2 Corinthians 2:12–17
Big truth: If you are in Christ, your entire life is captive to Him, and He is using your entire life to spread the aroma of Christ wherever you go. Therefore, your mission field is wherever you are.
2 Corinthians 2:12–17 (ESV):
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
Paul is writing these words from Macedonia (which was at the top of, and surrounding, present day Greece) during his third missionary journey.
He’s writing to a church in a place called Corinth (further down in present day Greece).
Paul had a very complicated relationship with the Corinthian church, and that’s largely because Corinth was sort of the sin city of its day––very morally corrupt. So Paul had written letters, and even made what he calls a “painful visit” to this church (2:1). After the painful visit, he sent Titus to check on them, and deliver a “severe letter” (2 Cor. 7:8-9) urging them to repent.
Paul was eager to get the report from Titus and hear how they took the letter, and whether they repented, but when he came to Troas, Titus wasn’t there.
So even though God had opened a door for ministry in Troas… Paul was so eager to hear how the Corinthians were doing that he departed and went to track down Titus in Macedonia.
This all may seem like insignificant details, but buried here in Paul’s failed travel plans is our theme for the morning: Your mission field is wherever you are.
Notice that Paul went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ.
Why is that? The easy answer is: because that’s what Paul was always doing. His life was a life on mission. Wherever he was, that was his mission field.
Now, we don’t know exactly what sort of door was opened for him to minister in Troas… but we do know that later on, on his way back through Troas, he preaches in a home until midnight… he preached so long that a young boy fell asleep and fell out of an upper story window and died… but Paul raised him from the dead and kept preaching until morning! (Acts 20)
Verse 14 begins what is called a ‘digression’ in Paul’s letter. He goes on a rabbit trail… an aside… to make some important comments about our salvation and our calling.
This digression continues all the way until chapter 7:4 after which he resumes what he was saying about going to Macedonia.
Because it feels like such an abrupt topic change, some have speculated that this ‘digression’ was actually a separate letter inserted into 2 Corinthians… but that is not the case. The fact is, this literary technique was common in the ancient world.
This is what Paul says…
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
Back in the ancient Roman world, after a battle was won the captives were paraded through the main street of the Roman town as a spectacle of Rome’s victory.
“In a Triumph the procession of the victorious general marched through the streets of Rome to the Capitol… First came the state officials and the senate. Then came the trumpeters. Then were carried the spoils taken from the conquered land… Then came the pictures of the conquered land and models of conquered citadels and ships. There followed the white bull for sacrifice which would be made. Then there walked the captive princes, leaders and generals in chains, shortly to be flung into prison and in all probability almost immediately to be executed. Then came the lictors bearing their rods, followed by the musicians with their lyres; then the priests swinging their censers with the sweet-smelling incense burning in them. After that came the general himself… finally came the army wearing all their decorations and shouting Io triumphe! Their cry of triumph. As the procession moved through the streets, all decorated and garlanded, amid the cheering crowds, it made a tremendous day which might happen only once in a lifetime.” (Barclay)
All of this was designed to glorify and celebrate the general who had won the victory.
Notice, it says, God, who in Christ always leads US in triumphal procession.
Who is being led in triumphal procession? We are.
Paul saw himself, along with all believers everywhere, not as those who were conquering, but as those who had been conquered… by Christ.
In fact, many times Paul refers to himself and other believers with ‘capture’ imagery.
Romans 1: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus
Philippians 3:12 I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own (that evokes being captured by Christ––the Greek literally means ‘to be taken hold of or apprehended by’ Christ).
Romans 6:17–18 (ESV): 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV): 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
God had so triumphed over Paul… God had so apprehended Paul in every facet of his being… that it was as though Paul was the Lord’s captive. Jesus Christ was leading Paul through life, parading him in front of everyone, as a spectacle of how glorious and magnificent and all powerful Jesus is, and His ability to transform and captivate anyone.
Even Paul. A man who was formerly a Christian murderer.
Even YOU.
You are someone who was formerly enslaved to sin, and a child of wrath, and an enemy of God (Ephesians 2… Romans 5). And in order for you to be where you are today, under the rule of Christ, He had to triumph over your sin and win you to Himself. He had to resurrect you from spiritual death to spiritual life. He had to transfer you from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of Jesus.
That is YOUR story… because that is every Christian’s story.
We have got to get away from this idea that becoming a Christian is about making room for Jesus in our busy life. Becoming a Christian is not about letting Jesus into your life. It is about Jesus conquering your entire life, and making you His slave so that your entire life is for His glory. You are His captive.
Except unlike the Romans who would triumph over their captors by force and by aggression… God wins his captors by tender love and grace. That’s what makes this metaphor so beautifully paradoxical.
“We who were God’s former enemies (Rom. 5:10) have been overcome and taken captive by Him and are led and displayed by Him to the world, not just on one passing occasion, but every day and everywhere. From justification until glorification the redeemed sinner is on exhibition as a trophy of divine grace.” -Philip E. Hughes
If you are in Christ, you are on exhibition… your life is on display as a trophy of God’s grace.
