{14} But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal
procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the
knowledge of him. {15} For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who
are being saved and those who are perishing. {16} To the one we are the smell
of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
‑‑ 2 Corinthians 2:14‑16 (NIV)
When I was
in college I spent quite some time reading The
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William Shirer. I was fascinated
with the way Hitler came to power, his ability to move so many to such
fanaticism. Being interested in the subject, I once watched a documentary
presentation of one of his propaganda films, made before the war. It was a
"news film" about a party rally at Nuremburg. It was indeed a
powerful series of images, glowing with the idea that the Fuhrer was indeed the
savior of Germany, and that here again was the pride in the Fatherland sought
by so many. Despicable though its cause was, it was propaganda of so high an
order as to be called art.
Paul takes
the opening of today's Scriptures from a similar procession. The phrase used
describes a Roman triumph: the highest honor awarded to a general. To obtain a
true Roman triumph, certain conditions had to be met:
~ The general must have
been the actual commander in the field
~ The campaign must be
completely finished and the troops home
~ At least 5,000 enemy
must have perished in one battle
~ New territory must have
been added, not just retained
~ Victory must be over a
foreign foe, not a civil war.
If these
conditions were met, a great parade was held. The procession came out in this
order:
~ State officials and the
senate
~ Trumpeters
~ Spoils of war
~ Scenes from the
captured land
~ White bull for
sacrifice
~ Prisoners to be
executed (enemy leaders)
~ Musicians and lictors
~ Priests swinging
incense filled censers
~ The general, in a four
horse chariot. He was clothed in a purple tunic with golden palm leaves;
covered by a purple toga marked out with golden stars. He held an ivory scepter
with the Roman eagle; a slave stood behind him holding the "crown of
Jupiter" over his head.
~ The general's family
~ The general's army
Interestingly
enough, Paul uses this image and calls us the "aroma of Christ."
Psychologists tell us that aromas are often associated with our strongest, most
emotional memories. You can imagine what that incense smelled like. To the
family and the troops (to us and the angels?) it was the sweet smell of
victory. To the prisoners, the smell of impending death. Just by being around,
we remind the foes of Christ of their fate. We are the light of the world.
Such a
thought always produces in me the thought that I am not able to be such. How
could I be? Or as Paul puts it here, "Who is equal to such a task?"
Only those to whom the Spirit gives life and power.
The Letters of our Lives
{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. {3:1} Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we
need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? {2} You
yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
{3} You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry,
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of
stone but on tablets of human hearts. {4} Such confidence as this is ours
through Christ before God. ‑‑ 2 Corinthians 2:17‑3:4
(NIV)
Even at
this early stage of the church, we see the "preacher for profit." Our
Lord told us that this would be so. He described them as "ferocious
wolves" (see Matthew 7:15-20). How are we to tell them from the real
servants of God? Paul gives us the answer here, echoing Jesus thought. Paul's
fruits are the Corinthians themselves! He describes them, as in the context of
his argument about "letters of recommendation", as his own letters of
recommendation. Written on their hearts is the letter of those who formed us.
Three questions:
1) What kind of letter are my students for me?
2) What kind of letter are your children for
you?
3) What kind of letter is Eastside to the
community?
My
sister-in-law says she can see my father in me. I can see me in my son Doug.
When he was a baby, people said things like, "Oh, he's your kid. I can
tell by the [ears, chin, eyes, etc.]" Now that Doug is grown, people see
my character in him [as he has grown to be much better looking.]
In the New
Testament there is a continuing contrast between Law and Spirit. In our
families, Law is what we tell our
children; Spirit is what we give our
children.
The Law and the Spirit
{5} Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything
for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. {6} He has made us competent
as ministers of a new covenant‑‑not of the letter but of the Spirit; for
the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. {7} Now if the ministry that
brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that
the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its
glory, fading though it was, {8} will not the ministry of the Spirit be even
more glorious? {9} If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more
glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! {10} For what was glorious
has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. {11} And if what was
fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
{12} Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. {13} We are not
like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from
gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. {14} But their minds were made
dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It
has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. {15} Even to
this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. {16} But whenever
anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ‑‑
2 Corinthians 3:5‑16 (NIV)
The Spirit
within us is writing His letter to the world in our characters. In verses 5 and
6, we see one of the key characteristics of how the Spirit does that: strength
through weakness. No one could possibly be worthy of the calling Paul had, but
the Spirit makes him able to perform it. My own strength can stand in the way
of the Spirit giving me far greater strength! As Paul wrote earlier to the
Corinthians,
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and
the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. ‑‑
1 Corinthians 1:25 (NIV)
Paul - as
any orthodox Jew of the time would - does not deny the truth of the Law.
Instead, throughout his writings, there are two ideas which are prevalent:
1) The Law is our schoolmaster (see Galatians
3:24 in the King James - "put in charge" in the NIV). It is
profitable for us to read it, for in it we learn how God dealt with ancient
Israel - and there are many lessons to be heeded from this.
2) But the Law is also a veil. In our time,
this can mean not only the Law of Moses, but also the self made law - the rules
and regulations made up by men as a substitute for the righteousness of Christ.
The good news is that when a man turns to Christ, Christ tears away the veil -
as he tore the veil of the Holy of Holies at His death. He will tear away the
veil of legalism and let you look into the face of God - if you will turn to
Him.
Indeed,
the Law can now hold us back from being what God intended us to be. We are
created in the image of God, and are meant to be free; we are held in the
bondage of sin , until Christ sets us free. But what is freedom?
Freedom in Christ
{17} Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom. {18} And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the
Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever‑increasing
glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ‑‑
2 Corinthians 3:17‑18 (NIV)
What is
freedom? I submit that freedom is not license, nor is it ever absolute. It is
the ability to be what you were designed to be - without limits. An eagle in a
mole's tunnel is not free, no matter what you tell him. There is no use
dropping the mole from an airplane and telling him to flap his arms. Both
animals would be terrified; in a very real sense both are bound - the eagle
confined in the tunnel; the mole wanting to get back into it.
We are
designed to be like God. As we grow in Christ, we are being transformed to be
like Him. Just as my son grew from a physical resemblance of his father to a
spiritual resemblance, so we as Christians are growing in His likeness. And
there is the test: do others see the likeness of Christ in you??