It's a rather long section. It
has to do with preaching, preachers, the ministry, the way of preaching
the gospel, how to preach it, and that kind of thing. So it's
too long for us to read it all. So we break in or jump in at
chapter 2 and verse 14, remembering that Paul had been discussing
since early chapter 1 the matter of preachers and preaching, the
ministry, the ministration, and such like. So he says here in
verse 14, and that'll give us our text now. Thanks be unto
God which always causes us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest
the savor of his knowledge by us in every place For we are
unto God a sweet saver of Christ in them that are saved and in
them that perish. To the one we are the saver of
death unto death, to the other the saver of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these
things? For we are not as many which
corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God,
in the sight of God, speak we Christ. Now look at verse 15
again. We are unto God a sweet saver
in them that are saved and in them that perish. So the twofold
effect of the gospel. The text is very weighty, very
useful, very profitable unto us this evening because again
it brings before our mind the wondrous glory of the gospel
of our Lord. Now the gospel might be likened
unto diamond that it sparkles you look at it from every angle
and every side how it sparkles and how it glowed and the champion
I think of the pure gospel of Christ in the New Testament would
be the Apostle Paul for he stood for that gospel with all that
he had and with all that was in him commissioned to preach
it by the Lord Jesus Christ given it by revelation and he preached
the gospel wherever the Lord did sin him. But then again we
look at this text and we find that we're in for an extra treat
because I say that because it takes us beyond just the essence
or the property of the gospel, and it also allows us to have
lesson in the practical effect of the gospel upon those to whom
it is preached or who hear it. Now, we all already know that
the word gospel, so many times in the scripture, means the good
news, it means a good report. The word gold spell, I think,
was from the old word God's story, or a good or a wonderful story. And then they say that the word
gospel, as we have it here in our New Testament scripture,
is the translation of that word that appears in the New Testament
or something of that nature, a good message, a good report,
good news, the gospel, and it's translated gospel or good news
in our New Testament. Some 70 times you'll run across
it translated like that in the New Testament as the noun form
gospel. Yet another 50 times it is a
verb to preach the gospel, the preaching of the gospel, the
declaration of it, the manifestation of Christ and his work in the
preaching of the gospel. Then, not to ignore it, but there
is the essence of the gospel. In other words, the message that
is contained or that is preached in the gospel, which concerns
the redemptive work of our Lord, the sacrifice, the death that
our Lord died upon the tree, that he not only died bearing
our sin, but after being buried, was raised again the third day
and then is ascended into the right hand of God, that our Lord
died a saving death in behalf of his elect, that there is no
condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ. There is pardon
and remission of sin through the death that our Lord died. And He died that death to secure
us from the condemnation of our sin. And though man had sinned
and was by nature estranged from God and even an enemy of God,
there is a way whereby guilty sinners may be reconciled to
God They might be redeemed, delivered from the dominion of their depravity,
and the gospel then is that which announces the sinner's way of
acceptance with and before God. But the text that we have chosen
this evening concerns the exercise of the gospel ministry through
Paul and others, of his day and time. In fact some see a new
paragraph beginning at the 14th verse where we began our reading
and some even commentators have gone so far as to call it here
a temporary digression in which the apostle wishes to explain
and to make something clear because having spoken of the triumph
of the sweet savor in the 14th verse Then some commentators
see the digression continuing all the way to chapter 7. I'm
not sure about that. And the subject, however, of
the digression is the glory of the Christian ministry, the glory
of the preaching of the gospel. as exemplified by Paul himself
and by others that were his allies in the preaching of the gospel. Now Lange's commentary goes so
far as to say that this apparent discretion is really the main
part of the epistle. And when you read on ahead, we
see that so much of this letter, of this epistle, keeps coming
back again and again to the ministry of Paul and his preaching of
the gospel. So let's take note of some thoughts