And that’s where the second part of the metaphor comes in…
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
No matter where Paul was, his life was going to be used to spread the incense of Christ. Whether in Troas or Macedonia… location wasn’t an issue.
God is not limited by your location, your vocation, your life season… if you have been captured by Christ, He is opening doors for you where He has you and He wants to lead you in triumphal procession so that everyone around you ‘smells Christ’ through the incense of your life lived for His glory.
STOP STRESSING OUT ABOUT GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. AND SIMPLY TRUST THAT WHEREVER HE HAS YOU, HE INTENDS TO USE YOU TO SPREAD THE AROMA OF CHRIST.
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
So as God is parading us through life as his beloved captors… He is using us to spread the message of Christ everywhere. And that spreading of the gospel is a sweet aroma to Him. But the effects of that aroma of Christ are polarizing: to some, the gospel is the aroma of life. To others, it is the aroma of death.
In a Roman triumphal procession, the smell of incense was a beautiful smell for those who were on the side of victory. But for those on the other side, it was the smell of impending death as they were certain to be executed before the day was over.
There is a saying that I believe originated with the Puritans: the same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay.
In other words, the same gospel affects different hearts differently. Some hear the gospel and their heart is softened… melted. And they come to repentance and faith. Others hear the gospel, and their heart is hardened even more. They reject it. They don’t want anything to do with it.
Same gospel. Same incense. Different effects.
Are we responsible for saving people? No. That’s God’s work.
We are responsible for being the aroma of Christ… for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ with our whole lives… and the effects of that gospel fragrance will be life for some and death for others based on what they do with the gospel.
If this all seems overwhelming to you, you are in good company. Paul was overwhelmed too.
He asks rhetorically:
Who is sufficient for these things?
Rhetorical answer: nobody! Nobody in the history of the church, including the apostles themselves, are worthy or capable in and of themselves of being ambassadors of Christ. It is the highest calling any human could be called to. Paul was acutely aware of his weakness and inability as a servant of Christ. Yet he was also aware of his calling.
If you feel inadequate to be the aroma of Christ to those God has placed around you… GOOD! You ARE inadequate!
Rely on God who commissioned you to accomplish His mission through you.
Remember what Jesus said in the Great Commission: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me… I will be with you always…This is the promise we have in going forth with the gospel. We go in Jesus’ authority and with Jesus’ presence.
In 2 Corinthians 5:20 it says ‘we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us’.
17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
There are at least 5 traits listed in this single verse that should shape the way we approach our mission to be the ‘aroma of Christ’.
First, it says we are not to be ‘peddlers of God’s word’.
A peddler in the ancient world was someone who sold cheap counterfeits… particularly cheap wine. We should never think of sharing a diluted version of the gospel (like a ‘peddler’ of cheap wine).
Second, it says we should be ‘men of sincerity’.
We should be sincere in our approach. Genuine. Heart-felt.
We should think of ourselves as being commissioned by God for this mission. That is a sobering thought.
We should remember that we are under the watchful eye of God as we minister to others.
We should “speak” in Christ. The gospel needs to be communicated verbally, not just through our conduct (as though that were possible… see Romans 10:13-14 for further discussion).
I’m convinced that one of the devil’s greatest deceptions is that we can spread Christ without talking about Christ.
Romans 10:13–14 (ESV): 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
If you are in Christ, your entire life is captive to Him, and He is parading you through life as a trophy of His victory, using your entire life to spread the aroma of Christ.
The aroma of Christ is the gospel of Christ, and we are responsible to spread it wherever we go.
For Group Discussion:
Simple overview:
If you are in Christ, your entire life is captive to Him, and He is parading you through life as a trophy of His victory, using your entire life to spread the aroma of Christ.
The aroma of Christ is the gospel of Christ, and we are responsible to spread it wherever we go.
Discussion Questions:
Why was Paul’s spirit not at rest in Troas?
Even though Paul would leave Troas to go find Titus, why can we be confident that God would continue to use him to spread the gospel?
In a Roman triumphal procession, incense would be burned and everyone would smell it. To some, it was the smell of victory. To others, the smell of defeat (or death). How is the same gospel the smell of life to some and death to others?
Are we responsible for people’s conversion? Explain.
Paul said rhetorically, “who is sufficient for these things” (verse 16b). Do you ever feel insufficient to be the “aroma of Christ” to those around you? What truth can we lean on when we feel insufficient?
Verse 17 gives an outline of the way we should think of ourselves and our mission. List some of the things that should characterize us as we seek to spread the fragrance of Christ (the gospel) through our whole lives.
As you wrap up, take a moment to consider this text as it uniquely applies to us as young adults:
7. Do you ever feel stuck when making big life decisions? How does Paul navigate decision making in v. 12-13?
8. Like Paul, wherever we go, we have the opportunity to be the ‘aroma’ of Christ? What does this look like in our everyday lives: at the beach, getting poke at Foodland, sitting in the lineup, or posting on social media?
9. When we do share Christ with others, what are some ways we can be sure to be “men [and women] of sincerity”?
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