¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. ¹⁵For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; ¹⁶to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.

Doxology outbreak—now that’s an epidemic we’d like to see more of. The apostle Paul was infected, as even a cursory reading of his letters shows, and so should we be. Although worded in the form of gratitude, the tone is praise. How can one not be overwhelmed with appreciation for God as described by Paul here? We praise the Lord for what He has done for us and what He continues to do for us.

He “leads us in triumph in Christ.” This comes after Paul explains his change of plans. His leaving Troas where the door was opened for the gospel (2 Cor. 2:12-13) was a not a spiritual defeat or in some way a diversion from ministry. The victory march in Christ still went on and the final victory was not in question. Too often Christians use a negative lens in how they view “disruptions” to their ministry (e.g. “Satan got in the way”). Not so the apostle Paul.

No matter where he went, Paul could rejoice that God “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” Wherever Paul went, the influence of Christ went also. The “fragrance of Christ” was evident in his concern for Titus, and that led him to move on from Troas.

Love of the brethren should compel all our decisions. That is the mind of Christ. We can’t emphasize this principle enough. Ministry is about people, not projects. Whether in the gospel (“among those who are perishing”) or believers “among those who are being saved”), we are called to serve people. Notice that ministry to believers is the same level of importance as preaching the gospel to the unsaved—because both involve the care for people.

We know that we are “saved” in the past tense. That is true: “…by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:5). But we are also “being saved.” Our entry into salvation is in the past, but our salvation continues going on into the future. We are saved and are continually beingsaved as though each day was our day of salvation. God, who is beyond all time, sees the beginning and the end in one glance, so our salvation is certain. So while the Great White Throne judgment is still in the future, we can say with confidence that we will be spared from that future judgment (Rev. 20:11). While the fragrance of Christ to unbelievers has the smell of death, for believers life has been saturated with the continuous aroma of Christ, a fragrance like flowers in full bloom.

Lord, I want to increasingly have the fragrant effect of Christ on others.