It Starts Small

We close out chapter 2 and focus in on the last part of the chapter.

¹² When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door for me, ¹³ I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. Instead, I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. ¹⁵ For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things? ¹⁷ For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many.^[c] On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

2 Corinthians 2:12-17

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel

Troas was Northwest of Ephesus. It was a coastal town. This Greek city is currently situated in modern day Turkey. Paul visited this city on his second missionary journey.

He says that a “a door was opened for me in the Lord.”

This verse reminds us that God is the opener and closer of doors. There were many factors which influenced Paul’s ability to go in to an area and share the gospel. Did he have the means to support himself? Did he have somewhere to stay? Was the local synagogue receptive? Was the local government hostile to the gospel message? Did he have time? Paul recognized that God was in control of all of these factors.

In the modern day world, when you ask people what they believe many will say, “I believe in myself.” They think that they control the destiny of their lives.

A king’s heart is like channeled water in the Lord’s hand:
He directs it wherever he chooses.

Proverbs 21:1

But we know that God is on the throne. He channels king’s hearts like streams of waters.

If you are hoping for an open door, the solution is not a crowbar. Trying to squeeze through a door God has shut will not end well. Instead we come to God with humility. We petition Him to open those doors. And we also ask Him to close the doors He does not want us to go through. The second part can be difficult. However, if we truly have faith in God, we will rest peacefully. We know that the result is in His hands. This is the best place for it to be.

Take for example the Christian worker serving God in another country. He needs to apply for a visa. He prays for God to open the door to stay in that country. At the same time, he knows a successful visa application is in God’s hands. So he is willing to accept the outcome of the application, whatever it is. And if he is denied, he takes that as clear leading from God that it is time to move on.

My spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there

Paul had some reason to believe that Titus was in Troas and was hoping to find him there. But he was not there, reminding us of the difficulties of even basic communication in the ancient world. It seems that Paul mentions this to the Corinthians. He probably hoped to send Titus to them. Titus could help resolve some of the issues they were facing.

God always leads us in triumphal procession

Paul uses a metaphor which would have been familiar to his readers in the Roman world. After a military victory, Roman generals would return home to parade through the streets together with the conquering soldiers. Wreaths would grace the heads of the victors. Captors would be marched to their execution. And incense would be offered to the Romans gods. Paul compares this procession to evangelists taking the gospel into new places. Evangelists are also celebrating a great victory, Jesus’ victory on the cross. He has triumphed. Jesus’ triumph is over sin, death, the grave, and Satan.

Evangelists bring the gospel, joyfully proclaiming this victory for all to see. Like the smell of incense accompanying this Roman processions, believers are spreading the fragrance of knowledge of Jesus. Believers are reminded through this metaphor that we should not be discouraged. Paul was a bit discouraged and distressed. This is shown in verse 12. Then he remembered that followers of Jesus are victorious.

³⁵ Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

Because of you
we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.^[a]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

Paul says we are overwhelming conquerors.

A Roman general returning from victory in battle need not be discouraged by minor troubles on the homeward journey. He won already. The result is fixed. In like manner, the believer who faces some afflictions or setbacks in sharing the gospel, should not give up. He should instead remember that Jesus has already won the victory.

If you are Jesus’ side, you are on the winning team. Sharing the gospel is difficult. Perhaps you have been rejected. Perhaps the response is not nearly as positive as you hoped. Take heart. God is leading you in a triumphal procession! Sharing the gospel is a statement of God’s victory. Now we see it. One day in the future, everyone will see it. Jesus will lead His church in the final triumphal procession. He will take up the throne in Jerusalem.

We are the aroma of Christ

This idea connects to the last verse. In the Roman triumph parades, incense would be burned to the gods. Here Paul says that believers themselves are like a living aroma sacrificed to God.

I equate the aroma of God with coffee. It is waking up each morning to a fresh pot of brewed coffee. It’s smell is inviting. Notice it is an aroma, not an odor. An odor is unpleasant, where an aroma is pleasant.

¹⁸ You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus 23:18
(Bold for emphasis)

²⁷ Present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old,

Numbers 28:27
(Bold for emphasis)

In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices which were described as being a pleasant aroma to the Lord. In the New

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship

Romans 12:1

Testament, we ourselves are to be a living sacrifice, pleasing to the Lord. When believers serve God in sincerity and truth, it is like a pleasing fragrance to Him. He delights in it.

⁶ And I said:

My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward you, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens.

Ezra 9:6

On the other hand, when we sin our sins rise up like a terrible stench all the way to heaven.

Worshiping God is not just a twenty minute corporate session on Sundays. We worship God as a lifestyle whenever we obey Him, sacrificing our own desires. Worshiping God is equal to glorifying God. And we glorify God when we choose His way over own way. We worship God every day in the little decisions we make to serve Him. When you share the gospel and tell people about Jesus, He is most pleased.

Among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, death to death and life to life

God is not the only one who “smells” our aroma. We take the gospel to a lost world. It is received by two distinct groups. Coming back to the illustration, the incense offered in the Roman parades would have been sweet. The victors found it to be a pleasing smell. But to the captives nearing their execution, it would have been nauseating. It reminded them every moment of their defeat. They could not escape the thought of their coming death.

So the gospel is received in two ways by two distinct groups. The elect are on the path to salvation. They either have believed are are going to believe. These respond to the gospel call as if it is a pleasant aroma. They are excited and happy to hear this good news!

