Jesus was a pleasing aroma

JESUS WAS A PLEASING AROMA
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
II COR 2:14-16 14 But thanks be to God, who always
leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession
and uses us to spreadthe aroma of the knowledge of
him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing
aroma of Christamong those who are being saved and
those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an
aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that
brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
VERSE 15
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Twofold Issues Of A Preached Gospel
2 Corinthians 2:15, 16
R. Tuck Heroes, in the older days of the apostle, were usually great generals, leaders of mighty
armies, conquerors of other nations - men whose "glory" came from desolated cities, down-
trodden races, wasted harvests, and crushed and bleeding hearts. And such heroes were permitted
to have a "triumph," as it was called. A triumphal procession was arranged in their honour, and
to this event the Roman generals looked as to the very goal of their ambition. Magnificent and
thrilling scenes they must have been. The general was received, at the gates of the imperial city,
by all that was noble and grave and venerable among the officials, and he was led from the gate
through the crowded and shouting streets to the Capitol. First marched the ancient men, the grave
senators of the Roman council, headed by a body of magistrates. Then came the trumpeters,
making the air ring again with their prolonged and joyous blasts. Then followed a long train of
carriages and frames laden with the spoils brought from battlefields or plundered from conquered
cities, the articles which were most remarkable for their value, or rarity, or beauty being fully
exposed to view. There might be seen models of the forts or cities which had been captured; gold
and silver statues, pictures, handsome vases, and embroidered stuffs. Then came a band of

players on the flute, and then white bulls and oxen destined for sacrifice; and incense bearer,
waving to and fro their censers, and sending forth their sweet savour. Then were seen caged lions
and tigers, or monstrous elephants, or other strange creatures, brought as specimens from the
captive lands. And then the procession filled with pathos, for there followed the leaders of the
conquered foe, and the long train of inferior captives, all bound and fettered, and altogether a sad
and humiliating sight. At last came the great conqueror, standing in a splendid chariot, drawn by
four milk-white horses, magnificently adorned, the conqueror bearing a royal sceptre, and having
his brow encircled with a laurel crown. After him marched his great officers, the horse soldiers,
and the vast army of foot soldiers, each one holding aloft a spear adorned with laurel boughs.
And so the procession moved on through the crowded, shouting streets until it reached the
Capitoline hill. There they halted, dragged some of those poor captives aside to be killed, and
then offered their sacrifices and began their triumphal feast. St. Paul's mind was evidently full of
such a scene as this, and he took his figures from it. He says that God permits us, as apostles and
ministers, always to triumph with Christ. We are, through grace, always conquering generals.
But St. Paul fixed his thoughts chiefly on those miserable, naked, fettered captives, who were
going on to death. He could not help thinking - What was the sound of the clanging trumpet and
the piping flute to them - poor hopeless ones? What was the savour of sweet incense in the air to
them - poor agitated ones? Some among them may indeed have had the promise of life, and to
them the savour of the incense would be sweet; it would be "life unto life." But so many of them
knew what their fate must be; they dreaded the worst; they trembled as they came nearer to the
ascent of the hill; and as the wind wafted the savour of the incense to them they could but sadly
feel that it was a savour of "death unto death." And the apostle thought of his life work of
preaching the gospel. It was even thus with the savour of the gospel triumph. To some it was
death, to others it was life. Not, indeed, at the arbitrary will of some proud general, but as the
necessary issue of the relations in which men stand to a preached gospel; for "he that hath the
Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on
him."
I. THE PROPER RESULT OF A PREACHED GOSPEL IS LIFE. It was God's gracious purpose
that men, "dead in trespasses and sins," should have life, and have. it more abundantly. In his
Son Jesus Christ life and immortality are brought to light. In the early days God set before men
life and death, and, with all holy persuasions, urged them to choose life and good. This was the
one absorbing purpose and endeavour of the Lord Jesus. While he was here he was ever doing
one thing - quickening life, restoring life, renewing life: the life of health to those afflicted, of
reason to those possessed with devils, of knowledge to ignorant disciples, and even of the body
to those smitten and dead. And the apostles carried his gospel forth into all the world as the light
and life of men. Dwell upon the significance and interest of the word "life," and explain the new
life in Christ Jesus, which the Christian enjoys.
II. THE MOURNFUL RESULT OF A PREACHED GOSPEL OFTEN IS DEATH. Our Lord
used forcible but painful figures to express the death of the impenitent and unbelieving: "outer
darkness;" "wailing and gnashing of teeth;" "worm that never dies;" "fire that none may quench."
We must feel the force of these things, for no man can worthily explain them. This "death" was
the mournful issue of a preached gospel when the Son of man was himself the Preacher. Foolish
Gadarenes besought him to depart out of their coasts, and leave them to their night and death.
Hardened Capernaum, exalted even to heaven in privilege, must be thrust down to hell. St. Paul
must turn from bigoted and prejudiced Jews, and go to the Gentiles, leaving the very children of
the covenant in a darkness that might be felt. He who came to give life is practically found to be

a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence. Five foolish virgins put their hands about their
flickering lamps as they cry against the closed door; and this is the simple, awful ending of their
story, "The darkness took them." We do see men hardened under a preached gospel now.
Illustrate by the dropping well at Knaresborough. Water ought to soften and melt, but these
waters, falling upon things, encrust them with stone, and even turn them into stone. Such may
have been the droppings of the "water of life" upon us. There are only these two issues. The
gospel must either take us by the hand and lead us up into the sunlight or it must bid us away
down into the dark. Only two issues, but what issues they are! Life! As we think of that word, all
joy, light, and heaven come into our view. Death! As we speak that word, all darkness, woe, and
hell come into our thoughts. "Who indeed is sufficient for these things?" - even for the preaching
of a gospel which must prove to be a "savour of life unto life or of death unto death." - R.T.
Biblical Illustrator
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish.
2 Corinthians 2:15, 16
Dissimilar effects of the same thing
Scientific Illustrations and Symbols.Consider the totally different effects which the same thing
has on different people. An act, simple in itself, will rouse the joys of one and the rage of
another. A substance which is food to one man is poison to another. The same medicine which
effects a cure in one case will in a similar case in another man aggravate the malady and enhance
his sufferings. Look again at the effects of the tempest on creation. & large number of the
existences on the globe are terrified. But the seals love above all the tempest, the roaring of the
waves, the whistling of the wind, the mighty voice of the thunder, and the vivid flashings of the
lightning. They delight to see, rolling along in a sombre sky, the great black clouds which predict
torrents of rain. Then it is that they leave the sea in crowds and come and play about on the
shore, in the midst of the fury of the elements. They are at home in the tempests. It is in these
crises of nature that they give full play to all their faculties, and to all the activity of which they
are capable. When the weather is fine and the rest of creation is full of enjoyment they fall
asleep, and resign themselves lazily to the dolce far niente.
(Scientific Illustrations and Symbols.)
The fragrance of Christian life
R. Johnstone, LL. B.The life of every Christian should be like the fragrant breeze which, in
tropical waters, tells the mariner, while still far out at sea, that the land from which it comes is a
land of pleasant forests and gardens, where "the spices flow forth." It should testify, truthfully
and clearly, of the sweetness and grace of heaven.

(R. Johnstone, LL. B.)
Gospel a savour to God in them that perish
T. G. Selby.Round about the very perdition of the impenitent there is a circle and influences and
associations that are acceptable to God. If you have lost a child by death, you know what a
satisfaction it is to you to remember that all the medical skill that money could command was
brought to bear, all that kind and unceasing ministrations of tenderness could do to save the
precious life was done. Friends were hour by hour coming to the door ready to help, to
sympathise, to pray; by and by thoughts of these things became a great solace to you, and you
could bow yourself to the inevitable. Your life might have been shadowed to the very end, if
there had been carelessness, neglect, indifference at any single point; if friends had been slow to
help, advise, condole; if expedients for the salvation of the child could have been afterwards
devised that you never thought of at the time. And so with God, as He looks upon the second
death of those created in His own image. There is no sting of regretful reflection. The possible
was done to its very last detail. All is quiet contentment and satisfaction. God did more than He
had ever done for His universe before. The Son thought no sacrifice too great. The servants and
disciples of the Son forgot all thoughts of self in their endeavours to save men. The perdition of
the impenitent man is a terrible fact, but round about that fact there ever gather unselfish
ministries and services upon which God looks with contentment, and which maintain the
unbroken tenor of His blessedness.
(T. G. Selby.)
God glorified in the preaching of the gospel
H. Melvill, B. D.If you consult the Acts of the Apostles, you will perceive that St. Paul's course,
as a preacher of Christianity, was very diversified; that in some places he rapidly formed a
flourishing Church, while in others he encountered fierce persecution, or could make little or no
impression on the reigning idolatry. It is very remarkable that, although defeat was thus mingled
with success, the apostle could nevertheless break into the exclamation, "Now thanks be unto
God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His
knowledge by us in every place." You would think from his tone that he had only to enter a city
and its idols trembled and falsehood gave place to truth. There is no great difficulty in
understanding what St. Paul means when he describes himself and his fellow-labourers as being
"unto God a sweet savour of Christ." He alludes to a notion common among the heathen, that
God was pleased with the smoke which ascended from the sacrifice burnt on His altars. Indeed,
the Scriptures frequently speak of Jehovah in language borrowed from this prevalent opinion.
Thus when the waters of the Deluge had subsided, and Noah standing on a baptized earth, had
offered burnt-offerings of every clean beast and fowl, we read — "And the Lord smelled a sweet
savour; and the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's
sake." When, therefore, St. Paul speaks of a "sweet savour of Christ," we should understand him
as referring to the acceptableness of the sacrifice of Christ, and to its prevalence with God as a
propitiatory offering. And when he speaks of preaching as being "unto God a sweet savour of
Christ," he means that by setting forth the sacrifice and causing it to be known, he was
instrumental in bringing to God more and more of that glory which arises from the sin-offering
which He provided for the world. He knew that he preached the gospel to many who would
perish, as well as to many who would be saved; but, nevertheless, he would not admit that in any
case he preached in vain. He contended, on the contrary, that wherever the sacrifice of Christ
was made known, there ascended fragrant incense unto God; that God obtained honour from the

