Blessed Ambassadors
How Christ’s Sacrifice Commissions Us to Breathe Life into Others
“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 for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)
At first glance, the bible may appear to present a profound contradiction within the heart of God. It proclaims two realities that seem irreconcilable: on one hand, the absolute justice of God, who abhors the justification of the wicked; on the other, the extravagant mercy of God, who delights to forgive sinners and cast their iniquities away. To the natural mind, these truths create a tension that seems impossible to resolve, a tension that invites deeper reflection rather than shallow conclusions. It speaks two unique character traits of God that appear to stand in contradiction:
“He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both are an abomination to the Lord.” (Proverbs 17:15)
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?” (Micah 7:18)
Exodus 34 juxtaposes these apparent direct contractions: God is full of compassion, forgiving sin and rebellion, yet He does not excuse the guilty. It exposes the divine dilemma; how can God be perfectly just and yet boundlessly merciful? The entire bible points to the answer: in Christ, justice and mercy meet. At the cross, God satisfies both His righteousness and His love, once and for all.
Understanding the Atoning Work of Christ
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago. (Micah 7:18)
The atoning work of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to pardon sin and hurl our iniquities into the depths. In Christ, God did not merely cast our sins away, He laid them upon His Son. Jesus, the spotless Lamb, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. In bearing our guilt, Christ was trampled under the holy wrath of the Father, crushed in our place. As Micah foretold, our iniquities were hurled into the depths not merely into the sea, but into the abyss of death and hell itself, where Christ descended, bearing the full weight of our judgment. In this act, the tension between God’s justice and mercy was perfectly resolved: justice was satisfied as sin was punished in Christ, and mercy was revealed as sinners were pardoned and welcomed as sons. Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, God has shown faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, just as He swore from ancient days.
Cursed to Blessed, The Calvary Substitution
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). On the cross, Christ took our place, bearing the full weight of the covenant curses described in Deuteronomy 28–29. Under the old covenant, blessings were promised for obedience: fruitfulness, prosperity, victory, and divine favor, while curses for disobedience brought barrenness, defeat, disease, exile, and ruin. Having all sinned, humanity stood condemned under the shadow of these curses. Yet in love, Christ assumed our curse, taking upon Himself the judgment we deserved. Hanged upon the tree, He bore in His body the penalty of our disobedience, and in doing so, transferred to us the blessings of His perfect obedience. No longer under condemnation, we are now heirs of the covenant promises through faith in Him.
However, the blessings Christ bestows are not merely material, as under the old covenant. Through His death and resurrection, Christ inaugurated a new order of blessing, revealed in the Beatitudes. These blessings are not measured by worldly success but by the values of the Kingdom of Heaven: poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, purity, and perseverance through suffering. In Christ, the curses we earned were trampled at the cross, and a new life rooted in humble dependence on God was opened to us. He has turned our mourning into dancing, our curse into blessing, and our exile into adoption as sons and daughters of the Most High.
Responding Faithfully to God's Blessings
Christ’s substitution on the cross was not only to rescue us from sin but also to commission us as His ambassadors. As Paul writes, we have been designated ambassadors by Christ’s actions. Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God and carry His message to a dying world. Like Ezekiel, who was called to prophesy to the dry bones and witness God’s Spirit bring them back to life, we too are entrusted with the ministry of resurrection through the gospel.
Through our prayers, our actions, and our hunger for God’s Word, we become instruments by which Christ breathes life into those who are spiritually dead. Every believer carries this sacred responsibility, not only to live in the blessings we have received but to multiply them by calling others to reconciliation with God. Jesus' final commission echoes this charge: "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). To respond faithfully to God’s blessings, we must walk as living testimonies of His grace, proclaiming the good news with urgency, love, and unwavering hope.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for the incredible blessing of reconciliation through Christ. You made Him who knew no sin to be sin for me, so that I might become Your righteousness. What a gift, and what a calling! Yet with this blessing, You have also given me a holy responsibility, to be Your ambassador to a world that needs Your life.
Lord, teach me to walk faithfully in this calling. Shape my heart, my words, and my life to carry Your message with love, boldness, and truth. Just as You called Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones, use me to speak life where there is death, hope where there is despair, and light where there is darkness. Breathe through me, Lord. Let Your Spirit move in my prayers, my actions, and my hunger for Your Word, so that others may rise to new life in Christ.
Help me never to grow weary of the mission You have entrusted to me. Teach me to live as a true disciple, making disciples of all nations, walking in humility, empowered by Your Spirit, and anchored in the hope of the gospel.
Here I am, Lord, send me.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.