Transcript

Ron Carlson once related the following story:

“My freshman year in college I lived with a fellow from Thailand who had been a Buddhist until he was 18 years old.

“He became a Christian while studying in the United States and he happened to become my roommate not long after his conversion.

“And I asked him one day: ‘Lou, explain to me why you became a Christian. Tell me, what is the difference between Buddhism and Christianity.’

“And he put it this way, ‘Ron, when I was a Buddhist, it was like I was drowning in a big lake and I didn’t know how to swim.’

“He continued, ‘I kept going under over and over again and then Buddha walked up to the edge of the lake and Buddha began to teach me how to swim.

“Buddha yelled to me, ‘Start moving your arms and legs!’ But Buddha said, ‘You must make it to shore yourself.’

“Then Jesus Christ walked up to the edge of the water. But He did not stop there. Jesus Christ dove into the lake and swam out and He rescued me!

“And He brought me safely to shore. And after He brought me to shore, then He taught me how to swim so I could go back and rescue others.”

In this episode, we will examine our role as witnesses for Christ in rescuing others as ambassadors for Christ, and we’ll explore evangelism from God’s viewpoint.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 reads:

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

“For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.”

Paul gave thanks to God here, because He “always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” The apostle uses a metaphor here in his praise and thanksgiving to God.

The idea of “always causeth [or leads] us to triumph” hearkens back to the Roman triumphal procession, which was a victory parade in Rome that celebrated a successful military campaign.

The parade was called the Roman Triumph. In the Triumph, a victorious general was honored with a festive, ceremonial parade through the streets of Rome.

One commentator painted the scene this way:

“In a Triumph, the procession of the victorious general marched through the streets of Rome to the Capitol in the following order.

“First came the state officials and the senate. Then came the trumpeters. Then were carried the spoils taken from the conquered land.

“For instance, when Titus conquered Jerusalem, the seven-branched candlestick, the golden table of shewbread and the golden trumpets were carried through the streets of Rome.

“There followed a bull for the sacrifice [at the temple of Jupiter]. Then there walked the captive princes, leaders, and generals in chains, shortly to be flung into prison and in all probability almost immediately to be executed.

“Then the musicians with their lyres; then the priests swinging their censers with the sweet-smelling incense burning in them, [burning the incense to their gods to whom they gave credit for the victory].

“After that came the general himself. He stood in a chariot drawn by four horses. He was clad in a purple tunic embroidered with golden palm leaves, and over it a purple toga marked out with golden stars. In his hand, he held an ivory scepter with the Roman eagle at its top, and over his head, a slave held the crown of Jupiter.

“After him rode his family; and finally came the army wearing all their decorations and shouting loud exclamations of triumph.”

It reminds me of a ticker tape, victory parade by a sports team in their home city after they have won a championship.

From this event and scene of the Roman Triumph, Paul drew an analogy about our witness for Christ and the advance of the gospel of grace.

Through His Cross and resurrection, Christ has triumphed over our enemies of sin, death, and Satan. As believers in Christ, we are forever on the side of victory. And now throughout all our lives, we are ALWAYS led in a triumphal procession by our Savior.

Having subdued the enemy, Christ, the supreme Victor, marches in ultimate triumph. And no one can stand against Him.

Having trusted Christ as our personal Savior, we are on the side of victory. He won the victory for us, and being on the Lord’s side, we get to share in His triumph. He gets the glory, but we, His followers, join Him in the grand celebration of His triumphal procession.

And Paul gave thanks to God for this privilege, the privilege of always being led in triumph in Christ, because it is by the grace of God that we have been saved and that we have victory through Christ.

As the Roman Triumph advanced, clouds of incense permeated the scene, and its sweet aroma and fragrance filled the streets and the air throughout Rome. Paul equated this aroma to how God “maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.”

As the Church is always led in triumph in Christ, by our life, witness, and deeds, the aroma of the knowledge of God is manifest to the world.

Paul refers to this “knowledge” a couple of chapters later, where he wrote: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the KNOWLEDGE of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (4:6).