display of His attributes, whether men received or whether they rejected the Redeemer. Now, we
may observe to you, of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that it is a revelation of all which is
most illustrious in Godhead, and of all that as sinful creatures we are most concerned in
ascertaining. It is a revelation of those attributes and properties of God which natural theology
could but dimly conjecture, or which it could not at all satisfactorily combine. He would not
allow that it could at all depend upon the reception with which the gospel may meet, whether or
not God could be glorified by its publication. Why should it? Suppose it were the pleasure of the
Almighty to give some new and striking exhibition of His existence and majesty to a people that
had been indifferent to those previously and uniformly furnished; suppose that the vault of
heaven were to be spangled with fresh characters of the handwriting of the everlasting God, far
outshining in their brilliancy and beauty the already magnificent tracery of a thousand
constellations, would not God have splendidly shown forth His being and His power? Would He
not have given such a demonstration of His greatness as must triumphantly contribute to His own
glory, even if the people for whose sake the overhead canopy had been thus gorgeously decked
were to close their eyes against it. We read, that when God rested from the work of creation, He
saw everything that He had made, and He beheld that it was very good; and He surveyed His
own work with unspeakable pleasure. He saw, He knew it to be good; and if no anthem of lofty
gratulation had ascended to His throne from intelligent creatures, He would have reposed in
majestic contentment in His vast performances, and have felt Himself so praised in His deeds,
that neither angel nor man could break the mighty chorus. And why should we not hold the same
in regard of the gospel? We may acknowledge or despise a manifestation of God; but this is the
utmost we have in our power; we cannot obscure that manifestation; we cannot despoil it of one
of its beams. But St. Paul wished to put his meaning somewhat more explicitly, and therefore he
went on to speak of two separate classes, or to show with greater precision how his position held
good in regard equally of the saved and the lost. To the one, saith he, "we are a savour of death
unto death," to the other "a savour of life unto life." We do not think it necessary to speak at any
length of the preacher as a "savour of life unto life," to those who flee at his warning from thee
wrath which is to come. But what are we to say to the preacher being "a savour of death unto
death" to those who perish in their sins? It is implied in such saying, that the gospel did but in
some way or another prove injurious — "a savour of death" unto those by whom it is heard and
rejected; and, nevertheless, that this proclamation, even when thus injurious, brought glory to
Christ, or contributed to the display of His perfections. Now, are these things so? Is the gospel
indeed ever injurious to the hearer? and if injurious, can those who proclaim it be indeed unto
God "a sweet savour of Christ"? Yes, the gospel may prove injurious to the hearer; but it cannot
prove otherwise than glorious to its Author. You are not to think that the gospel can be a neutral
thing, operating neither for evil nor for good. It is easy to come to regard that as an ordinary or
unimportant thing, which is of such frequent occurrence, and to attach no solemn, no responsible
character to these our weekly assemblings. But we have every warrant for asserting that the
gospel which he is permitted to hear either improves a man or makes him worse, so that none of
you can go away from God's house precisely what you were when you entered it. You have had a
fresh call from God, and if you have again refused, you have made yourselves less accessible
than ever to the message. There is a self-propagating power in all kinds of evil; and every
resistance to God's Spirit, operating through the instrumentality of the Word, makes resistance
easier. This is not the only case in which the gospel is "a savour of death unto death." It is so
whenever men abuse Scripture doctrines, whenever they pervert them, whenever they wrest them
to the giving encouragement to unrighteousness, or use them as an argument for procrastination.

It was this view of the office of the preacher which extorted from the apostle those words, "Who
is sufficient for these things?" We are sure that it ought to be perfectly overcoming to a man, to
see himself with an office, in performing which he thus makes himself a witness against
multitudes.
(H. Melvill, B. D.)
The two effects of the gospel
C. H. Spurgeon.I. THE GOSPEL PRODUCES DIFFERENT EFFECTS. There is scarcely ever a
good thing in the world of which some little evil is not the consequence. Let the sun pour down
floods of light on the tropics, and the choicest fruits shall ripen, and the fairest flowers shall
bloom, but who does not know that there the most venomous reptiles are also brought forth? So
the gospel, although it is God's best gift.
1. The gospel is to some men "a savour of death unto death."(1) Many men are hardened in their
sins by hearing it. Those who can dive deepest into sin, and have the most quiet consciences, are
some who are to be found in God's own house. There are many who make even God's truth a
stalking-horse for the devil, and abuse God's grace to palliate their sin. There is nothing more
liable to lead men astray than a perverted gospel. A truth perverted is generally worse than a
doctrine which all know to be false.(2) It will increase some men's damnation at the last great
day.(a) Because men sin against greater light; and the light we have is an excellent measure of
our guilt. What a Hottentot might do without a crime would be the greatest sin to me, because I
am taught better. If he who is blind falls into the ditch we can pity him, but if a man with the
light on his eyeballs dashes himself from the precipice and loses his own soul, is not pity out of
the question?(b) It must increase your condemnation if you oppose the gospel. If God devises a
scheme of mercy and man rises up against it, how great must be his sin!(3) It makes some men in
this world more miserable than they would be. How happily could the libertine drive on his mad
career, if he were not told, "The wages of sin is death, and after death the judgment!"The gospel
is to others "a savour of life unto life."
(1)Here it confers spiritual life on the dead in trespasses and sins.
(2)In heaven it issues in eternal life.
II. THE MINISTER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS SUCCESS. He is responsible for what
he preaches; he is accountable for his life and actions, but he is not responsible for other people.
"We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, as well in them that perish as in the saved." An
ambassador is not responsible for the failure of his embassy of peace, nor a fisherman for the
quantity of fish he catches, nor a sower for the harvest, but only for the faithful discharge of their
respective duties. So the gospel minister is only responsible for the faithful delivery of his
message, for the due lowering of the gospel net, for the industrious sowing of the gospel seed.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The opposite effects of the ministry of the gospel
W. Chambers, D. D.In the language of the text we have a description of the very opposite effects
of the ministry of the gospel, and of the consequences to which they lead. The same cloud which
was dark to the Egyptians was bright to the Israelites.
1. As ministers, we are ordained to be unto God "a sweet savour of Christ," in duly administering
His sacraments, faithfully preaching His gospel, and in exemplifying it in our conduct.

2. It is then, instrumentally, by our life and doctrine, that we must diffuse in our respective
spheres of duty the savour of the knowledge of Christ. In doctrine we must show incorruptness,
gravity, sincerity.
3. It is by our manner of life also that we must spread the savour of His name and truth among
these who are within the sphere of our influence.
(W. Chambers, D. D.)
The gospel ministry
D. Thomas, D. D.I. ITS MANWARD ASPECT. Consider —
1. Its vivifying influence. It produces new spiritual life in the souls of men.
2. Its deadly influence. There are principles which render it certain that the men who reject it will
be injured by it. One is founded in eternal justice, and the other two in the moral constitution of
man.(1) The greater the mercy abused the greater the condemnation. The Bible is full of this
truth. "Unto whomsoever much is given," etc. "If I had not come and spoken unto them," etc.
"Woe unto thee, Chorazin," etc. "And thou Capernaum," etc. "He that despised Moses' law,"
etc.(2) Man's susceptibility of virtuous impressions decreases in proportion to his resistance of
them.(3) Man's moral suffering will always be increased in proportion to the consciousness he
has that he once had the means of being happy. From these principles the gospel must prove "the
savour of death unto death" to those who reject it. The hearing of the gospel puts a man on a new
level in the universe. To have heard its accents is the most momentous fact in the history of man.
Do you say you will hear it no more? But you have heard it. This is a fact which you will ever
remember and feel. If the gospel does not save you, better you had never been born.
II. ITS GODWARD ASPECT. In both cases, if we are true to it, "we are unto God a sweet
savour of Christ." The true ministry is pleasing to God, whatever may be its results on humanity.
If this be so, two inferences seem irresistible.
1. If the gospel ministry is in itself grateful to God, it must be in itself an institution for good, and
for good exclusively. Never could an institution in itself calculated to deaden and destroy the
soul of men be grateful to the heart of infinite love.(1) While the true gospel ministry saves by
design, it destroys in spite of its design. That it is designed to save, who can doubt? "God so
loved the world," etc. Men can, men do, pervert Divine things. Did God give steel to be brought
into weapons for the destruction of human life? Did He give corn to be transmuted into a
substance to drown the reason and to brutalise the man? No! But man, by his perverting power,
turns God's blessings to an improper and pernicious use. So it is with the gospel. He wrests it to
his own destruction.(2) The true gospel ministry saves by its inherent tendency; it injures in spite
of that tendency. Is there anything in the doctrines, precepts, provisions, promises, and warnings,
of the gospel adapted to destroy souls? Was the ocean made to injure man, because it has
terrified many a mariner and engulfed many a barque? Was the sun created to injure man,
because by leading to the discovery of the robber and the assassin, it has proved their ruin? Was
food created to injure health, because by intemperance and gluttony, it has brought on disease
and death?(3) That the gospel ministry saves by Divine agency; it destroys in spite of that
agency. "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost."
2. If the gospel ministry is in itself grateful to God, it must be an institution from which a much
larger amount of good than of evil will result. If greater evil resulted from it than good, I cannot
believe that it would be grateful to infinite love. Remember —(1) That the rejection of the gospel

