for Him here.  On the contrary, Paul says to the church in Ephesus that we are God’s workmanship, not our own or based on what we have done.  He has saved us so that we can show forth the virtues of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.  We are to be a light to the world.  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.

If we are the light of the world, then we are to shine this light before men so they can see who we really are and the good work and deeds we do.  It is important that we live the life of a Christian if we declare before people we are a Christian.  If we declare we are a Christian but do not act like it by living the life of one who has given themselves to Christ before everyone, then it will be as one who hides their light under a basket.  In other words, if someone sees you and you are not living as a Christian, they will not believe your declaration, or will have a false view of what this Christian life is all about.

Now, back to our focus verse.  “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 5:20.  As Christians, our purpose is to shine our light into the darkness, presenting the gospel to all.  Notice the wording here, ‘as though God were making an appeal through us ‘.  Essentially, an ambassador is a well-respected official whose role is to be a representative of one nation and their leadership  to another nation and their people.  Sent to a foreign land, the ambassador’s role is to reflect the official position of the sovereign body that gave him authority.  Paul, speaking of his own ambassadorial role wrote, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” 1 Corinthians 1:17.  Paul is saying that Christ sent him to deliver a message to the lost, that being the gospel, not necessarily to baptize people.  Preaching the gospel was his primary purpose.  He did baptize a few, but again, his focus was to preach the gospel.  

Now, just as Paul was sent by Christ to preach the gospel, he is not the only one.  We also are called as ambassadors of Christ.  “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,” 2 Corinthians 5:20a.  Our job is to spread the message of the gospel to as many as we can.  We are to tell the lost what God did through Christ, that being the salvation of us all, but we are also to live it out in our own lives before others, at all times, so they can see the reality of what we preach.  By so seeing this, they will be more inclined to listen to what we say which could lead to their acceptance of Christ.  We must be prepared for any opportunity to preach the gospel, and ready to answer questions we may be asked by those who do not know Christ, regarding our eternal hope.  “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:14-16.  This is our calling in Christ, not just to become a Christian, or just profess our faith, but also to help all we can to become a follower of Christ as well.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.