“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Believe it or not, that was basically what the church of the city of Corinth told the Apostle Paul in the spring of A.D. 56. This was tragic because this was a church that Paul himself had founded just six years earlier. What got them to that point? Basically, Paul called some of the members out on sexual sin that was going unchecked in the church, and in multiple ways, they did not respond well. He visited them, they rejected him, and they sent him on his way. He wrote them a letter confronting this sin once again in love. And this time, he had to wait to find out what happened. His co-worker, Titus, had been sent to ascertain how the church was doing and was supposed to meet Paul in the city of Troas. But when Paul arrived in Troas, Titus wasn’t there (Acts 20; 2 Corinthians 2).
So, 2 Corinthians 2:12–13 indicates that Paul was upset and anxious when he could not find out the result of his confrontational letter. Now, to avoid any suspense, I’ll just tell you up front that in chapter 7, Paul indicates that he did catch up with Titus who gave him a great report that all was well between Paul and the Corinthian church. But the big question is: What did Paul do in the meantime? While he was anxious and awaiting word from Titus? He gave thanks, and for a very surprising reason. Paul describes this giving of thanks: “But thanks by to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
“Oh, I get it,” you might say to yourself, “Paul was having victory in the Lord even while he was in this anxious state. And he was acting as the ‘fragrance of Christ,’ a victorious Christian life of confidence and triumph.” And this would be a reasonable assumption given the phrase “triumphal procession.” But his posture or attitude is not one of victory but of surrender. Let me get to that shortly . . .
Paul was referring to the ancient Roman practice of a victory parade called a triumph. It was a celebration in the city of Rome for a conquering general to parade himself, his army, and the spoils of war before the people of Rome. For weeks before the triumph—which could last as long as three days—scaffolding was erected on the streets of Rome to made “grandstands” of a sort and rolling stages were constructed. On these rolling stages, actors would reenact key battles in the war as the stages were rolled through the streets. Artists worked tirelessly to paint pictures of cities that were conquered to be paraded as well. But the climactic portion of the triumph was the leading of captives from the conquered land.
In that context, some might say that Paul is asserting his “triumph,” that in Christ, Paul is a winner so to speak. He is like the conquering general or part of the winning army of Christ. But the phrase, “leads us in triumphal procession” is one long word in the Greek text of the New Testament and in this particular form it always refers to the captive, not the conquering army. Paul is not representing himself as a conquering victorious general or soldier in the “army” of Christ. Rather, he pictures himself as a conquered prisoner of Christ. Romans 5:10 says that the Christian was formerly the enemy of God. Ephesians 4:8 says that Christ has led a “host of captives.” But what was the weapon of Christ to take these captives? Second Corinthians 5:14 says the Christian was captured by the love of God. And this love was expressed most fully in the sacrificial death of Christ to make payment for sin.
So, Paul is motivated and eager—even in the midst of pain and suffering—to be the “fragrance of Christ”—to live a life filled with obedience to God and the Bible precisely because he is a captive of Christ Himself. The paradox of the Christian life is that you are dead to yourself and alive to Christ (Galatians 2:20). And your new life in Christ is your greatest motivation to holiness and obedience to the Lord. He is your Master and you have been conquered by His love.
By Dr. Steve Swartz, Senior Teaching Pastor of Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield and featured speaker on Steadfast in the Faith (www.steadfastinthefaith.org).
