It has always seemed absurd to me that various denominations of Christianity constantly battle each other. We all claim to believe in the same God and the same Jesus, so why is much of our energy spent arguing? As humans, our tendency is to work to convince others of the “rightness” of our opinions and the “wrongness” of theirs. This flies in the face of what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth when he said: “We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). This is a critical distinction!

What is an Ambassador?

Ambassadors never speak their own opinions or their own beliefs. Their own ideas are completely irrelevant. An ambassador never speaks by his own authority. Their only authority is that of the one who has sent them, whether that person is a president, a king, or in our case, Jesus Christ. An ambassador is more than just a messenger, they represent the sender. The honor, reputation, and integrity of their nation are reflected in the Ambassador’s words and actions. Think about that when you dare to speak of or for Christ!

A few verses earlier, Paul writes: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2nd Corinthians 5:18). If God’s message is one of reconciliation, shouldn’t we emphasize this message as well? Regardless of where we have come from, or what our previous experiences have been, we are called to be reconciled to one another. Paul’s life is a great example of what we are talking about. Before his conversion, Paul (originally known as Saul), zealously upheld the teaching of the Jewish Pharisees, who considered Jesus a blasphemous leader and a menace to true religion. Paul dedicated himself to the destruction of this heretical sect. He wasn’t an agnostic, he wasn’t an atheist, he was a solid and respected church leader fighting for his God. After his experience on the road to Damascus, he sought reconciliation with others and with Jesus. To that end, he says, “Now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16).

View Everything Through the Spirit

After meeting Jesus on that fateful day on which he was literally struck blind, Paul’s vision completely changed. He now sees everything in a new light. His old attitudes are gone and replaced by new ones. He now knows Jesus by the Spirit.

Paul’s vision of Jesus had completely changed, as had his view of everything else. This fundamental change in his heart and soul now forced him to look at everything from the spirit. As we seek to structure our lives and learn vicariously through Paul, we must ask what this means. How can we possibly view others from any point of view other than a human point of view? What does it mean to view people according to the spirit?

From Paul’s perspective, any spiritual viewpoint shines through the lens of the cross. When we seek our identities in the light of the crucifixion, we realize who we really are. We, of ourselves, are nothing. It is only through Jesus’ great sacrifice that we gain great value. This knowledge should make it difficult to hold on to our prideful views of what is right or wrong.

In addition, when we recognize that our salvation and everything we are is a gift from Jesus, we also see that Jesus died for others as well. Even those we spend our time arguing with.

In this light, national boundaries mean nothing. We have stronger ties to Christians in Iraq than we do to any atheist in America. Our ethnicity is irrelevant. We are closer to Christians who are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Native, etc. than we are to any unbeliever who shares our skin color.

Which Brother Are We?

A powerful example of reconciliation in the Bible is the story of the Prodigal Son. We all know the story and most of us feel connected to it. We’ve demanded what is due to us and have lived our lives however we wish. We’ve wandered away from God and done things our own way. Who isn’t deeply moved by the image of a parent waiting for us to come home? One who runs to us, throws their arms around us, and forgives us for our hurtful choices. But when we’re honest, are we truly the prodigal in the story? Or are we somebody else?

Look at the older brother. He’s spent his day hard at work, tending to what needs to be done, and doing it to the best of his ability. He has to, right? His brother’s not around to help anymore. On his way home, he sees a party going on. There’s music and dancing and the smell of wonderful food. And nobody took the time to invite him. How is that possibly fair? Do you recognize how the brother must have felt at that moment?

This older son had been obedient to everything his father asked of him, yet along with him we ask “What was the point? Little brother did none of that and he’s being honored!” In the parable, this older son represents the Jewish religious leaders. Those who followed all the laws and practiced obedience but were furious with Jesus for accepting sinners. The Pharisees believed themselves righteous, so they never came to God in repentance. As a result, they would be left out of the kingdom while repentant sinners entered in.

The contrast that Jesus draws in this parable is not between the sinners and the righteous, but between those who recognize their sins and those who don’t. The younger brother recognized that he’d failed and returned home in shame. The older brother, and most of us, fit squarely in that second category.

The father cries out with joy and cajoles his eldest son to celebrate because “this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:32). Again, place yourself in that elder brother’s shoes. Do the father’s words ring with grace and reconciliation? Or do they fall flat, merely sweeping injustice under the rug? How often do we complain when somebody clearly guilty is let off the hook and welcomed back into society?

This parable has no happy ending. Sure, there is a feast and celebration, but there’s no guarantee that the family will survive. No promise that the younger son will provide any restitution for the damage he has caused, or that the elder son will be reconciled. It’s a messy story, but one that reflects so much of our world today. There is no simple solution to resolve the damage that we humans have done to each other. Yet we, as Christ’s ambassadors, have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

As God reconciles each of us to Himself, He then sends us out to proclaim this reconciliation to others. Not for our sake, but for theirs. It is not our responsibility to reconcile sinners to God. God does all this work. We are called simply to receive this gift and glorify the giver. Yet our proclamation is critically important. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sake, so we must share this wonderful message with love and live lives that reflect this message.

But what is this ministry of reconciliation? Is it evangelism? Are we to share the message of how God has reconciled us to himself? Or does it mean helping people reconcile with each other? Restoring relationships and ending bitterness? It is both!

It is critical that we share our faith with others, both in our words and in our actions, so that others may repent and turn to God. We love our enemies, forgiving to all, meek in the face of attacks. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). This message, however, will never be received until we are willing to reconcile with others. If we hold on to bitterness and enmity, our message will be ignored, and we will be perceived as nothing more than hypocrites.

When we follow the example of our Lord, our lives should reflect joy and goodness and draw others to our message. The Bible is clear; we have all fallen short. Our world is fallen and we continue to battle with our sinful natures. We shrink back in fear rather than share the gospel. We harbor bitterness towards our Christian brothers and sisters. Too often we are terrible ambassadors, but we don’t need to do it alone. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11).

We should follow our calling. Love others. Share our faith. Be reconciled to God and to each other. Trust that on each step of the journey, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will be by our sides, strengthening and guiding us along our path.