JB
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Post by JB on Apr 30, 2017 12:30:56 GMT -6
Study Begins: April 30, 2017
Discussion Begins: May 07, 2017
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14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.English Standard Version |
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JB
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Post by JB on May 6, 2017 21:28:57 GMT -6
14a But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ
From the last section: Paul felt he had failed God by pursuing his own desire (finding Titus) rather than pursuing the ministry opportunity God had opened for him in Troas.
So here he thanks God. God will always lead us into triumph, despite our failings. God through us, not we ourselves, is responsible for successful ministry.
But don’t miss the fact that Paul calls our ministry a “triumphal procession" – a phrase referring a king and his soldiers marching through the enemy’s streets after a successful battle! That’s what He’s not only called us to, but is leading us through! Here in this fallen world we’re on the enemy’s turf. But he has been defeated!
14b and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
This world reeks. It has been Satan’s garbage dump since the fall of man in the garden, and all around us this place it smells like death. If this world doesn’t repulse us, we need to pray that we see it as God does. It’s disgusting. Its pleasures are evil. Its promises of joy and fulfillment fall short every single time. Its focus on self-esteem breeds greed, hatred, broken relationships, and murder. There is nothing about this place that is good. It needs to be destroyed and re-created. And that will come one day (2 Pet 3:7-12). Those who give their lives and desires over to God, who minds are transformed and renewed (Rom 12:2), who show by their lives and choices that they consider themselves citizens of heaven rather than earth (Php 3:20)and who live lives of self-sacrifice to both God and man, will one day get out of this pig sty and live in the renewed earth as God originally intended it to be (Rev 21:1). Until that day, wherever we go in this garbage dump we smell like Christ. We stand out. Like a freshly showered and aftershaved man walking through the locker room. People around us should notice the aroma we carry with us.
15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved [see sidenote below] and those who are perishing. 16a To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
I find the sentence structure in v.15 is hard to follow. I would expect it to say that, among those who are being saved and those who are dying, we are the aroma of Christ to them. But it doesn’t say that. It says that among those people we are the aroma of Christ to God. I hit a little snag. I’m not sure I can fully work that out. Nevertheless, it is clear that this is a life and death ministry we’re about. Some will latch onto the hope for eternal life in our message and welcome it. To them Christ will smell of life. Our message will encourage them. Others (which will be the majority – see Matt 7:14) will latch on to the first part of our message about sin and death. They will be repulsed because they love this life too much. They will have no place for the good news of eternal life. To them Christ will smell like death.
16b And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
There is no way anyone could truly carry out this awesome responsibility themselves. Some people take advantage of the others’ emotional and spiritual insecurities and preach from God’s word for profit. Not Paul. His message of life and death is borne out of a sincere devotion to God and a genuine desire for the Father’s creation to be restored to Him. When he ministers to people, he speaks before God, as one sent by God. Suggested topics to discuss:- What is our ministry to the saved?
- What is our ministry to the unsaved?
- We are the aroma of Christ both among those who are being saved and those who are dying. How does Christ “smell” to these different groups of people here?
- Why would he say we smell like death to the living and like life to the dying? Isn’t that backward?
- I'm not sure I smell like either death or life to the majority of people I encounter. Do you? Do we need to become nomadic preachers like Paul in order to faithfully be what he describes, or can we do this in the modern 21st century?
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john
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Post by john on May 7, 2017 5:30:30 GMT -6
God has given us the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ to those who we associate in our day to day living. We can choose to be the aroma of Christ as Paul writes or we can choose to smell like the world. Many who turned off by the work Christian complain that we are not much different than everyone else. We may have a different vocabulary but we act like the rest of the society. We talk with disgust about pornography yet many in the churches are secretly addicted to it. We attend church and will walk past those in need Monday through Friday. Face it, to many we are hypocrites. We are earthen vessels filled with the vile stench of sin pretending that we don't smell.
Is there something that you are doing in secrete that you know is displeasing to the Lord?
Are you aware of sin being perpetrated by a fellow believer but too scared to call him or her out on it?
Do others who do not know Christ see Christ in you?
This scripture should make us look deep to see where we are posing as a Christ-follower rather than being the sweet aroma of Christ to a world in decay inside and out of our American church buildings,
Convicted!
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john
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Post by john on May 9, 2017 7:17:13 GMT -6
JB
Excellent questions! To the saved I believe we are to be an example of what Christ calls us to be. In many places Paul, John, and Peter tell us to live Christlike lives and to call out and even disassociate with believers who are not or will not live righteously. James tells us faith without works (evidence) is dead. I believe this is a call to lead righteous lives as evidence we are saved and not just posing.
We are called to live righteously as an example to non-believers to draw them to God. When we are not following the societal norms of living for self at the expense of others, we will become attractive to non-believers wanting to know why. We are truely the aroma of Christ when our essence our smell is pleasing and others want to be like us.
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john
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Post by john on May 9, 2017 7:37:39 GMT -6
Continuing...
We smell like death to the living because our conduct displays death of self which smells sweet to those who are unsaved and dying because through us they may seek to find the Life that we have and be saved. It does sound a bit akward but it does make sense when we pause to think about it.
Phermones are the essence of sexual attraction among animal species each unique to the species being attracted. The smell is not always pleasing to a different species and may in fact repel. I believe the aroma we display when we act in a different manner than the world expects sparks the power of the Holy Spirit to draw in the heart that God has prepared to hear the gospel. We generate this aroma when we do what Christ demands, that is to be obedient. (Romans 2: 6-8; Luke 1:28; James 1:22)
Our obedience is paramount to being saved. I don't believe salvation and obedience can be separated.
Be blessed
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