Olney Hymns · Chapter
We Are Ambassadors for Christ explained
The chapter emphasizes the role of believers as ambassadors for Christ, urging sinners to repent and be reconciled to God.
What happens
The chapter emphasizes the role of believers as ambassadors for Christ, urging sinners to repent and be reconciled to God. It reflects on the preacher's mission, the power of grace, and the urgency of responding to the gospel before it is too late.
Themes in this chapter
Grace and Unmerited Favor
The preacher's own rebellion was overcome by grace, and the same grace is offered to all sinners.
Hope of Heaven and Eternal Life
The promise that even the worst may be forgiven and become heirs of heaven.
Characters to notice
- Jesus Christ
The one who sends ambassadors and will return in the clouds as judge.
- The Redeemer
The one who reconciles God and sinners through grace.
- The Narrator
The preacher who once rebelled but now is sent to call others to repentance.
Key passages
“I Thy message by the preacher seal, And let thy power be known, That every sinner here may feel The word is not his own.”
Confirm the preacher's message with your power, so that every sinner may recognize it comes from you, not from human authority.
The preacher's authority is derived from God, and the message is divine.
“But grace prevail’d, he mercy found, And now by thee is sent, To tell his fellow-rebels round, And call them to repent.”
Grace overcame his rebellion, he received mercy, and now he is sent to urge his fellow rebels to repent.
The preacher's own experience of grace qualifies him to call others to repentance.
“In Jesus God is reconciled, The worst may be forgiven; Come, and he’ll own you as a child, And make you heir of heaven.”
Through Jesus, God is no longer angry; even the worst sinners can be forgiven. Come, and he will adopt you as his child and give you an inheritance in heaven.
The central gospel invitation: reconciliation, forgiveness, and adoption.
“Perhaps the year that’s now begun May prove to some their last; The sands of life may soon be run, The day of grace be past.”
This new year might be the last for some; life may end soon, and the opportunity for grace may be gone.
The urgency of responding to the gospel now, as life is uncertain.
“Think, if you slight this embassy, And will not warning take, When Jesus in the clouds you see, What answer will you make?”
Consider: if you reject this message and ignore the warning, what will you say when you see Jesus coming in the clouds?
The final judgment is certain, and those who reject the gospel will have no excuse.