does not make the hell of the rejector; it only modifies and aggravates it. As a sinner he would
have found a hell, had the sound of the gospel never greeted his ears.(2) The restorative influence
which the gospel ministry haft already exerted upon the race, It has swept from the world
innumerable evils; it has planted institutions amongst us to mitigate human woe, abolish human
oppression, heal human diseases, remove human ignorance, and correct human errors; and it has
conducted millions to heaven.(3) That what the gospel has done is but a very small instalment of
the good it is destined to achieve. It is to bless a nation in a day. There are millennial ages
awaiting it, and in the coming centuries it will be found that the evil which the gospel ministry
has occasioned is no more to be compared with the good which it will cause than the pain which
the light of the sun gives to the few tender eyes, with the streams of blessedness it pours into
every part of nature.
(D. Thomas, D. D.)
Savour of death or of life
James Aitken.In thought stand near those three crosses on Calvary, and see how near to each
other are blessing and cursing. As you gaze on that sacred, awful scene, how plainly are revealed
to you life and death. Now, wherever the gospel message is made known the effect will be the
same as on Calvary — to some it will be the savour of life unto life, and to others the savour of
death unto death.
I. Let us look at THE TWO SIDES OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. The word gospel we
associate with all that is lovely, tender, merciful. Now, all this is quite true; but it is not the
whole message. Honestly read your Bibles, and you will find that it makes known to you
salvation and damnation — heaven and hell. The gospel message is, "He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth
on him."
II. Now, consider THE DOUBLE WORKING OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. The gift of God
must be either accepted or rejected; there is no alternative. Thus was it in the days of the
apostles; their preaching was either a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. But there are
some who would raise objections to the gospel because it is thus the savour of death as well as of
life. Better, say they, not to preach the gospel at all. To them we reply, Because some abuse
God's greatest gift, would it be better that the gift had never been offered? Because fire
sometimes destroys, would it be better that a fire never were kindled?
(James Aitken.)
Who is sufficient for these things?
Who is sufficient for these things
Dean Vaughan.? (Inaugural Sermon) —
1. St. Paul asked this question with a miraculous conversion in memory, with all the signs of a
chiefest apostle in possession, with a crown of righteousness laid up for him in prospect.
2. That which weighed upon St. Paul was —(1) The recollection of the issues for immortal souls,
of having the revelation of grace offered to them (vers. 15, 16).(2) The difficulty of fidelity (ver.
17). It would be easy, he says, to discharge this great office, if we might make traffic of the
Word of God; if we might throw in here a grain of flattery, and there a scruple of indulgence;
adapt it to the taste of the audience, or take counsel concerning it of the genius of the age. But to

preach the gospel in its fourfold completeness — "as of sincerity," "as of God," "in the sight of
God," "in Christ" — this demands of the messenger that loftiest grace of an incorruptible fidelity.
3. It is easy to say, easier to think, that the first days of the gospel were more anxious than our
own. We can understand how important, difficult, and perilous it was for the new faith to gain a
hearing. And so men sympathise with the apostles as engaged in an enterprise disproportioned to
their strength; but they have nothing but pity or ridicule for the ministers of to-day, especially if a
minister should bewail his insufficiency, or recognise the need of Divine help to qualify him for
his work. Thoughts such as these throw a very real stumbling-block in the way of the gospel. The
minister himself has to dread their infection. "Against these things," he has to ask himself, "who
is sufficient?"
4. The difficulties which faced St. Paul were open and tangible. On the one side there was Jewish
bigotry, and on the other side Greek speculation; here the charge of apostasy from ancestral
sanctities, there of insubordination to existing authorities; here some definite risk of persecution,
there some insidious corruption of gospel simplicity by Judaizing admixture or Alexandrian
refinement.
5. But St. Paul was spared some experiences, belonging to an age not his. When he wrote 2
Timothy 3:1, etc., he scarcely sounded the depths of our sea of trouble, and nowhere quite
prepares us for those developments which are the phenomena of this latter part of our century,
and which draw forth from our hearts half the cry of the text, viz. —(1) The restless reckless
impatience of the old, even when the old is God's truth; the insolent disdain of Christ's ordinance
of preaching, except in so far as the preacher will fling away his Bible, and prophesy out of his
own spirit; the light bandying of sacred subjects at every social table; the choosing and rejecting
amongst the plain sayings of Scripture, as though each particular revelation were an open
question.(2) The schism of thought, where not of feeling, between the teachers of the Church and
those who ought to be among the taught.(3) The opposite experience, the surrender of all that is
distinctive in the ministerial office, or the abandonment of all that is at first sight difficult in the
Divine revelation. Not thus will the breach between clergy and laity be effectually healed — as
though the Church's commission were a thing to be ashamed of, or as though the one object were
to show men that the Bible contained nothing which they might not have known without it.(4)
The timidity of the believing in the face of free thought and scientific discovery. I count it a great
evil when true believers betray an uneasiness in the presence of true seekers. Truth and the truth
can never really be at variance. Let not the evangelical doctrine ever fear lest the God of creation
should betray it, or leave it naked to its enemies. Least of all let faith think that by hiding its head
in the sand it can elude pursuit, or that by a clamorous outcry, "The gospel in danger," it can
breathe either confidence into its troops or panic into its foes. Let us be brave, with a courage at
once of man and of God. Conclusion: Men have said to me, in the prospect of this ministry —
1. "You must be careful what you advance. Say nothing which is not sound in logic, whatever it
be in rhetoric. Assume nothing — prove your points." Is the gospel itself to be, as between me
and you, an open question? Am I bound, every time I mention the Incarnation, the Resurrection,
the Divinity of Christ, to prove each to you by some novel argument? Honestly do I say this to
you, If that was what you wanted, I am not the man. If you believe not the gospel, I cannot hope
to prove it to you. I am here, a steward of God's mysteries, to bring out to you from His
storehouse something profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for discipline in
righteousness.

2. "You will have a critical audience. Everything will be discussed." "'A fair field and no favour'
will be the motto of your congregation." The caution falls chillingly upon the ear. I believe not
one word of it. Not to judge the preacher, .but to hear the Word; not to say "The sermon was
long," but to say, "On this day God has provided me with a sweet solace of heavenly hope and
spiritual communion; and now I depart, warmed, cheered, edified for another week's labour, and
for the everlasting rest beyond" — this shall be the attitude of your ear and heart as you listen to
the voice of your minister.
(Dean Vaughan.)
Difficulties of the pastoral office
R. Erskine, D. D.I. I shall briefly survey SOME OF THE MANY AND IMPORTANT DUTIES
OF THE PASTORAL OFFICE. Christ crucified, and salvation through Him; the law, as a
schoolmaster, to bring men to Christ; and exhorting the disciples of Jesus to adorn His doctrine
ought to be our chief themes. A comprehensive knowledge of Christian faith and practice. Great
skill is requisite to explain the sublime mysteries of our holy faith, to unfold their mutual
connections and dependencies, and so to demonstrate their certainty, that the sincere lover of
truth may be convinced, and even the captious silenced. Our task, however, would be
comparatively easy were men lovers of truth and holiness. Add to all this that the genius,
spiritual condition, and outward circumstances of our hearers are various; and a manner of
address proper for some would be improper for others. But our services are not confined to the
pulpit, or to closet preparation for it. It is one important branch of our work, to instruct and
catechise the young and ignorant in the first principles of religion. Parochial visitation, if
managed in a way easy to plan, I will not say easy to execute, would be equally useful.
Reconciling differences is a work highly suitable to the character of ambassadors of the Prince of
Peace. In private reproof, what zeal for God, and what tender compassion for perishing souls are
needful to overcome that aversion every good-natured man must feel, to tell another he has done
amiss. There is another duty incumbent on ministers as such, more difficult than any I have yet
mentioned, and that is, to show themselves patterns of good works (Titus 2:7).
II. I shall now complete the argument by considering THE TEMPTATIONS AND
OPPOSITION WHICH MAY PROBABLY ARISE TO DIVERT US FROM THE RIGHT
DISCHARGE OF THE DUTIES OF OUR OFFICE. Ministers, though bound to exemplary
holiness, are men of like passions and infirmities with others, and equally exposed to be seduced
by Satan, the world, and the flesh. But our chief danger arises from indwelling corruption. Our
office obliges us to preach and pray on many occasions when our frames are dull and languid.
Discouragement may have a fatal influence. Once more. As we grow older aversion to fatigue
and love of ease grow upon us. Judge from the whole of what has been said, if the work of the
ministry is so easy, as many, through ignorance or inadvertency, are apt to imagine.
(R. Erskine, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(15) We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ.—If
we believe this Epistle to have been written from Philippi, it is interesting to note the recurrence

of the same imagery of a “sweet savour” in the Epistle to that Church (Philippians 4:18). Here
the mind of the writer turns to the sterner, sadder side of the Roman triumph. Some who
appeared in that triumph were on their way to deliverance, some on their way to perish (this is
the exact rendering of the words translated saved and lost), and this also has its analogue in the
triumph of Christ. He does not shrink from that thought. In his belief in the righteousness and
mercy of Christ, he is content to leave the souls of all men to His judgment. He will not the less
do his work as incense-bearer, and let the “sweet savour” of the knowledge of God be wafted
through the words which it has been given him to utter. All things are for His glory, for His
righteousness will be seen to have been working through all.
Benson CommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/2_corinthians/2-15.htm"2 Corinthians 2:15-16. For
we — The preachers of the gospel, the apostles especially; are unto God a sweet odour of Christ
— He is well pleased with this perfume diffused by us, with this incense of his name and gospel,
which we spread abroad both in them that believe, love, and obey, and are therefore saved, and
in them that obstinately disbelieve, and disobey, and consequently perish. To the one — Those
that believe not; we are the odour of death unto death — The fragrancy, so rich in itself, instead
of reviving, destroys them, and is efficacious to bring on death in its most dreadful forms. The
gospel, which we preach to them, finds them dead in sin; that Isaiah , 1 st, under guilt, and a
sentence of condemnation to the second death; and, 2d, in a state of alienation from the life of
God, and carnally minded, which is death, Ephesians 4:18; Romans 8:6. It offers them
acquittance from condemnation, and the Holy Spirit to unite them to God, and render them
spiritually minded, which is life and peace. But it being disbelieved and rejected by them, they
become more guilty, and condemned to greater punishment, and further removed from all union
with, and conformity to, God. The expression, therefore, of death unto death, is perfectly just in
this point of view; and is still more so if interpreted of the progress of such from spiritual death
on earth to eternal death in hell. And to the other, we are the odour of life unto life — The gospel
revives them; acquits them from condemnation; justifies them; and thereby entitles them to
eternal life, Titus 3:7. It also opens an intercourse between God and their souls, communicates to
them the life of grace, with a continual increase thereof, John 10:10, and then brings them to the
life of glory. This seems an easy exposition of the passage. But Macknight thinks that the apostle
alludes here, not to the powerful effects of strong perfumes on different persons, but to another
circumstance, namely, that, in the triumphs of the ancients, “the captives of greatest note
followed the triumphal chariot in chains, and that some of them had their lives granted to them;
but others were put to death immediately after the procession ended. Wherefore to such, the
smell of the flowers and of the incense, with which the procession was accompanied, was οσμη
θανατου εις θανατον, a deadly smelling, ending in their death. But to those captives who had
their lives granted to them, this was οσμη ζωης εις ζωην, a smell of life; a vivifying, refreshing
smell, which ended in life to them. In allusion,” he adds, “to the method of a triumph, the apostle
represents Christ as a victorious general, riding in a triumphal procession through the world,
attended by his apostles, prophets, evangelists, and other ministers of the gospel, and followed by
all the idolatrous nations as his captives. Among these, the preachers of the gospel diffused the
smell of the knowledge of Christ, which, to those who believed on him, was a vivifying smell
ending in life to them. But to the unbelievers the smell of the knowledge of Christ was a smell of
death, ending in death if they continued in unbelief.” And who is sufficient for these things — So
great and weighty as they are? Who is fit to bear such an important charge? Who should
undertake it without trembling? Certainly, as the apostle’s question implies, the eternal
destruction of those who perish may be sometimes ascribed, in some measure, to the ignorance,

