Ministry of Reconciliation
Ambassadors of Christ: 2 Corinthians 5-6by Ray Aldred
… Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Paul is saying to the Corinthians that if in fact they have believed in Christ, then they must also be reconciled with him.
At the beginning of the passage Paul talks about an important difference: Before, Moses had to veil his face to hide the glory of God, but now the glory of God is revealed through the suffering of Paul. Furthermore, the glory of God will be revealed as there is a unity that extends even to the wallet.
Paul is also pointing out that they are revealing God’s glory in the midst of suffering. Paul urges the Corinthians to embrace the poor (by giving the offering they had said they would give) and to join their brothers so that each is giving from what they have. Reconciliation is thus to be lived out in the midst of their lives, locally but also in relation to a much larger group (2 Corinthians 5,6).
So Paul is saying that these Corinthians are a letter for everyone to read. They would commend him to others, if they would open their hearts to them. This is an inclusion: Paul urges the Corinthians to make room for him in their hearts. They seem to be more willing to be in partnership with unbelievers (6:14-18) than with Paul. My guess is that they are in some kind of business partnership that is guarantee of their continual wealth, for they seem to be unwilling to contribute to the offering Paul was gathering for those who were in famine. It seems that the Corinthians wanted to hold on to their money and Paul is bringing a fair bit of pressure on them, but it is for their sake.
Chapter eight has Paul offering the example of the Macedonians, who, in the midst of severe suffering gave an offering to others:
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.
In 8:7 Paul, in an incredible example of non-confrontation, points out how the Corinthians excel in everything – faith, speech, in knowledge (this recalls 1 Corinthians 12) and Paul points out that the Corinthians excel in being the recipients of Paul’s and the churches love for them. This is a classic twist to point out that they have not originated anything but all flows from the grace of Christ. So they should excel in giving because they are made rich by Christ’s poverty.
But just as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us–see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
Paul’s solution is thus to give away and for the Corinthians to join the rest of the suffering Church, because if they follow Christ, they will experience this suffering.
Paul also pokes fun at “super-apostles” who seem to be teaching either that there is no need to suffer, or that their apostleship is obvious because they do not suffer. Implicitly these super-apostles seem to be claiming a higher authority than Paul because they have solutions and wealth. (Sounds like the prosperity gospel.)
Quite the opposite is true: Paul says his apostleship and authority are made sure by what he has suffered. This is a major theme of 2 Corinthians. Earlier, in chapter 4 he said,
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. … We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Later in the letter, in chapter 11 Paul claims there is actually glory in weakness: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (verse 30).
In Chapter 12 Paul refers to his “thorn in the flesh” which God has sent so that His power might be displayed in Paul’s weakness. Paul thus says then that he is content with weakness because then he is strong.
Paul says that if we examine ourselves, we will see that it is our weakness that reveals the presence of Christ. If the Corinthians have open hearts to Paul, it reveals that Christ is in them. And if they are really alive it will be manifested in their relationship as a community. This flows out of 1 Corinthians and the need to properly judge the body of Christ. In 2 Corinthians he uses the idea that we are the temple of God and in 1 Corinthians he talks about schisms in the group destroying the temple of God. (It is legitimate to think in terms of both letters because of Paul’s reference to the other times he has spoken to them.)
Also, it is legitimate to think here in terms of this being in keeping with the teaching of Christ. Jesus said that on the last day, people will come and say I did this and did that but Christ will say I never knew you because I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. In essence, Christ says that one’s life reveals whether in fact one knows Him.
There are some implications for missions here. To be an ambassador of Jesus one must understand the theology of reconciliation as being more than just the vertical relationship between people and God. Rather, all of scripture reveals that our relationship with Christ is revealed in how we are in relationship with others in the community.
Justification or reconciliation is a matter of restorative reconciliation. So the missions job is not just to be a witness to those who are over there but to one’s own people so that there can be a healthy growth and change. Thus Paul, Peter, and others reported what God was doing in the midst of the Gentiles and Paul rebukes Peter and the Church must let go of demanding that everyone be circumcised.
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Ray Aldred is the director of the First Nations Alliance Churches of Canada. This essay is adapted from a talk given at an InterVarsity Missions conference in October 2004. Aldred also delivered a memorable address at Urbana 03.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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