2 Corinthians 5:20 (YLT)

Passage

in behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as if God were calling through us, we beseech, in behalf of Christ, `Be ye reconciled to God;'

Nearby Context

2 Corinthians 5:18 And the all things <FI>are<Fi> of God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and did give to us the ministration of the reconciliation,

2 Corinthians 5:19 how that God was in Christ--a world reconciling to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses; and having put in us the word of the reconciliation,

2 Corinthians 5:20 in behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as if God were calling through us, we beseech, in behalf of Christ, `Be ye reconciled to God;'

2 Corinthians 5:21 for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "how that God was in Christ--a world..." into verse 21's "for him who did not know sin...", so "behalf" and "christ" 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 "behalf" and "christ" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.