unfaithfulness, or negligence of the minister appointed to preach the gospel to them, and watch
over their souls; in which case, their blood will be required at his hands. As for instance, 1st, If
he does not know the truth, as it is in Jesus himself. 2d, Does not make it fully known to others.
3d, Does not do this with seriousness and deep concern. 4th, Is not diligent in this work, in
season and out of season; constant and persevering. 5th, If he does not water the seed sown with
his prayers, and watch over the souls committed to his care, as one that must give an account.
Who is sufficient? 1st, Not those who do not know God and his gospel themselves, and therefore
cannot make them known to others. 2d, Not those who have not God’s honour at heart, and know
not the worth of souls and the importance of saving them. 3d, Not those, of whatever
denomination they may be, who are pursuing worldly gain, honour, pleasure, or ease. The
hireling careth not for the sheep. 4th, Not the careless, negligent, slothful, self-indulgent
watchmen. 5th, Not they to whom God has not given just and clear views of the great doctrines
of the gospel, and of God’s will and man’s duty, nor has opened to them a door of utterance. 6th,
Not those who think themselves sufficient, and engage in this great work depending on their
natural abilities, or on the mere aids of human learning. For none are sufficient of themselves, or
without the powerful influence of God’s Spirit.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary2:12-17 A believer's triumphs are all in Christ. To him be
the praise and glory of all, while the success of the gospel is a good reason for a Christian's joy
and rejoicing. In ancient triumphs, abundance of perfumes and sweet odours were used; so the
name and salvation of Jesus, as ointment poured out, was a sweet savour diffused in every place.
Unto some, the gospel is a savour of death unto death. They reject it to their ruin. Unto others,
the gospel is a savour of life unto life: as it quickened them at first when they were dead in
trespasses and sins, so it makes them more lively, and will end in eternal life. Observe the awful
impressions this matter made upon the apostle, and should also make upon us. The work is great,
and of ourselves we have no strength at all; all our sufficiency is of God. But what we do in
religion, unless it is done in sincerity, as in the sight of God, is not of God, does not come from
him, and will not reach to him. May we carefully watch ourselves in this matter; and seek the
testimony of our consciences, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that as of sincerity, so speak
we in Christ and of Christ.
Barnes' Notes on the BibleFor we are unto God - We who are his ministers, and who thus
triumph. It is implied here that Paul felt that ministers were laboring for God, and felt assured
that their labors would be acceptable to him. The object of Paul in the statement, in this and in
the following verses, is undoubtedly to meet the charges of his detractors and enemies. He says,
therefore, that whatever was the result of his labors in regard to the future salvation of people;
yet, that his well-meant endeavors, and labors, and self-denials in preaching the gospel, were
acceptable to God. The measure of God's approbation in the case was not his success, but his
fidelity, his zeal, his self-denial, whatever might be the reception of the gospel among those who
heard it.
A sweet savor - Like the smell of pleasant incense, or of grateful aromatics, such as were burned
in the triumphal processions of returning conquerors. The meaning is, that their labors were
acceptable to God; he was pleased with them, and would bestow on them the smiles and proofs
of his approbation. The word rendered here as "sweet savor" (εὐωδία euōdia) occurs only in this
place, and in Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 4:18; and is applied to persons or things well-pleasing to
God. It properly means good odor, or fragrance, and in the Septuagint it is frequently applied to
the incense that was burnt in the public worship of God and to sacrifices in general; Genesis

8:21; Exodus 29:18, Exodus 29:25, Exodus 29:41; Leviticus 1:9, Leviticus 1:13, Leviticus 1:17;
Leviticus 2:2, Leviticus 2:9,Leviticus 2:12; Leviticus 3:5, Leviticus 3:16; Leviticus 4:31, etc.
Here it means that the services of Paul and the other ministers of religion were as grateful to God
as sweet incense, or acceptable sacrifices.
Of Christ - That is, we are Christ's sweet savor to God: we are that which he has appointed, and
which he has devoted and consecrated to God; we are the offering, so to speak, which he is
continually making to God.
In them that are saved - In regard to them who believe the gospel through our ministry and who
are saved. Our labor in carrying the gospel to them, and in bringing them to the knowledge of the
truth, is acceptable to God. Their salvation is an object of his highest desire, and he is gratified
with our fidelity, and with our success. This reason why their work was acceptable to God is
more fully stated in the following verse, where it is said that in reference to them they were the
"savor of life unto life." The word "saved" here refers to all who become Christians, and who
enter heaven; and as the salvation of people is an object of such desire to God, it cannot but be
that all who bear the gospel to people are engaged in an acceptable service, and that all their
efforts will be pleasing to him, and approved in his sight In regard to this part of Paul's
statement, there can be no difficulty.
And in them that perish - In reference to them who reject the gospel, and who are finally lost. It
is implied here:
(1) That some would reject the gospel and perish, with whatever fidelity and self-denial the
ministers of religion might labor.
(2) that though this would be the result, yet the labors of the ministers of religion would be
acceptable to God. This is a fearful and awful declaration, and has been thought by many to be
attended with difficulty. A few remarks may present the true sense of the passage, and remove
the difficulty from it:
(a) It is not affirmed or implied here that the destruction of those who would reject the gospel,
and who would perish, was desired by God or would be pleasing to him. This is nowhere
affirmed or implied in the Bible.
(b) It is affirmed only that the labors of the ministers of religion in endeavoring to save them
would be acceptable and pleasing to God. Their labors would be in order to save them, not to
destroy them.
Their desire was to bring all to heaven - and this was acceptable to God. Whatever might be the
result, whether successful or not, yet God would be pleased with self-denial, and toil, and prayer
that was honestly and zealously put forth to save others from death. They would be approved by
God in proportion to the amount of labor, zeal, and fidelity which they evinced.
(3) it would be by no fault of faithful ministers that people would perish. Their efforts would be
to save them, and those efforts would be pleasing to God.
(4) it would be by no fault of the gospel that people would perish. The regular and proper
tendency of the gospel is to save, not to destroy men; as the tendency of medicine is to heal
them, of food to support the body, of air to give vitality, of light to give pleasure to the eye, etc.
It is provided for all, and is adapted to all. There is a sufficiency in the gospel. for all people, and
in its nature it is as really suited to save one as another. Whatever may be the manner in which it
is received, it is always in itself the same pure and glorious system; full of benevolence and