here in verse 14 that serve as our lead-in to verse 15 and verse
16. Verse 14 serve as that lead and
the verse as you notice is a sudden outburst of thanksgiving. It contains what we might call
a jubilant giving of glory to God in and because of the triumph
of the gospel. One called it an apostolic jubilation. As Paul stopped and considered,
he said, Calvin said, celebrates the achievement of the gospel
that he was called and he was commissioned to preach. When
Paul looks back upon how God has blessed the preaching of
that gospel, how he has used it, and how it has had that two-fold
effect, that marvelous effect, how the gospel can be at one
time life and at the same time death unto another. Now the two
things are the two thoughts here for which His thankfulness is
given, number one, thanks unto God, which always causes us to
triumph in Christ, giving victory to us through Christ. When we
go forth to preach the gospel, there is victory. causing the
gospel to prevail over the sins of sinners, over the opposition
of those that pervert and that hate the gospel. Some say the
words ought to be reduced, who leads us in triumph, thanks be
to God, who leads us in triumph by the preaching of the gospel. Now, how is it that Paul can
speak as positively of his ministry? After all, the word always would
seem to signify a complete and a continual and an everlasting
triumph. And Paul's enemies were far more
than his converts when we count them up. By no means did all
believe the gospel when Paul preached it to them. By no means
were all converted. Many hated him. Many put it away. Some even tried to kill him and
often made an attempt. But as John Gill wrote, and I
agree, This refers to the triumph peculiar to the gospel ministry,
by which God causes the gospel to triumph in the conversion
and the saving of sinners. But the second thing that we
look at, and makes manifest the Savior of his knowledge by us
in every place. That is, there is a manifestation
of the knowledge of God in and through Christ wherever the gospel
is preached, where the gospel is preached in purity and in
sincerity. When Paul says by us, he means
through the ministers of the gospel and perhaps the Apostle
foremost and other ministers of the gospel and he said it
is manifest and that means that It is made or brought out in
the open, that it is open on the sight to make it visible
and evident, to cause it to shine out, to cause it to go forth.
And Paul uses a metaphor here if we might catch on to it. He
likens the knowledge of Christ or the manifestation of the knowledge
of Christ in the gospel to a sweet odor or savor. A fragrance that
is delightful when it falls upon the nose. It fills the air with
a delightful aroma where the word of the gospel is declared. And no Paul saying that this
is by us. By means of us, by means of us,
there is God's energy. An odor of the knowledge in every
place. An odor of knowledge Everywhere
that Paul went and preached the gospel triumphed over many of
its enemies and many of its detractors. Therefore was spread like an
incense that always keeps a balmy smell about. And the metaphor
is likely taken from the flowers and the incense spread before
those who came back victorious on their conquering missions
over the enemy. So Paul likens himself and other
ministers scattering about the sweet aroma and the knowledge
of Christ in the gospel. Like an incense bearer, we might
think about him as he preaches the gospel. But then look, he
carries the metaphor even over into verse 15. For we are unto
God a sweet savor of Christ. Let's establish who he means
by using the word us and we. From verse 14 through 17, does
he mean we Christians, we believers, the people of God, the church,
and the churches are us, we, the ministers of Christ. Now the context, I believe, confirms
that the last one is true because this is the subject that Paul
is pursuing in this play. This as gospel minister they
were in verse 14. The spreading of the savor or
odor, notice, of the knowledge of Christ by the gospel. Even
so, in doing that, verse 15, we are a sweet odor of God of
Christ unto God, a sweet smell again and again, a delightful
fragrance. As Calvin said, Paul lays great
emphasis upon this word savor, or odor, or smell, or fragrance. and this word is used three times
in the New Testament. Here in 2nd Corinthians 2 15
of the gospel again in Ephesians 5 and 2 of the sacrifice that
Christ made upon the cross who gave himself a sacrifice well-pleasing
a sweet odor unto God and then you find it in in the book of
Philippians 4 16 through 18 where Paul using a metaphor again,
likens the support given to him by the saints of God as an odor,
a sweet smell, a sacrifice, acceptable, well-pleasing to God when they
supported him in the ministry. Now, without a doubt, the expression
or phrase here, a sweet odor, is based upon and drawn from
the sacrificial language of the Old Testament. For example, in