At our conversion, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shone in our hearts. And God then uses the Church to make known His saving knowledge to the world, to bring the light of Christ to the hearts of those in darkness.

As the Triumph parade proceeded through the streets of Rome, Paul compared the wafting of its fragrant incense to God disseminating the knowledge of the gospel of grace and Christ’s triumph over sin and death through His people to the world.

In verse 14, Paul stated that he and his co-workers made known this knowledge “in every place” they traveled, worked, and took the gospel of the grace of God to the nations.

And following Paul’s example, the Church is called to do likewise, to be a witness to Christ “in every place” in this world, because “in every place” there are sinners in need of the Savior, and “in every place,” Christ died for every single person.

The Church is called to be followers of Paul, as he followed Christ (I Cor. 11:1). In doing this, we are called to follow Paul’s heart and passion for lost souls.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4:9, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

As you look at Paul’s life and ministry in God’s Word, what you learn and observe is that evangelism and church-planting were at the very heart of it.

And the church-planting was for the purpose of equipping God’s people to reach the unbelieving and to be a lighthouse for truth.

As we follow Paul in our witness, we find that Paul was bold in sharing Christ, BUT he didn’t always feel bold, and Paul asked others to pray for his boldness (Eph. 6:19).

And at times, Paul was even fearful to speak out for Christ. Paul was not superhuman, and Paul’s fear, timidity, and lack of boldness are very relatable, because evangelism is not an easy thing.

In Corinth, the Lord spoke to Paul and encouraged him in his witness, “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee…” (Acts 18:9-10).

And Philippians 4:9 assures us that the God of peace will be with us too as we follow Paul in our witness and we reach out to others. And God can calm our fears and give us boldness and His peace to speak out for Him.

Paul teaches the Church to be “Pray without ceasing.” And evangelism is an area of the Christian life that needs prayer. We need to depend on the Lord in it.

As Paul made known the saving knowledge of God in every place, he stated in verse 15, “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.”

The word rendered “sweet savor” refers to a fragrance that is pleasing, and metaphorically, it is a thing well pleasing to God.

Referring to the Cross, Ephesians 5:2 tells us that “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

Christ’s offering for sin was a sweetsmelling savour to God, which teaches that the Father was well-pleased with His Son’s perfect sacrifice and was satisfied and He accepted it.

The “sweet savour” here in 2 Corinthians 2:15 refers not to the message proclaimed, but to the messengers that proclaim the message.

As we spread the good news of salvation and are a witness of Christ and His Cross, Paul said that WE are unto God a sweet savour of Christ. And WE are pleasing to God.

When we take that step of faith and reach out and share the good news of Christ, that sweet fragrance goes right to the throne of God. As Paul says, “For we are unto GOD a sweet savour of Christ.” And He is well-pleased.

In Paul’s ministry, many were reached through Paul’s evangelistic efforts in Ephesus. Acts 19:10 says, “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus.”

The gospel went forth with power. It spread like wildfire through Asia Minor, and many souls were saved, and lives were transformed by the gospel.

However, in Athens, it was a different story. In Acts 17, we read that after Paul shared the gospel, “some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter,” and only a few trusted Christ. In the eyes of men, Paul was not as successful in Athens in preaching the gospel.

However, according to this passage, as Paul made manifest the savour of the knowledge of Christ and the gospel, in both places, Paul was “unto God a sweet savour of Christ.” Thus, in the eyes of God, there was no failure in either place, only success.

The fragrance is sweet to God based on our faithfulness to make the gospel known, NOT on the success of the response.

We are “a sweet savour of Christ,” Paul says, regardless of the response, in BOTH “them that are saved, and in them that perish.”

From God’s viewpoint, there are only two categories or camps of people in this world, and there is no in between.

Every person is either “saved” from their sins and is spiritually alive and going to heaven, or they are perishing in their sins, lost, and headed for judgment in the lake of fire.

Each believer’s life is an aroma to the knowledge of God that others react to, either in trusting Christ and being saved, or rejecting Christ and remaining in a state of perishing.

