2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV)
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God.
When Paul calls us “ambassadors for Christ,” he gives us a startling identity—and a staggering responsibility. An ambassador is not a casual representative. An ambassador speaks for a king, carries the king’s authority, and is known by how faithfully he reflects the ruler’s heart and purposes. If we are Christ’s ambassadors, then how we see God, how we believe about ourselves, and how we live must align with the reconciliation God has already accomplished through Jesus.
How Our View of the Father Shapes Our Representation
Our representation of God will be as accurate and clear as our view of Him. If we imagine the Father as a distant or punitive ruler who heaps tragedy on people to teach them lessons, our hearts will grow cold toward sinners and our words will misrepresent the Gospel. Conversely, if we understand Father as One who has lavished grace, who has brokered reconciliation by paying the highest price for our redemption, our words and actions will carry warmth, authority, and truth.
An ambassador reflects his king’s character. To re-present God well, we must see Him rightly: not as a judge who keeps tally, but as a reconciler who has erased the record against us and clothed us with Christ’s righteousness.
Identity: New Creations with Kingly Authority
Representation depends on identity. The New Testament insistence that we are a “new creation” and “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” is not theological fluff—it’s the foundation of our authority. If we still think of ourselves as sinners who must earn our standing by performance, we will never move boldly in the power Christ has given.
An ambassador never acts unqualified before his counterparts because he is certain of his position before the king. We too must be certain that we have been chosen and empowered by the King of kings. Our authority comes from reconciliation: God balanced the deficit of our righteousness by granting clemency and giving us Jesus’ righteousness. That settled decree is the basis of everything we are called to do.
Why Many Ambassadors Fail to Act
The enemy knows the authority we possess—and he counts on our unbelief. Lesser “kings” (spiritual strongholds, circumstances, sickness, fear) will only relent when ambassadors act in the certainty of their commission. The problem isn’t the power we’ve been given; it’s that we often don’t believe it. Experience and emotion lie; God’s Word is the bedrock truth.
If we let feelings or past failures define us, we’ll live small and timid. But when we take every thought captive and insist on the truth that we are holy in Christ—no longer crooked or perverse—we start to operate as ambassadors should: boldly, lovingly, and effectively.
Living as an Effective Ambassador of Reconciliation
What does an ambassador’s life look like in practice?
- See the Father Clearly. Spend time in Scripture until your picture of God is governed by His revealed character—grace, mercy, and loving authority—rather than by past hurts or faulty theology.
- Affirm Your New Identity. Regularly declare and believe that you are forgiven, righteous, and empowered in Christ. This isn’t spiritual pride; it’s obedient agreement with God’s Word.
- Take Thoughts Captive. Reject any mental narratives that contradict your new creation identity—fear, doubt, condemnation—and replace them with God’s truth.
- Act with Kingdom Authority. Pray for the sick expecting healing, speak truth into situations, and confront darkness with the confidence that the King is with you. Ambassadors insist when necessary because they know the backing of their sovereign.
- Represent with Love. Authority without love misrepresents the King. Let compassion and humility inform your words so that correction and confrontation never eclipse grace.
The Power and Purpose of Reconciliation
Reconciliation is the hinge on which our authority swings. Because Father has reconciled us, we are both forgiven and empowered. He didn’t merely declare us forgiven—He clothed us with Jesus’ righteousness and transferred authority to us. Our role is to re-present that reconciling love to a world that is lost and dying.
When we embrace reconciliation, our prayer life grows bolder; our witness grows clearer; strongholds begin to fall. Reconciliation is not passive—it activates us to press in, to speak, to heal, and to set captives free.
A Prayer of Commitment
Father, thank You for Your lavish grace and mercy. I am grateful for the gift of reconciliation through Jesus. Help me to see You clearly, to live from my new creation identity, and to represent You with boldness and love. Use me to bring Your kingdom near—to pray for the sick, to speak truth, and to pull down the enemy’s strongholds. I accept Your authority and power, and I will steward them faithfully. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
As ambassadors, our assignment is simple in description but glorious in scope: re-present the kingdom of heaven on earth today. Let us agree with God’s Word, take our place in Christ’s authority, and watch His kingdom expand through ordinary people who believe they are exactly who He says they are.
Orginally Published by Keith Murphy