2 Corinthians 2:12-17

12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia. 14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

There were several things pastor talked about in relation to these verses, but one of the most striking was his description of the “triumphs” of Ancient Rome. These were massive events that lasted about 3 days. The wealth of the conquered nations was displayed, along with their armaments and the captives, including the vanquished king. This is the kind of victory procession Paul was talking about when he said God leads us in triumph. It’s a noun, not an adjective!

We should lie in such a way that the smell of Christ is on us and in us, that we are part of Christ, inseparable. This he compared to a fruit smoothie. It is so mixed up together that you can no longer pick out the separate elements, it has become one thing.

Finally, he discussed the term peddling. The Greek word for this implies dishonesty, and selling shoddy goods for a quick buck. So Paul’s point was that he was offering the true gospel, and not doing it for personal gain.

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