In this, may our prayer be as the missionary Jim Elliot, who once prayed, “Father, make me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road. Make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

Our witness and being an aroma of Christ to the world includes both our words and our lives. It is important how we live; others are watching. Paul wrote a couple of verses later here, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (3:2).

In light of this, Paul challenged the Ephesians, “For ye were sometimes [or once] darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

To live as light, living a righteous, godly life that stands out and is different and separate from the darkness of the world is to show love to the unbelieving all around us.

It is to present them with the contrast between faith and unbelief, light and darkness, life and death.

The light and contrast of a loving Christ-like life can expose unbelievers to the character of sin, the destructiveness of sin, and one’s need for salvation. We show love for the world by not being like it and by walking as children of light.

And our walk as light can draw, point, and show the way to Christ. And when our words are backed by a faithful testimony for Christ, it makes our witness more powerful.

woman was nervously waiting at the airport for her husband to return from his skydiving lesson. After a while, the pilot approached and told her:

“I’m sorry, but there’s been an accident. I have some bad news, some good news, some more bad news, and some more good news.”

The wife asked, “What happened?” The pilot replied, “Well, the bad news is your husband fell out of the plane.” And the man’s wife broke out into tears.

The pilot said, “No, no, no, the good news is he had his parachute on.” And the man’s wife was instantly relieved.

Then the pilot added, “But the bad news is he hit the ground before his chute could open.” The wife exclaimed, “Oh no!” and started to cry again.

But the pilot told her, “Oh no, the good news is we hadn’t even taken off yet.”

We have a bad news/good news message to make known to the world. The bad news is the worst news possible: we are dead in our sins and headed for the lake of fire.

But the good news is the best possible news: we are saved by just trusting that Christ died for us and rose again, and the moment we trust Him, we have the sure hope of heaven.

Salvation under grace is so extraordinarily simple and wonderful. It is a free gift, it is available to all, and it is received by faith alone.

We share this good news constrained by the love of Christ, out of a burden for lost souls, and in gratitude to the grace of God, wanting others to experience the blessing that we have found in Christ: the forgiveness of all our sins and eternal life.

Evangelism is about an overflow of the grace of God in one’s own life and wanting others to know about God’s saving grace, too.

And as D.T. Niles has said, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” We find the bread of life, of life eternal, in Christ. And as we tell others about the Savior, “we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 2:16-17:

“To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour 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 in Christ.”

As the gospel and the knowledge of Christ’s triumph is shared, Paul said, “To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.”

In the Roman Triumph parade, to the victors, the aroma of incense was a perfume of joy and victory and life; but to the captives, it was the aroma of doom, and a reminder of defeat, captivity, and their impending death and execution.

A person’s response to the gospel has eternal consequences. In a person’s rejection of the gospel, “death unto death” refers to the spiritual “death” they remain in when rejecting the gospel, which will ultimately lead unto the eternal second “death” if they die in their sins.

It is God’s desire that people who are “dead in trespasses and sins” receive life and not death, but they must respond in faith to the gospel of grace to have life.

And “life unto life” refers to the spiritual “life” unto eternal “life” that one is given the moment one believes the gospel.

And for the believer, whenever we hear the gospel and we smell that sweet aroma of its truth, we know that message means life, peace, and eternity with God.

But “Death unto death” also reminds you of what is coming for the unbeliever. The second death, to be eternally separated from God and His life and goodness in the Lake of Fire, is a horror that is difficult for our minds to conceive.

In the lake of fire, the unbeliever is judged for their sins eternally. And in that place of doom, unbelievers will spend eternity in the midst of unmixed, complete evil. They will reside in the presence of demons and Satan for eternity.

The Lake of Fire is a place of darkness, fearsome blackness of darkness. They will never see light again. One is spiritually blind and in darkness in their sins, and they will remain in darkness forever.

There is no rest in the Lake of Fire. The horror of that place, its terrifying sounds, their pain and torment, and the restlessness of their soul will not allow one to EVER rest.

They will reside in a constant, scorching, suffocating, burning lake of fire and brimstone, in horrific torment, experiencing never-ending pain. The fire burns forever; the heat never relents. There is no respite and no relief from the suffering. It never lets up.