mercy. The bitterest enemy of the gospel cannot point to one of its provisions that is adapted or
designed to make people miserable, and to destroy them. All its provisions are adapted to
salvation; all its arrangements are those of benevolence; all the powers and influences which it
originates, are those which are suited to save, not to destroy people. The gospel is what it is in
itself - a pure, holy, and benevolent system, and is answerable only for effects which a pure,
holy, and benevolent system is suited to produce. To use the beautiful language of Theodoret, as
quoted by Bloomfield: "We indeed bear the sweet odor of Christ's gospel to all; but all who
participate in it do not experience its salutiferous effects. Thus, to diseased eyes even the light of
heaven is noxious; yet the sun does not bring the injury. And to those in a fever, honey is bitter;
yet it is sweet nevertheless. Vultures too, it is said, fly away from sweet odors of myrrh; yet
myrrh is myrrh though the vultures avoid it, Thus, if some be saved, though others perish, the
gospel retains its own virtue, and we the preachers of it remain just as we are; and the gospel
retains its odorous and salutiferous properties, though some may disbelieve and abuse it, and
perish." Yet:
(5) It is implied that the gospel would be the occasion of heavier condemnation to some, and that
they would sink into deeper ruin in consequence of its being preached to them. This is implied in
the expression in 2 Corinthians 2:16, "to the one we are a savor of death unto death." In the
explanation of this, we may observe:
(a) That those who perish would have perished at any rate. All were under condemnation
whether the gospel had come to them or not. None will perish in consequence of the gospel's
having been sent to them who would not have perished had it been unknown. People do not
perish because the gospel is sent to them, but for their own sins.
continued...
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary15. The order is in Greek, "For (it is) of Christ (that)
we are a sweet savor unto God"; thus, the "for" justifies his previous words (2Co 2:14), "the
savor of His (Christ's) knowledge." We not only scatter the savor; but "we are the sweet savor"
itself (So 1:3; compare Joh 1:14, 16; Eph 5:2; 1Jo 2:27).
in them that are saved—rather, "that are being saved … that are perishing" (see on [2307]1Co
1:18). As the light, though it blinds in darkness the weak, is for all that still light; and honey,
though it taste bitter to the sick, is in itself still sweet; so the Gospel is still of a sweet savor,
though many perish through unbelief [Chrysostom, Homilies, 5.467], (2Co 4:3, 4, 6). As some of
the conquered foes led in triumph were put to death when the procession reached the capitol, and
to them the smell of the incense was the "savor of death unto death," while to those saved alive,
it was the "savor of life," so the Gospel was to the different classes respectively.
and in them—in the case of them. "Those being saved" (2Co 3:1-4:2): "Those that are perishing"
(2Co 4:3-5).
Matthew Poole's Commentary For the God whom we serve doth not judge of us, nor will reward
us, according to our success, but according to our faithfulness and diligence in his work. We give
unto all a good savour by our doctrine; and our labours are a sweet savour in the nostrils of God,
whatever effects they have upon souls. God accepteth of our labours as to good men, to whom
we are instruments of eternal life and salvation; and though others despise the gospel, and refuse
the sweet sound of it, yet as to them also we are a sweet savour in the nostrils of God: Though
Israel be not saved, (saith the prophet, Isaiah 49:5), yet I shall be glorified. It is not for any
neglect in us, as to our duty, if any perish, but from their own wilfulness and perverseness.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleFor we are unto God a sweet savour,.... Here a reason is
given, why the savour of the knowledge of God in Christ is made manifest by the ministers of
the Gospel, because they themselves are a sweet savour; not that they are so in themselves, for
they have the same corrupt hearts and natures, and complain of them as other men; but as having
the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, comparable to fragrant and sweet smelling ointments,
Sol 1:3, by which they are enabled to preach the savoury doctrines of the Gospel, and to adorn
and recommend them by their exemplary lives and conversations: the allusion is to Aaron and
the priests under the law, who were anointed with the anointing oil, which was poured upon their
heads, ran down upon their beards, and descended to the skirts of their garments, so that they
were all over a perfume, a sweet smell and savour; and so are the ministers of the word, being
anointed with that, which the other was typical of. They are said to be a sweet savour
of Christ, because they have their gifts, grace, and Gospel from him, and he is the subject of their
ministry; so that this sweet savour of theirs, is not properly theirs, but his, whose person, blood,
righteousness, sacrifice, grace, and the fulness of it, as held forth in the Gospel ministry, are
sweet and savoury to believers. Moreover, it is "unto God" they are such a savour, not unto men,
mere carnal men, for with them they are the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things;
but they are grateful and well pleasing to the Lord, as their ministrations make for, and show
forth his honour and glory: and this they are
in them that are saved, who are chosen by God unto salvation, for whom Christ has wrought it
out, to whom it is applied by the Spirit of God, who are heirs of it, and are kept unto it, and for it,
by the power of God, and shall certainly enjoy it: yea, they are a sweet savour
in them that perish, all mankind are, through sin, in a perishing condition: some of them shall
never perish; but are, and shall be saved with an everlasting salvation: others will perish in their
sins, to which they are abandoned; and what sense the ministers of the Gospel are a savour in
these is shown in the following verse.
Geneva Study Bible{3} For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved,
and in them that perish:
(3) He denies that anything should be taken away from the dignity of his apostleship, because
they saw that it was not received with like success in every place. But rather very many rejected
and detested him, seeing that he preached Christ not only as a saviour of those that believe, but
also as a judge of those that condemn him.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/2_corinthians/2-15.htm"2 Corinthians 2:15 f. Further
confirmatory development of the previous καὶ τ. ὀσμὴν κ.τ.λ., in which, however, Paul does not
keep to the continuity of the figure, but, with his versatility of view, now represents the apostolic
teachers themselves as odou.
Χριστοῦ εὐωδία] may mean a perfume produced by Christ, or one filled with Christ, breathing of
Christ. The latter (Calvin, Estius, Bengel, Rückert, Osiander, and most expositors; comp. also
Hofmann) corresponds better with the previous ὀσμὴ τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ, and is more in keeping
with the emphasis which the prefixed Χριστοῦ has, because otherwise the εὐωδία would remain
quite undefined as regards its essential quality. The sense of the figurative expression is: for our
working stands in the specific relation to God, as a perfume breathing of Christ. The image itself
is considered by most (comp. Ritschl in the Jahrb. für d. Th. 1863, p. 258) as borrowed from the

sacrificial fragrance (so also Billroth, Rückert, Olshausen, de Wette, Osiander, Ewald), on which
account appeal is made to the well-known ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας of the LXX., ֵ‫י‬‫יח‬ ‫ִנ‬ ֵ‫י‬ ַ, Leviticus 1:9;
Leviticus 1:13; Leviticus 1:17, al. But as Paul, wherever else he uses the image of sacrifice,
marks it distinctly, as Ephesians 5:2, Php 4:18, and in the present passage the statedly used ὀσμὴ
εὐωδίας does not stand at all, it is more probable that he was not thinking of an odour of sacrifice
(which several, like Billroth, Ewald, Ritschl, find already in ὀσμή, 2 Corinthians 2:14), but of the
odours of incense that accompanied the triumphal procession; these are to God a fragrance,
redolent to Him of Christ. That in this is symbolized the relation of the acceptableness to God of
the apostolic working, is seen from the very word chosen, εὐωδία, which Hofmann misconstrues
by explaining τῷ θεῷ to God’s service.
καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλ.] and among those, who are incurring eternal death; comp. 2 Corinthians 4:3.
See on 1 Corinthians 1:18. Grotius strangely wishes to supply here κακωδία ex vi contrariorum.
It is, in fact, the relation to God that is spoken of, according to which the working of the apostle
is to Him εὐωδία, whether the odour be exhaled among σωζομένοι or ἀπολλυμένοι. Comp.
Chrysostom. To take ἐν in the sense of operative on (Osiander) anticipates what follows. Comp.
2 Corinthians 4:3.—2 Corinthians 2:16 specifies now the different relation of this odour to the
two classes. Paul, however, does not again use εὐωδία, but the in itself indifferent ὀσμή, because
the former would be unsuitable for the first half, while the latter suits both halve.
ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον] an odour, which arises from death and produces death. The source,
namely, of the odour is Christ, and He, according to the idea of the λίθος τοῦ προσκόμματος
(Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8; Acts 4:11), is for those who refuse the faith the author of eternal
death.[151] For them, therefore, in accordance with their inward attitude towards Him, Christ,
the source of the odour, i.e. of the apostolic activity, is death, and also the effect is death, though
Christ in Himself is and works eternal life. Comp. Matthew 21:44; Luke 2:34. Hence Christ, by
means of the κρίσις which He brings with Him, is the source respectively of death and life,
according as His preaching is accepted by one to salvation, is rejected by another to destruction.
In the latter case the blame of Christ’s being θάνατος, although he is, as respects His nature and
destination, ζωή, lies on the side of man in his resistance and stubbornness. Comp. 1 Corinthians
1:23, also John 9:39; John 3:18 f., John 12:48. “Semper ergo distinguendum est proprium
evangelii officium ab accidentali (ut ita loquar), quod hominum pravitati imputandum est, qua
fit, ut vita illis vertatur in mortem,” Calvin. Comp. Düsterdieck on 1 John, I. p. 166. This, at the
same time, in opposition to Rückert, who objects that the apostolic activity and preaching can in
no way be regarded as proceeding from θάνατος, and who therefore prefers the Recepta,[152] in
which Reiche and Neander agree. Gregory of Nyssa remarks aptly in Oecumenius: ΚΑΤᾺ ΤῊΝ
ΠΡΟΣΟῦΣΑΝ ἙΚΆΣΤῼ ΔΙΆΘΕΣΙΝ Ἢ ΖΩΟΠΟΙῸς ἘΓΈΝΕΤΟ, Ἢ ΘΑΝΑΤΗΦΌΡΟς Ἡ
ΕὔΠΝΟΙΑ. Quite similar forms of expression are found in the Rabbins, who often speak of an
aroma (‫ס‬ֵ‫,ם‬ see Buxt. Lex. Talm. p. 1494; L. Cappellus on the passage), or odor vitae and mortis,
see in Wetstein and Schoettge.
καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;] This no longer depends on the ὅτι of 2 Corinthians 2:15 (Hofmann),
a connection to which the interrogatory form would be so thoroughly unsuitable that no reader
could have lighted on it; but after Paul has expressed the great, decisive efficacy of his calling,
there comes into his mind the crowd of disingenuous teachers as a contrast to that exalted
destination of the office, and with the quickly interjected καί he hence asks with emotion: And

who is for this (i.e. for the work symbolized in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16) fit? Who is qualified for
this? The ΤΊς is intentionally pushed towards the end of the question, in order to arrest reflection
at the important ΠΡῸς ΤΑῦΤΑ, and then to bring in the question itself by surprise. Comp.
Herod. v. 33: ΣΟῚ ΔῈ ΚΑῚ ΤΟΎΤΟΙΣΙ ΤΟῖΣΙ ΠΡΆΓΜΑΣΙ ΤΊ ἜΣΤΙ; Plat. Conv. p. 204 D: ὁ
ἐρῶν τῶν καλῶν τί ἐρᾷ; Xen. Cyr. iv. 6, 8; Romans 8:24; Ephesians 4:9; Acts 11:17.
[151] Θάνατος and ζωή are to be understood both times of eternal life and death. The contrast of
σωζομένοι and ἀπολλυμένοι permits no other interpretation: comp. 2 Corinthians 7:10. Ewald
takes ἐκ θανάτου of temporal death and ἐκ ζωῆς of temporal life: from the former we fall into
eternal death, and from the temporal life we come into the eternal.
[152] According to the Recepta, which Hofmann also follows, ὀσμὴ ζωῆς is life-giving odour,
and ὀσμὴ θανάτου is deadly odour; εἰς θάνατ. and εἰς ζ. would then be solemn additions of the
final result, which actually ensues from the life-giving deadly power of the odour. According to
Hofmann, the genitives are intended to mean: in which they get to smell of death and of life
respectively. But comp. expressions like ἄρτος τ. ζωῆς, φῶς τ. ζωῆς, λόγος ζωῆς, ῥήματα ζωῆς.
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK "/2_corinthians/2-15.htm"2 Corinthians 2:15. ὅτι Χρ.
εὐωδία κ.τ.λ.: for we are a sweet savour of Christ unto God. Not only “through us” is the ὀσμή
made manifest; we ourselves in so far as we realise and manifest our membership of Christ are,
in fact, that εὐωδία. The influence of the lives of the saints is sweet and penetrative, like that of
incense. From this verse comes the phrase “the odour of sanctity”.—ἐν τοῖς σωζομένοις καὶ
κ.τ.λ.: among them that are being saved and among them that are perishing. It is difficult to
understand why the American Committee of Revisers objected to this rendering, and translated
“are saved … perish”. The force of the present participles ought not to be overlooked (see reff.);
men in this world are either in the way of life or the way of death, but their final destiny is not to
be spoken of as fixed and irrevocable while they are in the flesh. Free will involves the
possibility alike of falling away from a state of grace, or of repentance from a state of sin. But for
men of either class is a Christian life lived in their midst, a εὐωδία Χριστοῦ.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges15. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ] The
form of the expression is here altered in two ways: (1) the Apostle himself now becomes the
‘sweet savour,’ while (2) the idea of sacrifice is first brought in. The Apostle now uses the phrase
used in the LXX. for a sacrificial odour (see note on last verse). The ministers of Christ are a
sweet savour of Him, the great Atoning Sacrifice, not only because they make Him known, but
because they are imbued and interpenetrated with the spirit of His Sacrifice, ‘always bearing
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.’ And this not only in themselves but in those to
whom they minister the Spirit of the Lord (cf. ch. 2 Corinthians 3:3) as soon as they in their turn
begin to display the same spirit, or even in a certain sense (see next note) when they do not. See
Ephesians 5:2; Php 4:18.
in them that are saved, and in them that perish] The tense in the original speaks of no completed
work, but is strictly present: those who are in process of being saved or of perishing. Cf. Luke
13:23; Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 1:18; ch. 2 Corinthians 4:3. The imagery of the triumphal
procession is still before the Apostle. Some of those who took part in it were destined to rewards
and honours, others were doomed to perpetual imprisonment or death. Christ and His servants
are a savour of life unto them who are in the way of salvation, because through conformity to the
spirit of Christ’s sacrifice arises conformity to His life, a savour of death unto those who are not

