“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

An ambassador is someone who is sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country. Paul told the church in Corinth that we were Christ’s ambassadors, and it is a very apt description; in fact, the word Paul used here is presbeuomen, meaning “we are ambassadors.” The word “presbeuo” would have been used by the Greeks and Romans to describe someone who spoke for the emperor or acted as his representative or ambassador.

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” (Philippians 3:20)

To be an ambassador, you have to be in a foreign land; in 1 Peter 2:11, Peter described believers as “temporary residents and foreigners,” and the writer of Hebrews pointed out that even the great heroes of the Old Testament agreed that they were “foreigners and nomads here on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). In embracing this role as Christ’s ambassadors, we must accept that Earth is not our real home and we must live as foreigners in this land.

“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4)

“‘If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.’” (John 15:18-19)

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” (1 John 2:15)

Our real life is hidden with Christ; it’s not here on earth with the things of this world. Jesus has chosen us to come out of the world and, as a result, the world will hate us. So what do we do when we experience the world’s hatred? What do we do when we are called names or labeled with hateful words because we stand on Biblical teaching? What do we do when we are condemned or rejected by the world because we refuse to waver on our beliefs?

“‘You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.’” (Matthew 5:38-48)

“When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’ And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.” (Luke 23:33-34)

As Jesus’ ambassadors in this foreign land, we should do as Jesus did. We repay evil with good, we give more than is asked of us, we love our enemies, we pray for those who persecute us, we are kind to those who are not kind to us, we make allowance for each other’s faults and we forgive anyone who offends us. Where we can falter in all of this is when we forget that we are Christ’s ambassadors in a foreign land. When we embrace and love this world, when we pursue what this world has to offer, and if we water down the Bible so as to not be offensive, then we will find that we are no longer living in a foreign land—and if that is so, how can we be Christ’s ambassadors?

“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

This world is no longer a foreign home if it welcomes us, loves us, and if we love it in return. We cannot be Christ’s ambassadors if we do not live in a foreign land. If we make ourselves friends of the world, then we make ourselves enemies of God. So which is it for you? Are you friends with this world or an ambassador of Christ in a foreign land?

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed