2 Corinthians 5:18-20 meaning

Paul has begun giving us a picture of what it means to be in Christ (verse 17). He has started to unfold what it means to live as a new creature and give us an explanation of what new things have come. Now he moves from our motives, perspectives, and convictions to show how they work out in our everyday life and ministry:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (v. 18).

The phrase these things in the phrase Now these things are from God appears to refer to the “new things” spoken of in the prior verse, verse 17. The new things believers gain through being made new creations in Christ are gained because God reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Because we are reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Himself, we are no longer under the law, therefore “old things” have passed and “new things” have come (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 3:19-24).

Paul calls this the ministry of reconciliation, which he explains in the next verse as namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation (v 19).

In this case the ministry of reconciliation refers to a gift that was given to us by God through Christ. This once again emphasizes that being justified in God’s sight is solely a gift of God. No person can keep the law sufficiently to gain such acceptance. Jesus did that for us. He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (v 21).

The Greek word translated ministry in the phrase ministry of reconciliation is translated elsewhere as “preparations” and “serving.” It is the noun form of the Greek work often translated “servant.” God served us by working through Christ, giving to us His only Son as a perfect sacrifice given for our sins.

Paul’s admonition begins with “if anyone is in Christ” (v 17), meaning that this admonition applies to everyone who believes, without exception. It is clear from the context that the ministry and message is given to us, not by Paul, but by God: Now all these things are from God (v 18). It is God who initiated this great ministry, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ (v 18).

Paul gives us that “big picture” when he describes the reconciliation of humanity to God, the reconciliation of Himself through Christ by saying, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men’s sins against them (v 19a).

Here we see that not only are believers in Christ and Christ in them, but also God was in Christ reconciling us (the world) to Himself through Christ. Christ died for us that we might have life in Him. Through His death we can be raised to new life (Romans 4:25, 5:1, 9-10, 15, Colossians 1:19-20). This being born again is a reconciling to God by relationship, joining us to Him as a child of God. This is something God does apart from deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God makes us new creations in Him for the purpose of walking in the works which He created for us beforehand (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10). Although we are by grace reconciled to a relationship with God, it is by a walk of faith that we are reconciled to fellowship with God, walking as the creation He made us to be.

This is another type of ministry of reconciliation that requires an ongoing obedience of faith. This is similar to Paul’s statement in Romans that righteousness occurs “from faith to faith” as the righteous person walks by faith (Romans 1:16-17). We are made righteous in God’s sight by the free gift of His grace, then we experience righteousness and its benefits when we walk in the obedience of faith.

Although we live His life through His power and do His works, God rewards us for faithful obedience at the judgment seat of Christ if we are willing to walk in Him (2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 3:21). We are fully reconciled to Him if we overcome as Jesus overcame, and join Him in having the reward of being a “son” in stewardship over the earth (Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 3:21).

It is important to note that God reconciled the entire world to Himself. The Greek word translated world is “kosmos” and occurs 187 times in the New Testament. It often refers to the entire world as in Matthew 24:21. In Romans, Paul notes that the entire creation groans to be restored to its original design and be redeemed from the Fall of Man (Romans 8:20-22). Jesus has been granted all authority over the earth, and will restore the world and humanity’s proper place in stewarding the earth in harmony with God and one another (Hebrews 2:9-10).

The entire world includes all people in the world. This is consistent with other passages such as:

• Colossians 2:14, where the sins of the world (“kosmos”) were nailed to the cross
• John 3:16, where God gave His son because He loved the entire world (“kosmos”)
• John 12:47, where God came to save the world (“kosmos”)

Since Jesus died for the sins of the world, and God is now not counting their trespasses against them as in verse 19, then we might ask why there is still a judgment, as in verse 10. The answer is that acceptance/belonging is given, but approval/rewards are earned. God grants forgiveness of sin and adopts us as children into His forever family simply through believing (John 3:14-15). His acceptance is unconditional. We belong to His family when we receive the free gift of His grace. The gifts of God are irrevocable, so this is a new, permanent status (Romans 11:29). We are born anew into His family (John 3:3). We are reconciled to God in our relationship as a child of God through the gift of grace.

Then just as with physical birth, as we grow up there are substantial consequences to the choices we make in our life. Bad choices have bad consequences and good choices have good consequences. Because the world is fallen, bad things inevitably happen to us over which we have no power; inevitably we all die, for example (Hebrews 9:27). Notwithstanding, no matter our circumstances, when we make good choices rooted in faith, God promises great blessings will flow. We are reconciled to God’s calling for us through a walk of faith.

It is a pattern throughout scripture that God’s people make choices and earn consequences:

• God promised to Adam and Eve life for following His command and death for disobeying His command (Genesis 2:17).
• God promised Israel that if they would follow the commands in the covenant/treaty which they agreed to enter, then He would give them great blessing (life) and if they did not they would gain cursing (death) (Deuteronomy 30:19).
• Jesus promised that if His disciples would follow the narrow way of His commands they would gain life, and if they followed the broad way of the world they would experience death (Matthew 7:13-14).

Our choices have consequences, but our belonging as children of God is freely given and is a position we have solely due to the redemptive work of God through Christ.

Since Jesus has promised that He will return and redeem all things, why is He taking so long? The Apostle Peter addresses this, saying that God desires that many come to Him, and He is tarrying that more might come to Him:

 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 
(2 Peter 3:9)

After speaking of this amazing ministry of reconciliation God has given to humanity, Paul notes that He (God) has committed to us the word of reconciliation (v 19b).

The us here in the phrase has committed to us certainly applies to Paul, his co-author Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1), and the rest of their ministry team. But it also appears to apply to the believers in Corinth. Paul exhorts all to be ambassadors and actively spread the word of reconciliation which is the gospel or good news of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), most particularly that God is not counting their trespasses against all who believe (v 19).

It seems Paul is speaking directly of himself and his ministry team as well as the Corinthian believers, all who are speaking the word of reconciliation of humans reuniting with God through Christ. He next states Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (v 20).

The we in the phrase we are ambassadors for Christ appears to refer to Paul and his broader ministry team, including the church at Corinth. The believers to whom he is writing are already reconciled with Christ, those whom Paul called “saints” in 2 Corinthians 1:1, so it would likely apply to them as well.

When these believers share the gospel with unbelievers, it is as though God were making an appeal through them. And that appeal to unbelievers would be as follows: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (v 20). This would make the you being begged to be reconciled to God refer to the world in v 19. The sequence appears to follow thusly:

• God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself when He died on the cross (v 19),
• Jesus then committed to us (believers) the word of reconciliation (v 19), to tell people the good news/gospel that Jesus has died so that sins could be forgiven,
• Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ (v 20) because Jesus gave us (believers) the message to share with the world.
• As ambassadors, then, we are making an appeal to unbelievers as follows: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (v 20).

The Corinthians were already believers, as we saw in the first chapter where Paul calls them “saints” (2 Corinthians 1:1). Their sins were already dealt with through Christ, so they were already reconciled to God through Christ. Paul urges them to join him as being ambassadors and tell all who will hear: be reconciled to God. This call to ambassadorship for the Corinthians is also walking in obedience to Jesus’s command, that they might have a good report at the judgment seat of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Paul says God is making an appeal through them to beg them to be reconciled to God. This indicates the urgency Paul has that unbelievers come to faith. Paul desires all believers to join him as ambassadors of Christ to spread the good news that there is a word of reconciliation of fallen humans with their Creator. The fulfillment of our life in Christ is asserted in the last verse of this chapter: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Here Paul asserts that God redeems believers from sin through Christ so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. For the Corinthian believers this is a past event, they had already become the righteousness of God in Him by faith in their position in Christ. This becomes a present reality as well for anyone who believes. Just as Abraham believed God and it was reckoned as righteousness, so it is with those who believe on Jesus (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3). Those who believe are placed into the righteousness of God in Christ, which causes each believer to have a position of being the righteousness of God in Him, that is in Christ.

Also in this letter, Paul calls those who have been placed into the righteousness of God in Christ to a walk of faith that they might become the righteousness of God in Him in their lived experience, through a walk of obedience and faith. This is similar to the theme verse for Romans (Romans 1:16-17) where Paul says the gospel of Christ is the power to bring righteousness to believers who fulfill their calling by walking by faith.

In Romans 1:17, Paul uses the phrase “from faith to faith” to express the reality that the journey of the believer begins with initial faith, when we are placed into the righteousness of God in Christ and gain the gift of eternal life. Then the journey proceeds to living by faith, as we learn to walk in the obedience of faith and gain the experience and reward of eternal life.

The glorious news is that in God’s reconciling movement, He is not counting their trespasses against them. This is the message that those who are in Christ are to proclaim; the message that has been committed to us by God Himself. This is a reality for each person who believes on Jesus Christ (John 3:14-15). As Paul says in his letter to the Colossians, God took the “decrees against us” and “nailed it to the cross” along with Christ (Colossians 2:14).

There is also a calling, an opportunity for each person to live the reality of that forgiven position in Him through walking by faith, following His Spirit. It is in this way we can do the deeds that will please God, that we might have positive rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). It is in this way we can walk in the works we were created to do (Ephesians 2:10). It is in this way we can gain the greatest fulfillment both in this life as well as in the age to come, even an “eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul says we are ambassadors for Christ. Webster’s dictionary defines ambassador as “an official envoy, an authorized representative or messenger.” If we are in Christ, we have been appointed by God as His official messenger, as though God were making an appeal through us (v 19). An ambassador to another country presents his/her credentials upon arrival in that country, and these credentials are recognized by the leader of the government. Jesus appointed His disciples with the authority to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).