And the lake of fire is a place of utter loneliness. There will be no companionship; there are no relationships in hell. Each person will be alone forever with their thoughts. And in the anguish and regrets of their thoughts, they will weep and gnash their teeth forever.

You and I have the message, the truth, the good news that saves one from entering this unending, eternal suffering. We have the message that delivers one from this second death and gives one eternal life in God’s presence forever.

That message is to just trust that Christ died for you, for your sins personally, and that He rose again. The good news is that Christ took your sins upon Himself, He faced the judgment of God against them at the Cross, and He paid the price for all your sins. And when you trust this, God forgives you of all your sins and gives you eternal life as a gift.

As Paul contemplated the tremendous responsibility of making known the gospel that has such far-reaching, crucial, and eternal consequences, he cried out, “And who is sufficient for these things?” It staggered Paul as it should stagger us.

The sharing of the gospel divides humanity eternally. Heaven and hell, life and death, are on the line. Who is equal to such a vitally important task?

But God uses rescued people to rescue people, and it is the task of our lives to rescue the perishing. And it is also true that no one in themselves, in our own strength, is adequate or competent to serve God in this vital ministry.

How we are sufficient for these things is through God Himself. 2 Corinthians 3:5 says, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”

God equips the Church for this awesome and weighty responsibility in evangelism. We rely on Him and His grace for the strength, boldness, and wisdom to be a faithful witness to the gospel and to make “manifest the savour of His knowledge.”

In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul wrote, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” We are taught in this passage that we have the treasure of the knowledge of the gospel of Christ in us, who are weak, earthen vessels. And it is through the power of God that we share this treasure with others.

We do so out of a burden for lost souls and a sincere desire to see them saved from their sins. However, Paul makes us aware here that there are some out there in the gospel ministry who do not have pure motives.

As Paul said, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God…” The phrase “which corrupt the Word of God” literally means to peddle.

The term was used for wine sellers who watered down their wine so as to make more money, and it was also used of hawking one’s product for profit.

Any way you look at it, it’s about money. In Paul’s day and still to this day, many use ministry for personal profit. And many will water down, dilute, add to, and soft peddle the truth of the gospel and God’s Word for financial gain.

The gospel is peddled for money by those with impure, mercenary motives, who do not have a sincere concern for people’s souls. Rather, their true concern is money.

In stark contrast to men like this, Paul said, “but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

Paul’s motives, and those of his coworkers, were pure. His heart was sincere. The eternal destiny of the souls of people was truly his chief concern.

His witness was carried out “as of God,” or as influenced by Him, with His heart of love and care, under His direction, in His strength. And the source of his message and the gospel of grace he made known was “of God,” and the truth of God.

And it was done “in the sight of God,” with the keen awareness that God was always present and watching. Paul knew that his entire life and ministry was lived out in the sight of God, Who knew everything he thought, did, and said. Paul served aware of his accountability to God and that nothing was hidden from Him.

And in light of all these things, Paul said, “speak we in Christ.” Paul spoke the truth of the gospel message in the service of Christ, in the strength of Christ, and for His glory.

We, too, are called to “as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” And as we do so, we just share what Christ has done, that He died for our sins and rose again, and that we are saved by faith alone in Him.

The truth of the gospel has power, it is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”

And as we take that step and we share the truth of the gospel, the Holy Spirit uses not only words, but our heart, our care, our faith, and our sincerity.

And He uses us, even when our words and attempts to share Christ are spoken in weakness, and when we stumble all over ourselves, the words don’t come out like we hoped; they ask us questions, and we don’t answer their questions well, and it feels like in the end, we blew it.

But WE DO NOT FAIL when we share the gospel. Often, we plant the seed of the gospel, or we water that seed, and the Holy Spirit can use our faithfulness to lead someone toward the Savior and toward His Cross and toward salvation.

And as we learn here, we always are led in triumph in Christ, and to God we are a sweet savor, and He is pleased when we are faithful to make known His good news of salvation in this world.