January 16, 2026, will mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, the man God used to restore the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and preach it to the world. His voice blanketed North America on radio during the 1950s and ’60s. He met with many of the best-known leaders across Europe, Africa, and Asia, explaining how peace would eventually come to this troubled world. He explained—to Emperors Hirohito of Japan and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, to many kings, queens, prime ministers, and parliamentarians, and to countless civic leaders—that there are two ways of life: the way of outgoing concern and the way of getting for the self.
In addition to these many accomplishments, God used Mr. Armstrong to establish three liberal arts college campuses: at Pasadena, California and Big Sandy, Texas in the United States, and at Bricket Wood in England. His choice of the name “Ambassador College” was deliberate—in addition to training some men for the ministry, he saw the college as a way to train young people to be ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. Those of us blessed to attend one of the campuses were taught grooming and dress, table manners, how to speak to and converse with others, and how to be comfortable in the presence of both small and great.
We often sing the hymn “Ambassadors for Christ.” It is a hymn with an important message—a message Mr. Armstrong understood long before that hymn was written. But how easy it is to merely repeat the words of a familiar hymn without focusing on their meaning. The words, of course, come from the Bible. The Apostle Paul explained to the brethren at Corinth that they must become ambassadors of a kingdom very different from the one in which they lived their physical lives. Let us notice his instruction in detail.
Ambassadors for Christ
We begin with the context of what Christ did for us and what our response must be. “The love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14–15). Professing Christians often talk about “what Christ has done for me,” and that is certainly important. Without His sacrifice, nothing else really matters—but we see from these verses that Christ’s death for all demands a response from us. We, too, must figuratively die and live no longer for ourselves, but for Christ. We must put to death the former self and become a new person. This is what Paul explained in detail to the Romans, describing the spiritual death of our former self through baptism:
Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin (Romans 6:3–6).
This is not difficult to understand, but it is not easy to put into practice. We must never forget that baptism is not an end but a beginning. Paul explained to the Corinthians that we each must become a different person. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
But what is the ultimate purpose of putting the old self to death and being transformed or converted? Is it not reconciliation with our Creator? Yes, God wants us to be reconciled to Him. He desires fellowship with us, but we can only have it if we walk in harmony with Him. As the Apostle John explained, “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
John went on to explain that while Christ’s blood covers our sins, we must walk anew, in light rather than darkness. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5–7). And if we claim to be Christ’s but walk in the darkness of this world, we deceive ourselves (2:3–6).
Christ’s shed blood is indeed necessary to cover our sins, but reconciliation requires a positive response of obedience—from us, just as from the Corinthians. Not only are we individually to be reconciled to God; we are part of the body of Christ through whom He is doing His work of reconciliation. “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19).
The world as a whole is far from being at one with God, and we well understand that God is only working with a few today. So, what is the task of those of us who have been called during this age? Paul comes to the heart of the matter: “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Yes, Paul was pleading with the Corinthians to be reconciled to God, saying that he and his fellow ministers were ambassadors, but through him God is also pleading with us to reconcile people to God. We, too, must be ambassadors for Christ. What kind of ambassadors are we then to be?
In July of 2025, Mr. Wallace Smith presented an insightful telecast with an intriguing title: “You Do Not Belong to You.” He opened by talking about the spirit of this age, as expressed in my opinions, my desires, my ideas, my fulfillment. Self is everywhere expressed in conversation: self-will, self-fulfillment, self-respect, and psychologist Abraham Maslow’s pinnacle of success, self-actualization. Mr. Smith boldly stated that—contrary to popular belief—you are not the center of the universe. “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7–8).
Our Dual Citizenship
An ambassador is not his own. He must subjugate his own opinions and desires to represent those of his government while residing in a foreign country. Paul occasionally referenced the concept of dual citizenship, pointing out that although he held the valued status of Roman citizen, God had chosen him to represent a different citizenship—one reserved in Heaven (Philippians 3:20). Of course, this does not mean that Heaven is our reward—only that our citizenship is derived from there. Many people are citizens of one country while living in another, and many hold dual citizenship. If you belong to Christ, you too are a citizen of Heaven. In that sense, we are all dual citizens. One citizenship is merely temporary. The other is eternal, of vastly greater value.
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus referenced this in His prayer to His Father regarding His disciples, saying, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:15–18).
Our most important citizenship is that of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps you have never thought of it this way, but ask yourself: Which kingdom do I most represent as an ambassador—this world’s culture or the Kingdom of God? While we live in the world, we as Christians must not conform to the course of this present evil age (Galatians 1:3–4; Ephesians 2:1–2). We must represent the Kingdom of God during our lifetime if we hope to be born into that Kingdom at Christ’s return.
A great transformation must take place at baptism and in the time following. We might even say that the transformation, the conversion from carnal thinking to spiritual thinking, is radical. Jesus explained that we must deny ourselves—must reject our past ways of thinking and acting. “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it’” (Mark 8:34–38). Losing one’s life is more than physically dying as a martyr. It involves putting to death our carnal human reasoning (2 Corinthians 10:3–6).