in the way of salvation, because a deliverance refused does but make destruction inevitable. Cf.
Matthew 21:44; Luke 2:34; John 3:18-20; John 9:39; John 12:48; John 15:22.
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK "/2_corinthians/2-15.htm"2 Corinthians 2:15. Εὐωδία) a sweet
savour, i.e., powerful, grateful to the godly, offensive to the ungodly. The savour of Christ
pervades us, as the odour of aromatics pervades garments.—ἐν) in the case of.—σωζομένοις·
ἀπολλυμένοις, in them, who are saved; in them, who perish) To which class each may belong, is
evident from the manner in which he receives the Gospel. Of the former class he treats, 2
Corinthians 3:1 to 2 Corinthians 4:2; of the latter, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6.—ἀπολλυμένοις, in them
that are perishing) 2 Corinthians 4:3.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 15. - We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ. The undeveloped
metaphor involved in these words is that "we and our preaching diffuse to God's glory the
knowledge of Christ which is as a sweet savour." The apostles are identified with their work;
they were as the incense, crushed and burned, but diffusing everywhere a waft of perfume. St.
Paul is still thinking of the incense burnt in the streets of Rome during a triumph - "Dabimusque
Divis Tura benignis" (Horace, 'Od.,' 4:2.51) - though his expression recalls the "odour of a sweet
smell," of Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17 (comp. Ephesians 5:2); see on this passage the excellent note of
Bishop Wordsworth. In them that are saved, and in them that perish; rather, among those who are
perishing and those who are being saved (comp. Acts 2:47). The odour is fragrant to God, though
those who breathe it may be variously affected by it.
Vincent's Word StudiesA sweet savor of Christ (Χριστοῦ εὐωδία)
Compare Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 4:18. As so often in Paul's writings, the figure shifts; the
apostolic teachers themselves being represented as an odor, their Christian personality redolent
of Christ. It is not merely a sweet odor produced by Christ, but Christ Himself is the savor which
exhales in their character and work.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
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SERIES:Powerthrough Weakness SERMON:How Do You Smell?
SCRIPTURE:2 Cor. 2:12-17 SPEAKER: MichaelP. Andrus DATE:
October9, 2005

Last Decemberour church staff had its annual Christmas party. We did one
of those white elephant gift exchanges where a person opens a gift, but if he
doesn’t want it, he can take someone else’sgift or pick out a new one. Well,
the wife of one of our pastors, who shall remain anonymous for reasons you
will shortly understand, opened a box of scentedcandles. She was having
some bad sinus trouble, and after sniffing the candles she said, “I don’t smell
very good.” Whatshe meant, of course, is that she couldn’t distinguish one
odor from another, but her dear, always encouraging,always uplifting
husband (whose initials are Dick High) immediately remarked, “Maybe you
should take a bath.” And for the restof the evening she was the brunt of much
good-natured kidding. In fact, to this day it is not unusual for one of the
pastors to ask Sheri, “How do you smell today?” (She’s gota wonderful
attitude, by the way, and tolerates these brutes quite well!). And, by the way,
she also gave me permission to tell this story.
The Scriptures do not often ask us to think about the aroma we exude, but in
2 Corinthians 2 the Apostle Paul does just that. He challenges us with what I
like to call “the doctrine of smell,” and it has nothing to do with how our
sinuses are working; rather it has everything to do with the spiritual odor we
are producing. Let’s begin by reading our Scripture text, 2 Cor. 2:12-17:Now
when I went to Troas to preach the gospelof Christ and found that the Lord
had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find
my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal processionin Christ
and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance ofthe knowledge ofhim.
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and
those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the
fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not
peddle the word of Godfor profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before
God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

Paul found discouragementdespite an open door. (12, 13)
Have you ever done a study of “open doors” in the New Testament? In Acts
14:27 Paul returns from his first missionary journey to report how God had
opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. In Col. 4:3 he asks forprayer “that
God may open a door for our message.”We might be tempted to define as
open door as a path that has been clearedof obstacles. But that would not be
completely accurate. In 1 Cor. 16:9 Paul is explaining to the Corinthians why
he has delayed a planned visit to them, and he says, “I will stay on at Ephesus
until Pentecost,becausea greatdoor for effective work has openedto me, and
there are many who oppose me.” Obviously, an open door cannotbe equated
with an absence ofobstacles oropposition; rather an open door is simply a
call of God to share the truth whether there is opposition or not. Returning to
2 Cor. 2:12, 13, we find that Paul has gone to Troas, north of Ephesus on the
coastofTurkey, and the Lord has opened a door of ministry for him there.
But then in the very next verse Paul says, “I still had no peace of mind,
because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and
went on to Macedonia.”Now Iwant to share a conviction I have–that
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Paul was not always right in his actions. When he was writing Scripture he
had the unique ministry of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that enabled him
to write truth and nothing but the truth, but Paul was human and sometimes
made mistakes in his personallife, and I suspectthis was one of those times.
God opened a door for him to preach the Gospel, but he didn’t take it. Instead
he moved on to Macedonia,hoping to find his friend Titus so he could get
word about how the church at Corinth was doing. Was this what we would

call a wilful sin or a purposeful actof disobedience? No, I don’t think so. I
suspectit was more in the nature of a lack of faith that gripped him in a weak
moment and causedhim to seek his own personalpeace ofmind overa
ministry opportunity. But at leasthe was honest about it. Paul makes no
pretense of invincibility. He says in effect, “I was so worried I couldn’t
concentrate onministry, and I left.” I like what J. Philip Arthur says about
this incident: If the church of Christ is to survive well into the third
millennium, one vital component of her well-being will be the quality of her
leadership. (Now you might expectArthur to say, “We need leaders who take
advantage of the doors God opens,” but he doesn’t. Instead here’s what he
says). Which would you prefer–a leaderwho exudes an aura of strength, or
one who makes no attempt to concealhis weaknesses?Which of the two is
more likely to rely on God? And what about ourselves? How far are we like
Paul? Are we real, or do we pretend?i
Paul was honestabout his weakness. ButI discovera very encouraging truth
in the next verse, namely that God doesn’t abandon us when we fail to walk
through open doors. He doesn’tsay, “Well, I gave you an opportunity and you
didn’t take it, so I’m through with you.” Thank goodness!On the contrary,
God keeps opening doors for us, leading us, guiding us, encouraging us,
especiallywhen He perceives that our hearts are right toward Him.
Paul found encouragementin the continual leading of a sovereignGod. (14-
16a)
Verse 14 reads, “But thanks be to God who always leads us . . .” We don’t
always follow, but God always leads. We don’t always see the path clearly, but
God works all things after the counselof His own will and for our good. We
usually see His leading easierafterthe factthan during the process,but it’s
always there. I’ll share a case in point. Two years ago this past week I had a
greatdeal of unrest in my ownheart about the ministry in St. Louis where I

had been serving for almost 20 years. I was in Arkansas on my study month
and had driven to Kansas City for a speaking engagement. Since I was so close
to Wichita I calledDan Wilson to see if I could stop by for a visit and spend
the night. He said it would be greatbecause a few of the Elders wantedto
meet with me anyway.
To make a long and complicated story as short and simple as possible, out of
that meeting came an invitation to return to Wichita as interim pastor. That
was not an easydecision;I wrestleda lot trying to discern God’s will in the
matter. There were so many issues to consider–shouldwe walk awayfrom 20
years’worth of relationships in St. Louis, what about our four grandkids who
lived a mile from us, how long would it be before the searchcommittee found
a new pastorand
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then what, should we buy a home in the face of such uncertainty, etc.? As has
often happened in my life, I had to make a decisionwithout a clear
understanding as to what the will of God was. But I see God’s leading in
retrospectvery clearly. I am absolutely convincedtoday that this is where we
should be at this point in our lives. We have fallen in love all over againwith
this church and even with Wichita. Would God have blessedus if we had
stayed in St. Louis? Probably. But I am so thankful that He led us as He did.
Twenty-five years ago I found a book that has been on my Top Ten list ever
since–DecisionMaking and the Will of God, by Gary Friesenand Robin
Paxson, a fellow-student from seminary and a fellow-Free Church pastor. The
theme of the book is that finding the will of Godis not like aiming at a target
and suffering His second-bestorthird-best if we miss the bull’s eye. Rather it

is primarily making sure that our decisions are in keeping with the
parameters of His Word, and then using the wisdom he has given us and the
godly counselors He has put in our path to make a wise decision. I believe
that’s the principal way God leads His people.
Paul was thankful for God’s leading in two primary ways:
God leads us to promised victory in Christ. “Godalways leads us in triumphal
processionin Christ.” Christus Victor was the battle cry of the early church.
The picture Paul paints here is one of the ancient Roman legions coming back
from victory againstone of their enemies.ii When a Romangeneralgained a
significant victory over the barbarians who menacedthe borders of the
empire, the emperor would reward his achievementby granting him a parade
in his honor. The victorious generalwould ride in a chariot at the head of a
long processionthrongedby cheering crowds. Behind him came the regiments
in their finest uniforms, their standards adorned with new battle honors. Then
came wagons loadedwith the spoils of war, and bringing up the rear were
captured enemy soldiers in chains, destined for executionor slavery.
To Paul the progress ofthe Gospel resembledone of these triumphal
processions. Obviouslyhe is taking the long view, because at any given point
of time there may be as much that looks like defeatas looks like victory in the
ministry, but he knew that ultimately Christ would be victorious. He knew
that he was participating as a common foot-soldierin a parade that focused
glory and honor on his commander.
God leads us to spreadeverywhere the fragrance ofthe knowledge ofChrist.
Firstcentury parades could not only be heard and seen; they could also be
smelled. It was the custom of the Romans to burn incense on either side of the
processionalroute, and the generaland his troops would make their way

