2 Corinthians 2:16 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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2 Corinthians 2:16

Comments

The person who is being saved, in whose heart is the work of grace, hears the gospel, and though there may be fightings and strugglings, this word of the gospel is a word of kindness, it is the most marvellous message that person ever heard. ‘Sins forgiven, peace with God, hope of heaven! This is kindness distilled. If only I could reach out for that, if only I could be saved by the blood of Christ and forgiven and have eternal life. It is a savour of life unto life.’But the rejecter of the gospel looks at the Christian in the office, even in the family, and says, ‘These people think they have the words of eternal life, these people think they are the servants of the living God who bring to us the message of life. I do not want that; it is the last thing I want. What they are talking about means humiliation – bow down before God, confess my sin! I am not doing any such thing. To me this message means the loss of all pleasure and enjoyment as I see it, the giving up of sin. I do not see their point of view, I do not believe in what they are saying. I do not like them. They are the savour of death unto death to me. ‘And who is sufficient for these things?’ To bear that responsibility and that privilege, who is worthy? Who is capable? What a privilege to be the savour of Christ and what a responsibility. It is a challenge. Fortunately in chapter 3:5 he says, ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God,’ from God.

Application

It is only by the overriding grace of God that that wonderful gospel sound is sweet to any one of us, because to the natural man it is an unwelcome sound, it is a ‘savour of death’. He senses that this message would be death to him, death to all he values most in life. ‘I cannot live like that’, he says.

Didn’t the Lord say to Peter and the disciples, ‘I give you the keys of heaven and hell’? and in a sense that it is true of us also. You and I in our lives either bring people to salvation or to judgement. Through our message, they will either be saved or judged. Are we fit for that responsibility? I am supposed to be a savour of Christ, the fragrance, the aroma of Christ wherever I am. But am I? Perhaps we are such a savour to people we are about to witness to, but what about to the trader who short changes us? What about the person who offends us in some way? To everyone – are you models, are we all models of courtesy and kindness? Are we fit to be described as the fragrance, the savour of Christ?

How much we have to pray for those open doors. How much we have to keep sight of the overall triumph. Oh that that was our experience if we pray and look to him and prepare our hearts. This is the privilege and the responsibility of every believer, and this is the example of the apostles to us.

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2 Corinthians 2:16 Commentary and Bible Study