Reclaiming Our Identity and Purpose: 2 Corinthians 5:17–21

What did you want to be when you grew up? I dreamed of acting in Hollywood. Far-fetched, I know. My husband dreamed of being an NBA star.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming about the future, but I think in view of Scripture, the question “What do you want to be” is skewed.

The Bible teaches that we are not our jobs, marital status, or stage of life. Those things form part of our existence and experience, but our primary identity is “image-bearer” (Gen 1:27–28). We are made in the likeness of God with the purpose of extending his holy rulership on earth.

But the Fall marred our understanding of our identity and purpose.

In the Fall, humanity reframed how we try to earn, grasp, or cling to our own way of defining who we are. The serpent claimed that Eve would be like God when she ate the fruit (Gen 3:5). But Eve would have to betray God and her image-bearing identity to grasp what God never intended her to have (Gen 2:16–17; 3:11). Did she forget? Or did she simply not take God at his word?

She ate the fruit; Adam, who was with her, also ate (Gen 3:6). And now our view of our identity is as confusing as an ever-changing kaleidoscope.

We place our identities in jobs, relational status, or the size of our 401 (k). Yet, instead of letting our identity and purpose remain out of place, we need to set them right where the apostle Paul says they belong: in Christ.

When we become a follower of Christ, we stop “being” what we once were. We are dead to ourselves and alive in Christ. The old is gone, and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). Our primary identity becomes “Christian”—or, as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “ambassadors for Christ.” And one of our primary tasks as ambassadors is to work with God in reconciling people to himself.

What do we want to be when we grow up? Ambassadors for Christ—as we sit under the blazing sun on the sidelines at the soccer game, as we stare at a screen during virtual meetings, and later as we plan a retirement party with our favorite tiramisu. No matter our age or stage, believers’ primary vocation is the ministry of reconciliation. We connect people to God through Christ—through our lives. Our job is to be an ambassador, to live “as though God were making his plea through us. . . . ‘Be reconciled to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20–21).

Let us reframe our vision of our identity and purpose today. Are you a student? You are an ambassador for Christ as you study. Are you mid-career? You are an ambassador for Christ with your coworkers or clients. Are you retired? You are an ambassador for Christ with more options for ministry than every before.

God wants to be present with his image-bearers through reconciliation and new creation. Therefore, he has given us the assignment of being Christ’s ambassadors. Are we doing the work of an ambassador?

Reflect:

• Take a moment to look at the landscape of your life. Where has God placed you as an ambassador?
• Next, ask the Holy Spirit to show you and embolden you in how specifically to share the good news of reconciliation with those you encounter. What comes to mind?
• Pray about this, or follow the prayer below.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I know I am your ambassador, but I don’t know how that works in my everyday life. Please show me. I want to do the work of an ambassador of Christ. In Jesus’s name, amen.

This is the third in a series of devotional reflections on evangelism. For more on evangelism and sharing the gospel, see A Vision for Evangelism, The Best News Ever, and The Blaze of the Holy Spirit.