2 Corinthians 2: Spreading the Aroma of Christ in Weakness

Introduction

At the Église Évangélique Baptiste de Paris-Centre, on rue de Sèvres, the continuous reading of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians reaches chapter 2, verses 5 to 17. At first glance, the passage seems to deal with two unrelated things: a man the church must forgive, and then a journey Paul made to Troas.

For the preacher, though, these two parts teach something very important about how the gospel works. It works in a church that must learn to restore. It also works through servants who must learn that they are not in control of everything.

At the heart of the text is an image: through his servants, God spreads the aroma of Christ. The question is not whether you are strong enough, but whether, in the way you forgive, live out your weakness and proclaim the Word, that aroma is being spread.

Outline of the Message

1. A Painful Relationship Between Paul and Corinth

• Paul knows this church well: he founded it, after spending about eighteen months there preaching the gospel.
• After he left, difficulties multiplied: divisions, moral disorder, conflicts between believers, rivalries over spiritual gifts. The first letter to the Corinthians already speaks of them.
• Between the two letters, things became even more complicated. Paul seems to have made a visit to Corinth that went very badly. He left deeply hurt, and then wrote a very severe letter.
• Verse 4 gives the key: he wrote "with many tears," not to make the Corinthians sorrowful, but so that they would know the love he has for them. Paul corrected them because he loved them.
• The Corinthians seem to have heard that correction and taken action against the one who had caused the situation. So the question is no longer whether to take sin seriously, but what to do when discipline has borne fruit.

2. Restoring the One Who Has Fallen

• In verse 5, what strikes you first is the apostle's restraint. He could have said: "This man hurt me deeply, he challenged my ministry." He refuses to put himself at the center: this man has grieved the whole community, and Paul says so carefully, without exaggerating.
• When you have been hurt, it is very easy to want everyone to measure exactly how much. Paul does not minimize it, and he does not add to it either.
• Verse 6: the punishment inflicted by the majority is enough. The discipline was necessary, but it had a purpose, and that purpose has been achieved.
• Verse 7: Paul now asks for the opposite of what was needed before. You must forgive and comfort, because this man has repented and risks being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
• Christian discipline always aims at restoration. It never seeks to make someone pay. The church is not a court charged with adding a sentence to the one God imposes: if someone belongs to Jesus Christ, the penalty for his sin has already been carried on the cross.
• Verse 8: Paul does not just say "stop holding this against him." He asks them to reaffirm their love for him. It is not enough to decide to move on; he must understand that he is fully welcomed. That is far more demanding than lifting a sanction.

3. Neither Complacency Nor Harshness

• A simple question arises: are we as quick to restore as we are to point out the fault? You can say "of course I forgive" and keep defining the person by their sin, making sure others do not forget either: "Yes, he is doing better now, but if you only knew…"
• The preacher adds nuance: the consequences of a sin sometimes last a long time, and forgiveness does not mean every relationship is restored right away. But where there is repentance, relationships between brothers and sisters must move toward restoration.
• This is exactly what the gospel does for us. God does not forgive us by keeping us at a distance: he welcomes us, reconciles us to himself and calls us his children. A church that proclaims the gospel must learn to resemble it.
• Verse 11: we must act this way so that Satan does not gain an advantage. A church that never corrects anyone gives him plenty of room. But Satan can also take advantage of a church that knows how to confront sin without knowing how to restore the repentant sinner.
• A church can become unfaithful because it does not take sin seriously, or because it does not take grace seriously. You need both: saying "yes, sin is serious," then "God's grace is greater."

4. Serving in Weakness

• After speaking of the weakness of a brother who sinned, Paul shows his own. He arrives in Troas to proclaim the gospel, and the Lord opens a door for him. This is exactly what a missionary hopes for.
• You would expect to read: "So I preached and many were converted." Instead Paul writes that he had no rest in his spirit because he did not find Titus. He leaves Troas for Macedonia.
• Titus was supposed to bring him news from Corinth. How had the Corinthians received the painful letter? Had they accepted the correction, or rejected the apostle and the gospel? Paul did not know, and it troubled him so much that he left.
• This detail is part of the defense of his ministry. Some opponents criticized him for changing his plans. Paul shows what motivates his decisions: he is so attached to the Corinthians that he could not continue without news of them.
• Paul is not a machine, nor the "super-apostle" we sometimes imagine. One of the great themes of the letter is right here: God shows his power in the weakness of his servants.
• There is a false view of Christian maturity, according to which being spiritual would mean always being perfectly serene, never anxious, never heavy-hearted. Paul writes with tears and waits impatiently, not from a lack of faith, but because he loves.
• The preacher shares that, in recent days, situations in the life of the church have weighed heavily on several members of the council, himself included. While preparing this text, it did him good to remind himself that even the apostle Paul could write: "I had no relief for my spirit."

