Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
– 2 Corinthians 5:20–21
Oh, I could have chosen just one of these verses, but I couldn’t decide between the two, so we’re just going to pray according to both of them.
2 Corinthians 5:20–21 Teaches that God Has Justified Us
So I’ll start with the second verse, verse 21. “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him, you and I, all who trust in Jesus, might become the righteousness of God.” Be encouraged today that when God looks at you through your faith in Jesus, His son, he does not see your sin. He sees the very righteousness of Jesus.
This verse describes how Jesus has taken our sin upon himself, and he has given us His righteousness. What a trade. What a trade that will last for all of eternity. So don’t live in the mud and mire of your sin, of past sin. You are forgiven of sin. You are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. Don’t see yourself as dirty, as ashamed, as guilty. In Jesus, you are clean. You’re washed. You are honored. As a child of God, you are clothed in the righteousness of God, all by His grace through faith in Jesus.
And then as you see yourself that way, then live to lead others to experience this reality. That’s verse 20. “We are ambassadors for Christ.” What a picture of authorized representatives of Jesus. God is making His appeal through us. What a powerful picture that God is appealing for people to come to him, to know His love, to be brought into His family, into His kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5:20–21 Teaches God has Commissioned Us to Reach the Lost
And how is he appealing for people to come into His family and into His kingdom? Through us, through you, and through me today. So let’s do verse 20. Let’s implore people today on behalf of Christ as ambassadors, representatives of Jesus himself, let’s implore people today, be reconciled to God. Oh God, we love your Word. We love the truths that we find in your Word, the realities that are mind-blowing and breathtaking in your Word.
God, that you would see us despite all our sin, all our rebellion against you. Every sinful, evil, dirty thought, desire, word, deed, that you, by the blood of Jesus, have washed all of those away and you remember our sins no more. And not only don’t see our sins, but you do see the righteousness of your son when you look at us. Yes, yes. We love being united with Jesus. We love being clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.
And we want to live in that righteousness today. God, help us to live in that righteousness today, by the power of your spirit in us, with the freedom from sin you have given to us. And God, help us to be faithful ambassadors for you today. Oh God, make your appeal through us today, through our lives, through our lips. Help us to implore others on behalf of Jesus to be reconciled to you. God, we pray that there would be friends and family members and coworkers and classmates today who are reconciled to you and closed in your righteousness because of our lives and the appeal you make through us today. God, may it be so.
Prayer for the Jiasou People
And God, we pray that you would send ambassadors to all the nations, to all the peoples of the world, to the Jiasou people of East Asia. God, please, please send ambassadors for Christ to them and to 7,000 other unreached people groups in the world.
And God, we say we’re yours. We belong to you. Our lives belong to you, to the extent with which you want any of us to be ambassadors to unreached people, to go to unreached people short-term, midterm, long-term, we will go. Use our lives. Lord, use our prayers right now. Use our resources, the material finances you’ve given to us. God, use the gifts you’ve given to us. Use the opportunities you’ve entrusted to us. God, spend us however you want as ambassadors for Jesus among the nations. We pray all of this according to your Word in 2 Corinthians 5:20–21. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