Genesis chapter 8 and verse 21 of Noah's sacrifice. When Noah
built an altar, offered a sacrifice of those clean animals that had
been with him upon the ark, it said this, and God smelled a
sweet odor. Now to the natural nose, it's
not a sweet odor, burning hooves and hides and fat and such like,
but to the Lord, it was a sweet savor. In Leviticus chapter 1
verse 9, of an animal sacrifice we read, an offering made by
fire of a sweet savor unto the Lord. You see it again, Leviticus
1 13 and chapter 2 verse 9, chapter 3 and verse 15. And then you
had it in the tabernacle. We find that in the book of Leviticus
chapter 16 verse 12 and verse 13. There was incense there taken
by the high priest, beaten small, crumbled up, beaten apart so
that it might release the smell and the fragrance from it. The
Lord smelled a sweet odor when that sacrifice went up from Noah's
altar. Then Paul says in our text, For
we, ministers of Christ and the gospel, are a sweet savor or
odor or smell of Christ. Not to Christ, but of Christ,
a fragrance of Christ. He is extolling the glory and
the beauty of the gospel. We are unto God a sweet odor
of Christ. Now paying particular attention
now to the word, we are unto God a sweet odor of Christ. That is when we preaching, when
we declare the gospel, God is again smelling a sweet odor as
he did when Noah wafted up his offering, just as in Ephesians
chapter 5 and verse 2. Even so here the gospel preach
the Christ of the gospel. For Christ is the essence of
the gospel. There's no gospel without Christ
and his person and his work. But when that is preached, the
sweet odor unto God again is the preaching of the gospel of
Jesus Christ our Lord. God smelled a sweet odor. We can confirm this by comparing
it with Ephesians 5 and 2 as we have already done. Now the
sweetness is in the essence of the gospel. The sweetness is
in the person of Christ. The sweet fragrance is the Lord
himself. It's not in man's reaction to
it as such. It is sweet to God when Christ
is preached. when the gospel is proclaimed,
when Christ is held up as crucified, shedding his blood as the remission
of our sin, when his submissive obedience is proclaimed in the
gospel, when his death is preached That is a sweet odor even unto
God. Even its proclamation among perishing
ones is yet a sweet odor unto the ears of God. Now coming to
the 16th verse, Paul expands upon the relationship of the
gospel to the ones being saved and the ones preaching except
notice he reverses the order and he describes the perishing
ones first in verse 16. We are an odor to the one, the
saver of death, it is literally out of death, the saver out of
death, arising and terminating in death, and for such as reject
and disobey the word of the gospel. They're sealed up in a spiritual
death. Now, do we wonder, looking at
that, how the glorious gospel of the death of our blessed Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ can be called an odor of death in them
that are perishing. How is it that the ministry,
the preaching of the gospel, tends to death? We understand
that about the law, but how is it with regard unto the gospel? how it remains an order of Christ
unto God in the ones that are perishing. Can such a glorious
thing be the saver of death unto death to one group of people? We can compare it with the law
found in the next chapter. There is a comparison. Paul calls
the law the ministration of death. I believe he does that in verse
7. he calls it the ministration of condemnation. I believe he
does that in verse 9 of chapter 3 of this book and yet also in
verse 7 he concedes that the law was glorious. In fact three times in chapter
3 and No, four times he refers to the ministration of the law
as having glory and being glorious. Chapter 7, 9, I'm sorry, verse
7, verse 9, verse 10, and verse 11. Then add to that Paul's confession
in Romans chapter 7, verse 9 through verse 14, that the law was under
him an executioner it actually slew him and put him to death
when he saw it in his reality in verse 13 it was made death
unto me he said unto them this is a spite of Paul's concession
that the law was holy just and good. Romans 7 and verse 12. He even calls it spiritual in
Romans 7 and verse 14. Of course the law can never be
life unto a fallen sinner. It can never restore life or
justify one under condemnation. It can only work death in those
that are sinners in the sight of God. But the point of comparison
to be looked at is this. that which is holy and just and
good, spiritual and glorious, how is it then the occasion of
death? Paul said that. So it is with
the gospel. The meaning is to be a saver
of death unto death, even as it is a saver of life unto life
unto so many others. I was reading one Sunday morning,
May the 27th, 18 and 55 where the ch virgin preached from this
text the same text in exeter hall stroud in england and his