5. The Triumph Belongs to God in Christ

• Between verse 13 and verse 14, something changes. Not necessarily the circumstances, but the apostle's outlook. He moved from what he could not control (the church in Corinth, Titus, his own emotions) to what God controls.
• Verse 13: no inner rest. Verse 14: "Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ."
• In the Roman world, the triumph was an immense public ceremony in honor of a victorious general. The whole procession proclaimed his victory, and incense and perfumes were part of it: victory had a scent.
• The victor is not Paul, it is God in Christ. That is how Paul can both have no rest and give thanks: the triumph of Christ does not depend on the apostle being in control. He can be weak, anxious, not know how everything will end in Corinth, even fail to take advantage of an open door in Troas. God keeps working.
• We easily identify God's work with what looks like success: doors opening, projects succeeding, people responding. That is true, but Paul forces us to look deeper. The servant's weakness does not cancel God's power.
• Through Paul, God spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Christ. It is a magnificent definition of ministry: Paul is not called to spread the perfume of Paul, nor to make his personality, intelligence, eloquence or reputation known, but Jesus Christ.
• The big question for the whole church: when people have spent time with us, do they leave saying only "these people are kind, the church is well organized, there was a good atmosphere"? Or did they smell the aroma of Christ, and come to understand better his grace, his holiness, his truth, his forgiveness and his lordship?
• A church spreads this aroma especially when it treats sin the way Jesus Christ treats it: without minimizing it, knowing how to forgive, restore and show his love. The aroma of Christ is also seen in the way the gospel transforms relationships.

6. An Aroma of Life, an Aroma of Death

• Verses 15 and 16: this aroma is not received the same way by everyone. For some, it is an aroma of life that gives life. For others, an aroma of death that brings death. Same message, same Christ, same gospel, but not the same reaction.
• So we must be careful in how we evaluate a ministry. We would like to think that if the presentation of the gospel is clear enough, the church welcoming enough and the preaching relevant enough, people will believe. Paul says no.
• Of course, you must love people and remove needless obstacles. But the gospel carries an offense all its own: it tells everyone "you cannot save yourself, you are guilty before God, you need a Savior," and that Savior is Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.
• Some hear wonderful news: the Savior is here, available. Others see an offense, an insult.
• Hence the question at the end of verse 16: "Who is sufficient for these things?" The answer is obvious: no one. Not Paul, not us. That is why our confidence cannot rest on ourselves. Paul will come back to this in the next chapter: our sufficiency is from God.

7. Faithful Rather Than Effective

• Verse 17: Paul contrasts his ministry with that of many others who corrupt the word of God. The image evokes someone who sells a product and waters it down to sell it better.
• Why do that with the Word of God? To get a reaction, to make it work, to persuade, to please, to profit from it.
• If everything depends on me, the temptation becomes very strong. If I absolutely must get a result, I will end up adapting the message to the desired result: removing what disturbs, highlighting what pleases, avoiding what shocks, making the gospel more acceptable.
• Paul, for his part, speaks with sincerity, as from God, in the sight of God, in Christ. There is something deeply freeing here: the results do not belong to him. He cannot produce life or force anyone to love Jesus Christ. But he can be faithful.
• Our responsibility is not to make the gospel effective, which God takes care of, but to proclaim faithfully the gospel he has entrusted to us.
• This justifies neither laziness nor incompetence. You must work, think, learn to explain, know how to answer questions, look for the right words. But you do not change the message to get a result, because the triumph belongs to Christ, not to us.

Key Takeaways

• Discipline in the church always aims at restoration: where there is repentance, you must forgive, comfort and reaffirm your love.
• Satan can take advantage of our complacency toward sin as much as of our harshness toward the sinner. Sin is serious, but God's grace is greater.
• Being spiritual does not mean never having a heavy heart. God shows his power in the weakness of his servants.
• The triumph belongs to God in Christ. He keeps working even in the midst of a broken relationship, an imperfect church and our worries.
• The results do not belong to us. Our part is to proclaim the gospel faithfully, without altering its message.

Personal Application

1. Is there someone who has repented, yet whom you still define by their fault? How can you reaffirm your love for them?
2. Are you as quick to restore as you are to point out the fault?
3. In what situation are you pretending to be strong, when you could acknowledge your weakness before God?
4. When people spend time with you, what do they take away: you, or something of Christ?
5. Is there a part of the gospel you avoid saying because it disturbs?

Verses Cited

• 2 Corinthians 2:5-17
• 2 Corinthians 2:4
• Acts 18:11
• 2 Corinthians 3:5

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "the aroma of Christ" mean in 2 Corinthians 2?

Paul takes up the image of the Roman triumph, where incense and perfumes accompanied the procession of the victorious general. The victor is not Paul, it is God in Christ. Through his servants, God spreads everywhere the aroma of the knowledge of Christ: the point is not to make Paul, his intelligence or his eloquence known, but Jesus Christ.

Why does Paul ask the church to forgive the one who sinned?

The discipline had a purpose, and that purpose has been achieved: the man has repented. The preacher reminds us that Christian discipline always aims at restoration. The church is not a court that adds a sentence, because for the one who belongs to Christ, the penalty for sin has already been carried on the cross. So you must forgive, comfort and reaffirm your love for him.

Why is the aroma of Christ an aroma of death for some?

It is the same message and the same Christ, but not the same reaction. The gospel carries an offense all its own: it tells everyone that they cannot save themselves and that they need a Savior, Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. Some receive this good news, others see an offense in it.