through clouds of it. Paul continues his illustration: “Godalways leads us in
triumphal processionin Christ and through us spreads everywhere the
fragrance of the knowledge ofhim.”
Spreading the fragrance speaks ofinfluence, and we need to realize that
everywhere we go we are influencing the world’s attitude toward Christ. That
is a solemn responsibility. If our lives are attractive, if we care about people
because they are createdin the image of God, if we are hard workers and
responsible citizens, we will tend to draw people to the Savior. On the other
hand, if
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we are obnoxious, selfish, greedy, negative, or manipulative, and if at the same
time people are aware that we claim to be followers ofChrist, we cando
irreparable harm to His cause. Whetherwe like it or not, everyday we are
spreading the fragrance of the knowledge ofHim.
However, it is to God that the fragrance ofour lives is ultimately directed.
Look at verse 15:“Forwe are to God the aroma of Christ.” Although we
share the Gospelwith people, it is in reality God who is our audience. Pleasing
Him should be the passionof our lives. It was for Paul. Again and againHe
stressesthat he is not a man-pleaserbut a God-pleaser. Forexample, in 1
Thes. 2:4-6 he claims, “We are not trying to please men but God, who tests
our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to
coverup greed–Godis our witness. We were not looking for praise from men,
not from you or anyone else.” And in Galatians 1:10 he asks, “Am I now
trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men?
If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

The fact that our ultimate responsibility is to smell goodto Godis a critical
conceptfor us to grasp, because Paulwarns us that people will react
differently to us depending upon where they are coming from, or better,
where they are going, and we can easilydiscouragedby this fact if we don’t
keepour focus on God. Let’s read the restof verse 15 and 16, too. “Forwe are
to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who
are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance
of life.”
To the soldiers and the jubilant spectators ofthe Romanvictory parade, the
smell of incense was associatedwith the heady excitement of victory. However,
to the prisoners of war bringing up the rear, the same scenthad a vastly
different significance. The very bestthey could hope for was slavery; more
likely execution. What spoke ofsuccessand celebrationto one group spoke of
defeatand death to the other.
I think Paul is trying to communicate this basic truth: We shouldn’t smell the
same to everyone. We should smell like death to those who hate Christ and
His truth; we should smell like life to those who see their need of a Saviorand
respond. Let me explore that idea a little further with you by noting that sadly
many professing Christians smell the same all the time.
1. Sadly some people stink it up spiritually all the time. There are those who
profess the name of Christ but smell like death to everyone–believerand
unbeliever alike. I can’t help but think of the Phelps family and their
followers up in Topeka. With their signs that “Godhates faggots”and their
bitter denunciations of anyone who doesn’t follow their narrow portrayal of
Christianity, they have an impact for Christ that is almostuniversally
negative–to both believers and unbelievers alike. I cannotimagine how anyone
could come to know the God of grace through that kind of approach. Other

Christians stink it up with their demanding personalities, their sour-puss
attitudes, their legalism, their laziness.
2. Others are so sweetit’s sickening. You’ve met Christians who are just
sugary sweetwith everyone and about everything. In the October3 issue of U.
S. New & World Report there is an interview with the “smilin’ preacher,”
JoelOsteenof LakewoodChurch in Houston, who never
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preaches anything but encouragement. He wouldn’t denounce sin if it hit him
upside the head. In fact, in this interview he comments about why he doesn’t
preach againstabortion or homosexuality: “I think (these sorts of political
issues)divide us . . . . I know people are always asking, ‘Whatdo you think, is
this right?’ but I just think we’ve got to be open. I have always said, ‘I’m not
here to convict people or to condemn them.’” Well, I also don’t think the
pastor’s job is to condemn people, but if they don’t hear what’s right and
wrong from their pastor, where are they supposedto hear it?
Such an attitude exudes an aroma that is inoffensive to anyone. Even an
agnostic, a humanist, or a hedonist can enjoy the smell. But in the process
does that personunderstand anything about the Gospelor the demands for
discipleship?
3. Friends, Paul was willing to smell like death to some in order to be the
fragrance of Christ to others. Verse 16:“To the one (the committed
unbeliever) we are the smell of death; to the other, (the seekerafterGod) the
fragrance of life.” In our church in St. Louis there were severalwomenwho

were extremely allergic to perfume, so we had to establisha fragrance-free
zone for them. While L’aire de Temp or Passionis a delightful fragrance to
most people, it was sickening to them and potentially deadly. In the spiritual
realm, the same phenomenon takes place. Some will be attracted to us; others
will reactwith disgust, finding Christ and His Gospelrepugnant.
Let me summarize this way: If everyone hates us, there is probably a love,
grace, ormercy deficiencyin your life; if everyone loves us, there is probably
a truth deficiency. There should be enough grace and mercy evident in our
actions that people whose hearts have been softenedby the Holy Spirit will see
the beauty of Christ in us, will be attractedto Him, and will respond to the
Gospelwhen we tell them that God loves them. At the same time there should
be enough bold truth emanating from our mouths that people who have been
blinded by Satan to the truth of the Gospelor have consciouslychosento live
godless lives will recoil from us and even hate us.
And friends, I would be the lastone to tell you that this balance is easyto
maintain. I couldn’t tell you how often I have offended sincere seekersafter
truth with my poor representationof Christ, or how often I have made God’s
enemies comfortable by smelling sweetwhenwhat they needed was bold
truth. I am only slightly comforted by the factthat the Apostle Paul struggled
similarly. In fact, he asks at the end of verse 16:“And who is equal to such a
task?”
Paul found awe in his calling. (16b, 17)To smell right to the right audience
actually may be one of the most difficult assignments in the Christian life. The
way we live our lives and the way we share our faith has tremendous
consequences. The weightof lostsouls is heavy, and any thoughtful Christian
will find himself asking the same question Paul asks here:“Who is equal to
such a task?” In the next chapter Paul will answerhis own question when he
states that by ourselves we are not sufficient; “our sufficiency comes from

God.” But here he teaches us by setting up a contrastbetweenhow he
responds to this task and how so many false teachers do it: “And who is equal
to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.
On the contrary, in Christ we
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speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.”
The response ofso many to the challenge ofspreading the fragrance of Christ
is to forget that their ultimate task is to please God, to forgetthat He is the
principal audience, to even forget that our goalis to influence the lost for
Christ. Instead they look at ministry as a business and a way of getting rich.
Paul refused to market his faith for profit. Please notice how he introduces
this thought: “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.”
Paul was apparently a rare bird in that there were no dollar signs in his
ministry plans. In fact, he generallyrefused even to acceptgifts for his
services;instead he chose to be bi-vocational; i.e. he earned his own living
expenses by making tents so that the could offer the Gospeltotally free. But
not even Paul expectedother preachers to do that. This was his own personal
choice and he made it clearthat it was perfectly alright for other ministers to
be paid for their services. It’s one thing, however, to be paid, even paid well,
for a job well done, and it’s quite another to peddle one’s ministry for profit.
This has been a common tragedy down through the centuries among the
people of God.

Balaamwas a prophet turned profiteer back in the days of Israel’s wandering
in the desert. He was a very interesting case, because like a lot of ministers he
said the right things about greed, but his heart was not in it. Some of you may
remember the story. Balak the king of MoabaskedBalaamthe prophet to put
a curse on the Israelites, who were camped nearby and seemedto be a threat
to him. Fora fee, of course. Balaamsaidhe needed to consult with the Lord,
who told him in no uncertain terms not to do it, so he declined the offer. Balak
was not easily discouragedhowever, andoffered to pay Balaamhandsomely
for a curse. And Balaamansweredbeautifully: “Evenif Balak gave me his
palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything greator small to go
beyond the command of the LORD my God” (Numbers 22:18).
Wow, how canyou beat that for commitment and obedience!But then he
made a fateful, and almost fatal, mistake by adding, “Now stayhere tonight as
the others did, and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me.” He didn’t
need to hear anything else from the Lord; God had already made His will
perfectly well-known. I believe Balaamwas trying to finagle and manipulate
the situation in order to get his commission. So God sentan angelto take his
life, and it was sparedonly when his donkey balked in the road and
subsequently lectured him–a fascinating story.
Nor is this the only example in Scripture of greedgetting the bestof God’s
servants. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, secretlyrequestedpayment for his
master’s ministry to Naaman the leper and ended up as a leper himself due to
the judgment of God. God sends Ezekielto denounce the spiritual shepherds
of Israel: “Son of man, prophesy againstthe shepherds of Israel;prophesy
and sayto them: ‘This is what the SovereignLORD says:Woe to the
shepherds of Israelwho only take care of themselves!Should not shepherds
take care of the flock? You eatthe curds, clothe yourselves with the wooland
slaughterthe choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.”

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Even today, or perhaps I should say especiallytoday, it’s a common thing for
pastors to hear the callof God when a biggerchurch with a higher salary has
a vacancy. It’s not unusual for megachurch pastors to rake in millions of
dollars in book sales–forbooks writtenon church time. And the temptation to
greedis not just affecting preaching pastors. Two years ago in St. Louis we
contacteda well-knownChristian musician who sings while playing the
piano–no entourage or orchestra or sets to haul around. We askedif he would
come and do a night of worship at our church. Sure, he said, for $22,000,plus
expenses, plus a percentage ofticketsales. We weren’teven wanting to sell
tickets–justofferour people an opportunity to worship, and we would have
paid him generouslyto do so. But $22,000?!!! Give me a break!
Ministry should not be for sale. Paul’s sure wasn’t.
His preaching was Christ-centered, God-honoring, and sincere. “Onthe
contrary,” says Paul (i.e., in contrastto these profit merchants), “in Christ we
speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” He spoke in Christ,
i.e. with Christ as his chief subject, his chief object, his chief motivator. He
spoke before God, as one sent from God, always aware that he was an
ambassadorwithout any authority of his own but rather with a solemn
responsibility to conveyhis Master’s message accurately, faithfully, and
completely. And he spoke with sincerity. Paul did not tailor his words to the
reactionof his hearers, he did not concealhis true motives, he did not pervert
the truth in order to curry favor and gain financially.

