林后五18~20 一切都是出于神，祂借着基督使我们与祂自己和好，……且将这和好的话语托付了我们。所以我们为基督作了大使，就好像神借我们劝你们一样；我们替基督求你们：要与神和好。

　　保罗在林后五章十八至二十节……说到和好的职事。……根据二十节，基督的大使与神是一；他们像神，并且如同神一样劝人。他们的话就是神的话，他们所作的就是神所作的。不仅如此，“替基督”的意思就是代表基督。……使徒们得着基督的授权，代表祂执行和好的工作。

　　保罗在二十节所写的话很不寻常。他说“我们……作了大使”，接着就说，“就好像神借我们劝你们一样。”保罗的意思是说，“我们是基督的大使，正在执行和好的工作。这就好像是神借我们劝你们一样。我们与基督是一，也与神是一。基督与我们是一，神也与我们是一。因此，神、基督以及我们使徒都是一。”在新约的职事里，神、基督以及众执事都是一。……神、基督、使徒们，在执行和好的职事上乃是一（哥林多后书生命读经，三七六至三七七页）。

　　2 Cor. 5:18-20 But all things are out from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God in Christ was reconciling the world to Himself…and has put in us the word of reconciliation. On behalf of Christ then we are ambassadors, as God entreats you through us; we beseech you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God.

　　In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 Paul [speaks] of the ministry of reconciliation… According to verse 20, the ambassadors of Christ are one with God; they are like God, and they entreat as God. Their word is God’s word, and what they do is God’s doing. Furthermore, the words on behalf of Christ mean “representing Christ.”…The apostles were authorized by Christ to represent Him to do the work of reconciliation.

　　Paul’s composition in 5:20 is unusual. After saying, “We are ambassadors,” he says, “As God entreats you through us.” Paul seems to be saying, “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we are doing a reconciling work. This is like God entreating you through us. We are one with Christ and one with God. Christ is one with us, and God also is one with us. Therefore, God, Christ, and we, the apostles, are all one.” The ministry of the new covenant is a ministry in which God, Christ, and the ministers are one…God, Christ, and the apostles were one in carrying out the ministry of reconciliation. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 317-318)

　　保罗在林后五章二十节有关与神和好的话，不是对罪人说的，乃是对哥林多信徒说的。这些信徒已经局部与神和好了，但是他们还没有完全与神和好。……保罗在林前一章提到他们是圣徒，是蒙神呼召进入祂儿子交通里的一班人；因此，他们必定多多少少与神和好了。哥林多前后书给我们看见，哥林多信徒与神局部和好之后，仍旧活在肉体里、活在外面的人里。他们与神之间，有肉体、天然的人这层分隔的幔子。这层幔子并不等于圣所入口处的帘子，而是相当于会幕里面的幔子，就是隔开圣所与至圣所的幔子。哥林多信徒也许是在圣所里面，但他们不是在至圣所里面。这意思是说，他们与神所在的地方仍是隔离的。因此，他们并没有完全与神和好。

　　林后五章十九节是叫世人与神和好，二十节是叫已经与神和好的信徒，进一步与神和好。……第一步是罪人脱离罪与神和好；为这目的，基督为我们的罪死了（林前十五3），使我们的罪蒙神赦免。这是基督的死客观的一面。在这一面，祂在十字架上担当我们的罪，使我们的罪受神审判。第二步是活在天然生命中的信徒脱离肉体与神和好。为这目的，基督替我们这个“人”死了，使我们能在复活的生命里向祂活着（林后五14~15）。这是基督的死主观的一面。在这一面，祂替我们成为罪，受神审判，被神剪除，使我们能在祂里面成为神的义。借着祂死的这两面，祂就使神所拣选的人，完全与神和好了。

　　我们这些真信徒都能见证，我们是在祂里面。但我们在日常的生活中，是否实际地在基督里面？譬如，你开玩笑的时候是否在基督里？你开玩笑的时候，你确信你是在祂里面么？你必须承认，那时你是在基督以外。这里没有中间立场：我们若不是在基督里面，就是在基督之外。因为我们并不是一直实际地在基督里面，我们需要进一步地和好。我们需要和好，而被带回到基督里面（哥林多后书生命读经，三七八至三七九、四○一页）。

　　参读：哥林多后书生命读经，第三十七篇。

　　Paul’s word in 2 Corinthians 5:20 about being reconciled to God is not directed to sinners; it is directed to the believers in Corinth. These believers had already been reconciled to God partially. However, they had not been fully reconciled to Him…In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul refers to them as saints, as those who had been called by God into the fellowship of His Son. Therefore, they surely had been reconciled to God to some degree.

　　The books of 1 and 2 Corinthians show that the believers at Corinth, after being reconciled to God partially, still lived in the flesh, in the outer man. Between them and God there was the separating veil of the flesh, of the natural man. This veil corresponds to the veil inside the tabernacle, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, not to the veil at the entrance to the Holy Place. The Corinthian believers may have been in the Holy Place, but they were not in the Holy of Holies. This means they were still separated from the place where God is. Therefore, they had not been reconciled to God in full.

　　In 2 Corinthians 5:19 it is the world that is to be reconciled to God. In verse 20 it is the believers, those who have already been reconciled to God, who are to be reconciled to Him further…The first step is to reconcile sinners to God from sin. For this purpose Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) that they might be forgiven by God. This is the objective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He bore our sins on the cross that they might be judged by God upon Him for us. The second step is to reconcile believers living in the natural life to God from the flesh. For this purpose Christ died for us—the persons—that we might live to Him in the resurrection life (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This is the subjective aspect of Christ’s death. In this aspect He was made sin for us to be judged and done away with by God that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. By the two aspects of His death He has fully reconciled God’s chosen people to God.

　　As genuine believers, we can testify that we are in Him. But are we in Christ in a practical way in our daily living? For example, are you in Christ when you are joking? When you make a joke, do you have the assurance that you are in Him? You must admit that you are outside of Christ at such a time. There is no neutral ground: we are either in Christ or outside of Him. Because we are not always in Christ in a practical way, we need further reconciliation. We need to be reconciled back into Christ. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 318-319, 339)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 37