2 Corinthians 2:14 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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2 Corinthians 2:14

Comments

The word translated ‘triumph’ means to make a loud noise in a procession. He has in mind an illustration. When God deals with us and helps us, our whole life is like a Roman triumph. The Romans would send a general with a legion or two of troops to some place to quell unrest, and they would succeed and come back to Rome in triumph, and then there would be the loud procession, with all the clamour. The general would be put in the front, and the people would line the streets with all kinds of spices and celebratory implements, and the whole city would be filled with the fragrance of spices and incense. That is what our lives are like, says the apostle Paul. God’s hand is always shown and doors are opened and wonderful things take place. We have to suffer the opposition of persecution. We are all the time dependent upon the Lord, all the time we are shown our own vulnerability and weakness, but at the same time the doors swing open and the blessing comes.You go into a completely pagan place like Corinth or Troas, people who are committed to their idols and to their polytheism, people who at first despise you and hate you, and yet some of them will breathe in the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ, a Saviour who came from heaven and suffered and died for sinners on Calvary, and in amazing lovingkindness bore away our sin if we believe in him. And that great love and kindness and mercy and compassion is breathed in to the innermost soul through the preaching and the witness of the apostles in every place.

Application

What a model for Christians subsequently. Oh if we could live like that, seeing at every phase in life, every corner we turn in our experience, some opportunity, some instrumentality as a church together, and as individuals. So that we could say, yes, we have the troubles and the disappointments and the heartache and the shocks, and the temptations to resist, and the worldliness to reject. It is not an easy life, but at the same time it is like a Roman triumph. At every juncture, every point, we see in the end the hand of God and his blessing.

We are on a great victory march. Yes, you think of terrible things happening now. Legislation going through Parliament which is going to destroy the dignity of created human beings. You see the great assault on the gospel which is allowed, these extreme, wicked, evil atheists, writing their abusive books which become great bestsellers and people willing grab them and desire them and they are giving the air waves to spread their poison. We see, yes, so much unbelief but make no mistake. What is going on spiritually is still a great victory march, as Christ with effortless ease gathers people here and there, out of the kingdom of darkness and delivers them into the kingdom, his own kingdom, the kingdom of God’s dear Son. We are part of this procession. You get into the office, place of business, place of study, wherever you are, you see yourself as one of those representatives of Christ, following him on this victory march to the end.

Questions

Why is there a great digression that suddenly bursts into what Paul is saying? It runs from chapter 2 verse 14, all the way to chapter 7 and verse 4. That is a long, long digression and it happens because Paul, has been talking about the Corinthians and how God had moved in their hearts to save them, and to establish them, and had brought them to repent when some of them fell into sin. He now exclaims, ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.’ He bursts in with a long aside about the gospel ministry and its power and its usefulness. The Corinthians were wonderfully changed and mellowed and opened up the authority of the word of God and so he gives this triumph passage about the ministry of the gospel.

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Introduction

2 Corinthians 2:14 Commentary and Bible Study