2 Corinthians 2:12-17 says,...
Today's verses are 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, which read,
v.12, 13 - Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.
Paul continues to give us and the Christians in Corinth more detail on the reason that he did not come to them as he said he intended to. His opponents used this "miss visit" to try to discredit what Paul said about the gospel. Paul traveled to a seaport city called Troas and as always shared the gospel of Christ. While there and still troubled by the actions of the Corinthians he waited for a report from Titus, one of his companions in the Lord, a brother. Titus did not meet him there and so when the Lord directed, Paul went on to Macedonia. Paul was giving the Christians in Corinth time to correct themselves and without ample evidence of that from Titus, he pressed on rather then jump to an assumption of a bad that would have led to a visit of sorrow.
Have you ever made an assumption in the negative form just because you didn't have enough information or maybe didn't wait for more information to have a better assessment of the situation? I know I have. Paul is waiting for more information before acting and the information didn't come when he thought it would so he proceeds on until he get it. Paul is getting very personal in this travelogue to dispel the discrediting of his opponents of this false rumor that he did not care about them.
v.14-16 - But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
Even though he is concerned about the Christians in Corinth and doesn't have sufficient information from Titus at the time, Paul presses on and God continues to do a great work where he is at in Macedonia. Paul uses the analogy of a sweet aroma that comes over a person. Many times when I come home and as I open the front door, I get a smell of a sweet aroma that is coming from the kitchen. Stephanie is cooking or baking and the aroma fills the house. The knowledge of God is a sweet aroma that is wafting over those who Paul is able to speak the gospel of Christ to.
Paul knows his position as just a "fragrance of Christ." He is not Christ but a tool used by Christ to dispense of that aroma of the knowledge of Him. The fans in the house are dispensing that aroma of what is happening in the kitchen. Paul is the fan, blowing that gospel message all over the known world.
To some who smell it, it brings judgment "death to death" but to others it brings salvation "life to life." Paul experiences these conversions and transformations as people hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, the aroma hits them, and he marvels that God would use him in such a way. He is humbled to be used by God in service to be a fragrance of Christ to others.
v.17 - For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
Paul ends this thought with his motive. Many false teachers were dispensing their message with a physical price tag attached to it. They had a motive and another agenda to profit physically from what they were saying. A huge red flag should go up in your mind when someone tries to tie the gospel of Christ to some financial gain to the hearer or to the sharer.
Paul says that he came to them in sincerity but not only in sincerity but also from God, God led him there. Paul spoke to them of Christ but also in the sight of God, knowing that God was seeing and hearing all that Paul was presenting to them. He was mindful of the God of love that sent him with this gospel and therefore did not try to turn it into some profitable gain for himself. Paul spends all this time to dispel the opponents of his trying to discredit his love for the Christians in Corinth. Paul was under the leading of God with the fragrance of the message of the gospel of Christ and the fruit or evidence that he was right where he was suppose to be were the conversions and transformations of new believers just as the Corinthian Christians once were. He is sincere in his service and led by God and that sincerity and leading put him not coming to Corinth at this time.
The big question of the day is "Are you a fragrance of Christ to those you meet?"
"Lord, that aroma of You is so sweet. I am humbled that I get to fan that around in the world that You have put me in. May I see conversions and transformations as people obtain that aroma of the knowledge of You. Amen."
v.12, 13 - Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia.
Paul continues to give us and the Christians in Corinth more detail on the reason that he did not come to them as he said he intended to. His opponents used this "miss visit" to try to discredit what Paul said about the gospel. Paul traveled to a seaport city called Troas and as always shared the gospel of Christ. While there and still troubled by the actions of the Corinthians he waited for a report from Titus, one of his companions in the Lord, a brother. Titus did not meet him there and so when the Lord directed, Paul went on to Macedonia. Paul was giving the Christians in Corinth time to correct themselves and without ample evidence of that from Titus, he pressed on rather then jump to an assumption of a bad that would have led to a visit of sorrow.
Have you ever made an assumption in the negative form just because you didn't have enough information or maybe didn't wait for more information to have a better assessment of the situation? I know I have. Paul is waiting for more information before acting and the information didn't come when he thought it would so he proceeds on until he get it. Paul is getting very personal in this travelogue to dispel the discrediting of his opponents of this false rumor that he did not care about them.
v.14-16 - But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
Even though he is concerned about the Christians in Corinth and doesn't have sufficient information from Titus at the time, Paul presses on and God continues to do a great work where he is at in Macedonia. Paul uses the analogy of a sweet aroma that comes over a person. Many times when I come home and as I open the front door, I get a smell of a sweet aroma that is coming from the kitchen. Stephanie is cooking or baking and the aroma fills the house. The knowledge of God is a sweet aroma that is wafting over those who Paul is able to speak the gospel of Christ to.
Paul knows his position as just a "fragrance of Christ." He is not Christ but a tool used by Christ to dispense of that aroma of the knowledge of Him. The fans in the house are dispensing that aroma of what is happening in the kitchen. Paul is the fan, blowing that gospel message all over the known world.
To some who smell it, it brings judgment "death to death" but to others it brings salvation "life to life." Paul experiences these conversions and transformations as people hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, the aroma hits them, and he marvels that God would use him in such a way. He is humbled to be used by God in service to be a fragrance of Christ to others.
v.17 - For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
Paul ends this thought with his motive. Many false teachers were dispensing their message with a physical price tag attached to it. They had a motive and another agenda to profit physically from what they were saying. A huge red flag should go up in your mind when someone tries to tie the gospel of Christ to some financial gain to the hearer or to the sharer.
Paul says that he came to them in sincerity but not only in sincerity but also from God, God led him there. Paul spoke to them of Christ but also in the sight of God, knowing that God was seeing and hearing all that Paul was presenting to them. He was mindful of the God of love that sent him with this gospel and therefore did not try to turn it into some profitable gain for himself. Paul spends all this time to dispel the opponents of his trying to discredit his love for the Christians in Corinth. Paul was under the leading of God with the fragrance of the message of the gospel of Christ and the fruit or evidence that he was right where he was suppose to be were the conversions and transformations of new believers just as the Corinthian Christians once were. He is sincere in his service and led by God and that sincerity and leading put him not coming to Corinth at this time.
The big question of the day is "Are you a fragrance of Christ to those you meet?"
"Lord, that aroma of You is so sweet. I am humbled that I get to fan that around in the world that You have put me in. May I see conversions and transformations as people obtain that aroma of the knowledge of You. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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