2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV)
²⁰  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Paul’s reference to being ambassadors for Christ reminds us how important it is to rightly divide the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).  The “we” in 2 Corinthians 5:20 is an apostolic we, meaning that Paul was referring to the apostles as being ambassadors for Christ, not all Christians.

While it may be true that we all are ambassadors in an unofficial sense (like being an ambassador of goodwill), only the apostles are official ambassadors.  An ambassador is “a diplomatic agent of the highest rank” (Webster).  He is an authorized representative or messenger of a sovereign power, who speaks directly for that power.  In the case of the apostles, Christ is the sovereign power, and their words are His words

Luke 10:16 (ESV)
¹⁶  “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Paul was an apostle “born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8), but still had the same authority as the rest of the apostles (2 Corinthians 12:11).  The commandments He gave were the commandments of Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:37 (ESV)
³⁷  If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.

What is the importance of this?  First, we are blessed to have the teachings of the apostles.  Their teachings, for the most part, make up our New Testament scriptures and reveal to us the mind of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (ESV)
¹¹  For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

The things freely given to the apostles refer to the gospel of Christ, and they, in turn, gave it to us (ver. 13).  What a joy to realize that we can know the mind of God.  We can know His will for us, putting us in the position of being doers of His will and entering the kingdom of heaven after a while (Matthew 7:21).

Another important point about the apostles being ambassadors of Christ is realizing that obeying their teachings is not optional.  Too many people believe that they can ignore the instructions of the apostles because they were just men.  It has often been articulated that we only have to obey the words in the Bible that are written in red because they are the words spoken directly by Christ.  That kind of thinking comes only from those who do not realize that the apostles were ambassadors for Christ, speaking in His stead.  Let’s not make such a grave mistake.  Instead, let us follow the example of the early church and abide in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42).

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.