BEING USED TO SPREAD THE AROMA OF CHRIST

Passage: 2 Corinthians 2:5-17

Key verse: 14

NIV

Forgiveness for the Offender

5 If anyone has caused grief,(A) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment(B) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,(C) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote you(D) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.(E) 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan(F) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.(G)

Ministers of the New Covenant

12 Now when I went to Troas(H) to preach the gospel of Christ(I) and found that the Lord had opened a door(J) for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind,(K) because I did not find my brother Titus(L) there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.(M)

14 But thanks be to God,(N) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma(O) of the knowledge(P) of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma(Q) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.(R) 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death;(S) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?(T) 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.(U) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,(V) as those sent from God.(W)

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Forgive the Sinner

5 Now (A)if anyone has caused pain, (B)he has caused it not to me, but (C)in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, (D)this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so (E)you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might (F)test you and know (G)whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for (H)we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

12 When (I)I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though (J)a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit (K)was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But (L)thanks be to God, who in Christ always (M)leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads (N)the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among (O)those who are being saved and among (P)those who are perishing, 16 (Q)to one a fragrance from death to death, (R)to the other a fragrance from life to life. (S)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.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Church discipline causes everyone involved some grief. Paul praises the community for correcting the individual involved as he had instructed them. Now he encourages them to forgive and comfort the individual, with Paul sharing in this forgiveness. In this way Satan’s scheme to corrupt or divide the church will fail. May we learn the love that both corrects and encourages fellow believers.

Paul rejoiced in the leading of God though it wasn’t necessarily easy to discern. Even though the way opened up to preach at Troas, Paul felt convicted to continue on to Macedonia because Titus was not there. Yet Paul thanked God, who always leads us in a triumphal procession to spread the aroma of the gospel everywhere. This aroma is death to the perishing but life to those being saved. And Paul was happy to serve Christ purely and not for profit.

Prayer: Lord, unite our community through restoration and in preaching the gospel.

One Word: Spreading the aroma of the knowledge of Christ