2 Corinthians 5:20 (DRB)

Passage

For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us, for Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God.

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:19 For God indeed was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their sins. And he hath placed in us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:20 For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us, for Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 Him, who knew no sin, he hath made sin for us: that we might be made the justice of God in him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "christ", "therefore", "ambassadors", "exhorting", "beseech", and "reconciled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "christ" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "For God indeed was in Christ reconciling..." into verse 21's "Him who knew no sin he hath...", so "christ" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In 2 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "christ" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.