Conclusion:Well, let me return to the question I posedin my sermon title:
“How do you smell?” I’m not asking, ofcourse, about your olfactorysenses–
whether or not your sinuses are clogged;rather I’m thinking of how you
impact the people around you. Do you exude the smell of life and the smell of
death, depending upon the spiritual condition of the people around you?
You know something? Christ Himself has a dual effecton people. Peterquotes
the OT in 1 Peter 2:6-8 when he says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosenand
precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to
shame.” Now to you who believe this stone is precious. But to those who do not
believe, [it is]“A stone that causes mento stumble and a rock that makes them
fall.”
Is Jesus a precious stone to you, or is He a stumbling stone? He can be the
former if you will right now recognize your sin before God, acceptthe fact
that Jesus died in your place to forgive your sins, and then receive Him as
your personalSavior. ____________ i. J. Philip
Arthur, Strength in Weakness,59.
ii. Much of the description of Roman victory parades here is based upon
Arthur’s book.
BARCLAY
IN THE TRIUMPH OF CHRIST (2 Corinthians 2:12-17)
2:12-17 When we had come to Troas to tell the good news of Christ, even when a door of
opportunity stood open to us in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, because I did not find Titus,
my brother, there. But thanks be to God who at all times leads us in the train of his triumph in
Christ, and who, through us, displays the perfume of the knowledge of him in every place; for we
are the sweet scent of Christ in God to those who are destined for salvation and to those who are
destined for destruction. To the one we are a perfume from death, to the other a perfume from
life to life. And who is adequate for these tasks? We do not, as so many do, make a traffic of the

word of God but, as from utter purity of motives, as from God, in the very presence of God in
Christ we speak.
Paul begins by telling how his anxiety to know what was happening in Corinth made him so
restless that he could not wait in Troas, although a fruitful field was there, and sent him off to
meet Titus who had not yet arrived. Then comes his shout of triumph to God who brought all
things to a happy ending.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 are difficult to understand by themselves, but when set against the
background which was in Paul's thoughts they become a vivid picture. Paul speaks of being led
in the train of the triumph of Christ; and then he goes on to speak of being the sweet scent of
Christ to men, to some the perfume of death and to others the perfume of life.
BRIAN BELL
The Fragrance ofChrist!
I. Slide#1 Intro: A. Slide#2 Everhear the phrase, “they shoottheir own
wounded”, in reference to the church? 1. Many times it might be said of “any”
type of church discipline, that someone doesn’tlike. But here before us is an
example of a church doing exactly that. B. Slide#3 Outline: Feelings;
Forgiveness;Fragrance.
II. Slide#4 FEELINGS!(1-4) A. Quick refresher on why Paul didn’t come to
Corinth, but wrote them instead. 1. He wrote hoping the church would get
some matters straightenedout before he visited them. B. Paul’s goalwas
never to knock a man down, but to help him to getup!
III. Slide#5 FORGIVENESS!(5-11)A. Slide#6 GeneralOglethorpe(Gov. Of
Georgia)once saidto John Wesley, “I never forgive and I never forget.” To
which Wesleyreplied, “Then, Sir, I hope you never sin.” B. Background:
Read1 Cor.5:1,2. 1. The church previously ousted an immoral and
unrepentant believer. C. (5,6)This man no longer needed discipline but
needed forgiveness. D. Slide#7 Too severe – Martin Luther could scarcely
bear to pray the Lord’s Prayer because his own father had been so stern that
the word father painted a picture of grim terror to him. He used to say,
“Spare the rod spoil the child – yes;but, beside the rod keep an apple, to give

the child when he has done well.” E. Slide#8 This young man’s punishment
obviously led to Repentance...whichshould have leadthem to Forgiveness, so
as to prevent him from being swallowedup by too much sorrow!1. Next,
comfort needs to be given which will rebuild dignity. 2. Lastly, is to reaffirm
them of your love, which will give them purpose & direction to their life. F.
Majority – Oh, & just know, there will always be a minority that will never be
satisfied, & always cry, “still insufficient!”
G. Note the 3 action words in vs.7,8![forgive, comfort, reaffirm] H. (7) They
are warnedhere to forgive & bring comfort. I. (8) Reaffirm your love to him!
1
1. Slide#9 Story of reaffirming: Andor Foldes, before he died in 1992, recalled
how praise made all the difference for him early in his career. His first
recollectionofan affirming word was at age 7 when his father kissedhim and
thanked him for helping in the garden. He remembers it over 6 decades later,
as though it were yesterday. But the accountof another kiss that changedhis
life says a great dealabout our inner need for purpose. At age 16, living in
Budapest, Foldes was alreadya skilled pianist. But he was at his personalall-
time low because ofa conflict with his piano teacher. In the midst of that very
troubled year, however, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to
the city to perform. Emil von Sauerwas not only famous because of his
abilities at the piano, but he could also claim the notoriety of being the last
surviving pupil of Franz Liszt. Sauerrequested that young Foldes play for
him. Foldes obliged the master with some of the most difficult works of Bach,
Beethoven, and Schumann. When he finished, Sauerwalkedover to him and
kissedhim on the forehead. “My son,” he said, “whenI was your age I became
a student of Liszt. He kissedme on the foreheadafter my first lesson, saying,
‘Take goodcare of this kiss - it comes from Beethoven, who gave it me after
hearing me play.’ I have waited for years to pass on this sacredheritage, but
now I feelyou deserve it.”
2. To love to preach is one thing - To love those to whom we preach, quite
another! 3. “The goalof discipline is not removal; it’s restoration&

reconciliation.”1 4. “Ourforgiveness should be as swift as our discipline is
severe.” a)David waited2 years to restore Absalom! – 2 Sam 14. 5. Is there
anyone you still hold in bondage who has repented?
J. (11)Unforgiveness invites Satanto take advantage of us. K. Satan the
destroyeris quick to move in where there is a void of love & forgiveness.
Quickly filling that opening w/bitterness & division. 1. And his movements are
all by our invitation! 2. Slide#10 “The devil is like a mad dog that’s chained
up. He’s powerless to harm us when we are outside his reach, but once we
enter his circle, we expose ourselves againto injury or harm.”2 a) How sad
for those who have pitched their tent right dead center in Satan’s
campground… Oh, & no reservations needed!“Come & pitch your tent any
time!” b) Are you living in Unforgiveness? Are your words void of love?
2
1 Charles Swindoll, pg.32. 2 Aurelius Augustine, Leadership, Vol.9, no.2.
3. Don’t be ignorant of his devices!
IV. Slide#11 FRAGRANCE!(12-17)A. (12) Again, an open door doesn’t
always necessitate us walking through it. [A need doesn’t constitute a call!] 1.
Paul felt more compelledto find Titus then to minister in Troas!2. Do you
wait on hearing from the Lord, or do you just jump out on every opportunity?
B. Slide#12 (13)Titus gets the Pauline Service Award with 20 years as Paul's
co-worker. 1. Paultrusted him to take the $ collectedto the poor in Jerusalem.
2. He also picked Titus to deliver this very letter to Corinth(8:16,17). C. (14)
Notice the change here! – From, no rest in my spirit(13) to an incredible
outburst of emotions & Praise!D. From this verse through 6:10 Paul takes us
the deepestinto his ministry. E. Slide#13 A RomanTriumph! 1. The Roman
Triumph (triumpus) was a civil ceremonyand religious rite of ancient Rome,
held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievementof an army
commander who had won greatmilitary successes, ororiginally and
traditionally, one who had successfullycompleted a foreign war. (wikipedia)
F. William Barclaygives us a greatpicture of a Triumph! 1. In a Triumph,
the victorious generalmarches through the streets ofRome to the capitol in
the following order: a) 1stcame the State officials & then the Senate;then the

Trumpeters; then were carried the spoils (from the conqueredland); Then
came pictures of the conquered land & models of the conquered citadels &
ships; then were walkedthe captured princes, leaders, & generals in chains
(shortly to be thrown into prison & in all probability immediately to be
executed); then the lectors bearing their rods, followedby the musicians
w/their lyres; then the priests (pagan) swinging their censers w/the sweet-
smelling incense burning in them. After that came the Generalhimself (in a
chariot drawn by 4 horses). After him rode the family; & finally came the
army wearing their decorations & shouting Io Triumphe!…their cry of
Triumph! 2. Slide#14 When I was in Rome we saw the “Arch of Titus” that
depicted Titus’ triumph over Jerusalemin 70ad. Jesus predicted Mt.24:2 I say
to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown
down. G. Application: Christ our conqueror is in the lead(read14a), & we His
chosenwarriors follow close behind Him, enjoying the benefits of His
Triumph!
3
1. “At the cross Jesus undertook a battle that was not rightly His, so that we
might share in a triumph that is not rightly ours!”3
H. Slide#15blank One versionreads, “Thanks be to God, who through our
union w/Christ, leads us in one continual triumph.” 1. Is your life truly
Triumphant in Christ? 2. Remember He always leads us in His Triumph. I.
Knowledge of Him (NIV) - Jim Elliot wrote in his journals, “To stand by the
shadows ofa friendly tree with the wind tugging at your coattailand the
heavens hailing your heart, to gaze and glory and to give oneselfagainto God,
what more could a man ask? Oh, the fullness, pleasure, sheerexcitement of
knowing God on earth. I care not if I never raise my voice againfor Him, if
only I may love Him, please Him.”
J. (14b) In every place - A strange signgreets visitors to Vienna, Austria.
Translatedfrom the German, it says, "Welcome to Vienna, where the salt is in
the saltshaker." 1. Whatthey mean is that they “don't put salt on the streets
in the winter”! a) The church, however, must never make the same boast. We
are the salt of the earth, but we do no goodif we stay in the saltshaker.

Jesus was a pleasing aroma

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