The implications of being an Ambassador of Christ in contemporary Nigeria: an analysis of 2 Corinthians 5:19-21

Abstract

An ambassador, which is a diplomatic/royal language, represents the interest of the country, the master, the king or the organization he/she represents. He does everything to promote the interest of the sender. Christians are ambassadors for Christ. However, the attitude of some Christians in recent times raises the question of whether Christians are genuine, representatives of Christ. Scholars have interpreted 2 Corinthians 5: 19-21 from the angle of reconciliation, peace-making and evangelism without looking at other possible implications, especially in the Nigerian context. On the other hand, some Christians have interpreted 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 in the context of Christians being ambassadors from the angles of having access to the best things in life and the use of talent and vocations for the benefit of humanity. Yet, these scholars have not looked at the impact of the traditional meaning of an ambassadors in Nigeria, whereby, people honour and serve the ambassadors. Consequently, this paper attempts a socio-historical analysis of 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 concerning the phenomena of ambassador and its implications for Christians in any representative Nigerian society. Findings, reveal that some Christians who claims to be Christ’s ambassadors are not following in the steps of Jesus reconciling the world to God, and serving people. Rather, they see themselves as special people, who must be served and honoured as it is in the contemporary representatives in Nigeria. The study advocates a paradigm shift from being a ‘boss’ ambassador to being a ‘servant’ ambassador, as in Pauline’s context.