2 Corinthians 5. This chapter highlights several amazing things happen when we become Christians and surrender our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ. This is what I see:

First, we are made new. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come (5:17). Who we once were, is no more. We are made new and the image of God within us is restored. (There’s a whole sermon’s worth of content on this topic, one I preached recently – listen here.)

Secondly, our broken relationship with God – damaged by sin and rebellion – is restored. We are reconciled to Him. God, who through Christ, reconciled us to himself… not counting our trespasses [sin] against us (5:18-19). Before we become Christians, we do not always understand all our sin and what has happened; but we often sense that there is a profound brokenness in our relationship with God, other people, and even ourselves. We sense the tension, the conflict, and the estrangement from God – it is real. Thank goodness that, in the death of Christ, we can be reconciled to God and have that relationship restored!

Having been made new and having been reconciled are a big part of our salvation. What are we to do next? The Apostle Paul lays out clear instructions for us:

We persuade others (5:11). Other people need to know about Christ and opportunities to be made new and to be reconciled to God.

Those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised (5:15). We are called to stop pursuing our own selfish gain and agenda and to follow Christ. We are called to now live for the mission and purposes of the kingdom of God.

Christ gave us this ministry of reconciliation… we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (5:18-20). We have been given a ministry – each of us is called to help others find reconciliation with God. We are to be out engaging our circles of influence, persuading and encouraging others to come to Christ and be reconciled.

When my husband and I were on military duty in West Africa, we worked for several different United States ambassadors. Being an ambassador was such a fascinating job – they were the representatives of the United States to whatever country we were in. They would have audiences with the local head of state or various ministers, speaking on behalf of the American president. They would do press conferences and interviews, explaining U.S. policy on various topics. They opened their homes for receptions, celebrations, and cultural events; designed to foster relationships between the two countries. Everywhere they went, they built bridges between the two countries.

Paul uses the example of an ambassador to help us think about what it means to represent the kingdom of God to the world, and to call people to be reconciled to the God they are estranged from. We are to be out among the people, building relationships, being the kind of people others want to spent time with, and explaining all we know about God and His desire to be reconciled to humankind.

Think about your circles of influence. How might you be an ambassador of the kingdom of God to those around you? What does it mean that we have been given this ministry of reconciliation? Do you know someone (or several) who need to be reconciled to God? Can you pray for them, and maybe help build that relationship bridge?