Going All-In
When counseling people for baptism, we often read Luke 14. We call it the “counting the cost” chapter. I often say that verse 26 is the Bible’s most sobering verse, because it separates the seriously dedicated from all pretenders: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Christ repeats that last phrase again in the next verse for emphasis. When entering the water of baptism, it is easy to profess that you will put Jesus above all else, but your commitment to that profession shows up in the daily decisions you make after coming up from the water.
To put Jesus Christ and God the Father before every other relationship—and being willing to give your life in doing so—is not an unreasonable request, as They set the example for us. The Father willingly endured the sight of His Son’s brutal death on our behalf, and the Son submitted to His Father’s will that we might be with Them forever. Jesus faced an agonizing decision, as we read in the words of His prayer: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
The Bible tells us how we are to conduct ourselves as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. As a general principle, this involves living by what is known as the Golden Rule: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). This rule portrays a way of thinking that is radically different from what is practiced in the world. Instead of being about “me and mine,” about selfishness and self-will, it puts each of us into others’ shoes when interacting with them.
A principle closely associated with the Golden Rule is that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). This goes against human nature, which pulls us to do what we want to do the way we want to do it. Jesus gives us a specific way to practice this principle: “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12–14). Yet how many of us expect others to “return the favor” after we have given to them?
“My Identity”
Many of us in the ministry have noticed that, before committing to God, a significant number of people—maybe most, if not all—have something they find difficult to give up. It might be an addictive habit involving smoking, vaping, alcohol abuse, or pornography. Sometimes a person must put a job or schooling on the line to keep the Sabbath or leave a job that is not compatible with a godly life. There are men who want to hang onto long hair and women who do not want to give up Christmas “because of the children.” The list is endless, and we do not know the struggle of each person who comes to the truth, but there is usually one “biggie” for each person.
The struggle to conform to Christ and to represent Him as an ambassador does not end with baptism. Dress and grooming fashions change, and it is easy to get caught up in new fads and trends. Mr. Armstrong showed great balance on this subject and wanted us to understand how ambassadors present themselves. He did not want us to be stuck in the distant past when it comes to grooming and fashion, but neither did he want us jumping onto every new trend that is driven by often unbalanced and even perverted designers. There are some fashions that, for a variety of reasons, are simply not appropriate for an ambassador of Christ.
When attempting to explain some of these things to members, we sometimes hear, “I must be true to myself,” or “This is my identity,” or “This is who I am.” However, when we chose to follow Christ, we professed to be true to Him, to allow Him to live in and transform us by His Spirit, and to give up who we once were. Can you imagine Christ attending a formal reception in purple hair, a man-bun, or a baseball cap? Yet “casual” is the way millions go to worship God on Sundays, and even some Church members appear to agree with this worldly approach.
One Saturday evening, as I was taking a fellow minister to a downtown Toronto hotel where he was staying during a conference, we noticed quite a few young women dressed like prostitutes—short and tight skirts, revealing tops, etc. It took us a few blocks before we realized that these were college students heading for bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. This is apparently the fashion, but should it be the standard for godly women of any age? Should an ambassador for Christ show up at the beach in a bikini? No, dear brethren, we in God’s Church represent a very different Kingdom with a radically different culture (1 Timothy 2:8–10; 1 Peter 3:3–5).
There is another trend you may observe in Western culture, one seen even in very fine restaurants where a couple might go for an anniversary. A lady comes “dressed to the hilt,” as they say, but the man with her is dressed casually, sometimes even wearing shorts and a baseball cap. This is also the way many high-school-aged boys dress for their prom; the young lady is dressed fashionably, the two order a limousine to go to dinner, and he is casually dressed—no doubt just “being true to himself”! Do these men have such little respect for their wives and dates? Are these ladies that desperate?
Let Us Commit Our Hearts and Minds
Some have denied that the parable of the man who showed up at the wedding without a wedding garment has anything at all to do with physical attire (Matthew 22:8–14). It is true that the emphasis is on righteousness rather than literal dress, but the parable would be meaningless if there were not some kind of expected dress code. How pleasant it is at our Living Youth Camps to see our young men appropriately dressed for an evening of Topics and Dance or for the final Banquet and Dance. They are showing respect to the young ladies with whom they are paired for the evening. It is beautiful to see our young people that way, and—even more importantly—they are learning qualities of ambassadorship. They represent a way of life that shows respect and dignity. At more than one Church wedding, I have heard someone ask, Where do all these young people come from? They are so clean-cut. Where did they learn such manners and how to dance that way?
Mr. Armstrong saw the big picture. He recognized what Paul meant by our becoming ambassadors for Christ. The people we meet notice how we conduct ourselves. Our behavior either represents the degenerate culture of this age or the coming Kingdom of God.
Let’s not mindlessly repeat the words the next time we sing this refrain—let’s think about what these words mean: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors and called to be God’s sons, to declare His holy Kingdom, that His will on earth be done. Be reconciled to God, and let us commit our hearts and minds: ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind.”