Sharing the gospel brings immense joy. Especially when a person joyfully accepts it and becomes a follower of Jesus. Their joy is contagious. So we rejoice and even the angels in heaven rejoice. For them, this gospel aroma is a fragrance of life. New life in Christ. Eternal life with Christ.

But not everyone responds to the gospel with joy. Many are hostile. Jesus is a rock of offense to many.

⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame.

⁷ So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected—
this one has become the cornerstone,

⁸ and

A stone to stumble over,
and a rock to trip over.

They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.

1 Peter 2:6-8

For these people, they detest the gospel and Jesus. Perhaps it is because of their prideful tendency to rely on themselves. Or for some, it is because the gospel points out their sin and makes them feel guilty. They prefer to live in the comfortable darkness.

¹⁸ Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

John 3:18

To those who don’t believe, the gospel is like a proclamation of death. It assures their culpability. It takes away all excuses. And it reminds them of the judgment and wrath to come. So for these the aroma of the gospel is a fragrance from “death to death.”

Who is sufficient for these things?

The NIV says, “who is equal to such a task?” The answer is of course, “no one.” we cannot depend on ourselves, our own intelligence, or our own logic.

⁵ It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. ⁶ He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Paul continues with this idea in the next chapter. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant. This covenant is not of the letter but of the Spirit. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

We are not competent, but He is. So we rely on God.

You will not save people through clever arguments. Your own logic and wisdom are not enough to change hard hearts. Do not rely on yourself. Avoid depending on your clever answers to questions and your years of research. Your quick wits and fluid presentation are not enough. Be humble. Trust in God. Pray that God will empower you and give you boldness. Pray that His Spirit will convict. Pray that He will transform the heart of stone into the heart of flesh. If you have been exhausting yourself trying to change someone, spend some time right now to pray for that person. Ask God to change their heart for you cannot.

We are not peddlers of God’s word

A peddler was someone who was trying to sell an inferior product. Because the product itself was not high quality, the salesmen had to resort to tricks. Witty salesmen could still sell such products through conning their buyers. Here are some ways they might peddle their goods:

• Outright lying
• Grandiose claims
• Deceptive advertising
• Fake reviews (perhaps people in the crowd who claimed to have used the product, but were plants)
• Flashy shows
• Pressure or intimidation
• False promises (money back guaranteed, but then skip town)

Evangelists of the true gospel are not peddlers. They need not and should not do any of the above. True preachers are commissioned by God in the sight of God and speak in Christ. The “product” we are “selling” is of the highest quality. We have the real thing. It is truth.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

As Paul says it is the “power of God.” Therefore there is no need for deceit or exaggeration in order to get people to accept the gospel. Methods like that actually serve to cheapen the perceived value (nothing can actually cheapen the gospel) of what Christ offers.

Take for example the miracles of Jesus. He did not put on a show. He did not wave around a wand. There were no flashing lights. The miracle was performed almost as a sidenote to Jesus’ message. They were the real thing. Therefore they needed no embellishment or enhancement.

Simon the sorcerer (magician) in Acts 8 was astounded at the real power of God. He had been faking it all this time. So he wanted to purchase the gifts of the Holy Spirit with money and Peter rebuked him. His hope was to make money. And that is the same motivation of these peddlers. Some of these peddlers had infiltrated the Corinthian church. They were selling cheap imitations of the gospel, which had been mixed with corrupting doctrines. With clever deceptions they attempted to trick people and gain followers. But unlike Paul, they were not operating with sincerity. Their real motivation was selfish. Most likely they hoped for money or power.

Do not resort to your own clever arguments in trying to convince people to believe in Jesus. Trust that it is the power of God. Preach it knowing that you are commissioned by God. The gospel is true. You are on the winning team. That knowledge can give you boldness as you share.

Churches sometimes try to attract people by watering down the gospel. This approach does not bring people to God’s truth or power. Instead, it leads to a cheap and powerless imitation. Lights and stages and parties and pizza and bowling and loud music are not the point. These things will not change lives. The gospel of Jesus will.

Whether personally or in your church, do not change the gospel to make it easier to accept. Do not attempt to make it more palatable for the current generation. Your job is not to make them accept it. That is God’s job. Your job is to share it faithfully and accurately. If you compromise the gospel to win people, you will not be winning them to Christ.

Preach the gospel boldly, truthfully, and accurately. That means sin, repentance, and Jesus should be front and center. And rely on the Holy Spirit to convince the listener of the truth of the gospel message.

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Cross Reference Scriptures:

• Colossians 4:3
• Romans 8:35-39
• 1 John 4:4
• Matthew 5:16
• Leviticus 23:18
• Numbers 28:27
• Romans 12:1
• 1 Peter 2:6-8
• 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Reflective Questions:

• Where is Troas?
• Why did Paul go there?
• Who was he hoping to find there?
• What does verse 14 mean that God “always leads us in triumphal procession?”
• How do believers spread the “fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere?”
• How can believers be “the aroma of Christ?” What is this “aroma” like?
• What does it mean that to some this is a fragrance from “death to death?”
• How about “life to life?”
• Who is sufficient for these things?
• What is a peddler of God’s Word? What is their motivation? What are they selling?
• How are true preachers and evangelists different from peddlers?

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