first point of emphasis was quote although the gospel is a sweet
savor in every place Yet it produces different results in different
persons." And is that not what Paul is saying here? This agrees
with Paul. To one, it is a saver of death
unto death. To the other, it is a saver of
life unto life. I think this reminds us of his
words in 1 Corinthians 1. 18 through verse 24 of the different
views that people hold concerning Christ and the gospel. It's expressed
in verse 18. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. Now the philosophers of the Greeks
counted the gospel as foolishness. They heard the gospel, one dead
to be able to save another, and they counted that to be foolishness. But to us, it is the power and
the wisdom of God. That which some men look upon
as absolute, absurd foolishness is to us the wisdom and the power
of God. The gospel goes on and errant,
and it distinguishes between the elect and the reprobate. to the former, it comes on an
errand of mercy. To fetch, as Spurgeon said, I
believe it was him, to fetch God's jewels out of the dunghill. In the latter, it leaves them
under inexcusable condemnation, for they have heard the way of
salvation and the gospel of Christ. And this then becomes to them
a saver of death unto death. There is a law, a product and
mixture. There is There is today some
preaching that is a mixture of law and of gospel and it becomes
neither anymore. Both loses their power. You know I was thinking there's
a stuff you spray. I did some this summer. You can
spray it on the grass and it'll kill the weeds and not touch
the grass. Amazing little stuff. I asked the guy at the hardware
store, how does it work? He said, oh, there's a little
computer and every chip of it. But he was lying, of course.
But you can put it on the grass. The grass won't be harmed. and
the weeds will be killed and it distinguishes between one
and the other even so the gospel does not save all that hear it
but it may increase their guilt and their condemnation for having
heard it for they are made worse by their unbelief they are made
worse by this saying that they count foolishness and sloth it
off as having nothing at all worthy to do with them. It makes
manifest their unbelief. They have not heard it, and they're
unbelievers, but they hear it, and then they remain unbelievers,
and it makes more manifest their unbelief, and it gives their
unbelief an object, and that's important. and that object is
Christ and the gospel. For he that believes not the
record of the gospel makes God out to be a liar, as we read
in our scripture. For the gospel is the record. the divine record, the inspired
record that God gave his son. The gospel declares that God
so loved that he sent his only begotten son, and that son bearing
our sin was crucified upon the cross. And therefore, the gospel
is the record that God has given of his son, and some believe
it not, and their condemnation is increased. Now we are at the
same time to acknowledge that what is called gospel, just about
anything today can pass for the gospel, is not the gospel at
all. Some of it is simply preaching
socialism or some of it is simply preaching morality or works of
law. So much of what is called the
gospel today is not the gospel at all. Some hear the gospel
all the time at church, some never hear the gospel, and so
therefore we have this, what Paul said, this great distinction
or cleavage or division. But those who hear the gospel,
whether accidentally or deliberately, are put under an increased guilt
by their unbelief. Better that they not hear, and
reckon it foolishness than to hear it and call it blasphemy
or throw it aside and say that it is nothing but a man-made
doctrine or a dogma of the church. Thanks be to God. In closing,
the gospel also has a second ability. to come and be the saver
of life unto life. And its efficacy is not dependent
on the skill or the experience or the artoria of the preacher
or of the declarer. For who, Paul says, is sufficient
for these things apart from Christ. God's spirit illuminates the
mind and the heart so that the gospel then I call that regeneration
so that the gospel then is seen what for what it is the power
of God and the truth of God because in the gospel Romans 1 16 17
is revealed the saving righteousness of God in the gospel is the arm
of the Lord revealed as Isaiah 53 and one said. So it's amazing that the same
gospel should be life unto one and some, death unto another
and some, be counted foolishness by some and the power of God
by others. Some hear the gospel and think
it's the most foolish thing they've ever heard. We hear the gospel
and rejoice in our soul at the glorious message hearing it again
and again. Precious, precious gospel. Christ
loved us and gave himself for us. The gospel, the death, the
burial, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yeah, life to one, death to another,
but always a sweet odor unto God in Christ.