Now, all this is from God, who
reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation (v. 18). He indicated God’s ineffable lovingkindness: who was
not reconciled to us (he is saying), although he it was who was insulted by the
Fall; rather, he reconciled us to himself, not employing a human being as
mediator, but making the only-begotten Son a mediator of peace. To us he also
entrusted the good news of reconciliation. Namely, God it was. A break
must be observed here. In Christ reconciling the world to himself (v.
19): the God of all it was who by means of Christ achieved reconciliation with
human beings. Now, what is the manner of this reconciliation? Not reckoning their
falls against them, and assigning to us the preaching of reconciliation: he
granted the forgiveness of sins, and commissioned us as ministers of peace.
We act, therefore, as
ambassadors of Christ (v. 20). Since he claimed to have appointed minister
of reconciliation, he was obliged to set the ambassadorship; and to show its
trustworthiness he went on, since God’s exhortation comes through us.
Now, what is the message he brings as ambassador? We beg you in Christ’s
name, be reconciled to God. The words are sufficient to make even the most
unfeeling be ashamed: he said first that with the execution of Christ he not
only did not bear resentment but sent us as ambassadors to win all people over,
respect his longsuffering, be ashamed at the murder of Christ, and be
reconciled to the Creator, God and Lord. He goes on to add to the aforesaid the
dishonor of the passion. After all, the one who did not know sin he made sin
for our sake so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (v.
21): though free of sin he underwent the death of sinners in order to undo
people’s sins, and bearing the name that we have he gave us the name of what he
himself is—that is, he regaled us with the riches of righteousness. (Theodoret
of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline,
Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 1:273-74)
