There is a popular teaching among Christians today that if you are a Christian you are an ambassador for Christ. This doctrine comes from what the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ...." But who is "we" that Paul is referring to in this verse? Actually, only the first part of verse 20 is cited above and often referred to by Christians today. The second part says, "as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians that "we are ambassadors for Christ" he was referring to himself and Timothy, not Christians in general and not the Christians in Corinth. To clearly see this start reading at the beginning of the epistle (2 Cor. 1:1) and notice how frequently Paul refers to himself and Timothy as "we" and "us," and to the church at Corinth as "you." Paul also refers to himself using the personal pronoun "I" about 20 times in chapter two.

If you read the epistle from the beginning you can see that in chapter 5 verse 20 the "we" and "us" is himself and Timothy, and the "you" refers to the Corinthian Church. Christians are no more automatically ambassadors for Christ than they are disciples of Christ on the level of discipleship in Luke 14, unless they have met the three conditions set forth in verses 26, 27, and 33.

Moreover, it is inconceivable that one would be an ambassador for Christ if one is not even a disciple (learner) on the discipleship level of Luke 14. Sad to say, that most Christians today in this country are not only not ambassadors for Christ nor disciples of Christ (according to Luke 14), but rather are yet carnal like the Christians in Corinth whom Paul rebuked in his first epistle to them (1 Cor. 3:1-4).

Would Christ send someone to be His ambassador who is carnal rather than spiritual, who is not even a disciple according to the conditions of Luke 14?

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