Unmistakable Marks

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16

The first few chapters of 2 Corinthians indicate that Paul was being challenged by certain Christians at Corinth. They had been affected by some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem who suggested that Paul was not a genuine apostle because he was not one of the original twelve. Because of this, they insisted his brand of Christianity was not real Christianity. One of the Devil's favorite tricks is to brand the truth as a big lie, and that's exactly what was happening at Corinth.

Paul's response to these charges is to describe for us the nature of his ministry. Paul's ministry bears several unmistakable marks that cannot be successfully counterfeited. These qualities are always present whenever real Christianity is being practiced. No matter how cleverly false Christianity may try to copy them, it can't be done. These marks have nothing to do with personality or temperament, so anyone who discovers the secret of authentic Christianity can attain them.

The first mark is found in the very first phrase: thanks be to God. One mark of radical Christianity is a spirit of thankfulness, even amid trial and difficulty. It is a kind of unquenchable optimism. The world operates by the gloomy principle of Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. But authentic Christians operate by a belief in God's grace, love, and ultimate control. You can see the unquenchable optimism of authentic Christianity in the Book of Acts, where a note of triumph runs through from beginning to end despite all the dangers, hardships and persecutions the early Christians experienced.

The second mark of authentic Christianity is closely linked to the first and found in the next phrase, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession. Note how strongly Paul puts it: Jesus always leads us in triumph. Not occasionally — always. Paul makes perfectly clear that the Christianity he has experienced presents a pattern of unvarying success. It involves struggle, hardships and tears, and sometimes, as on the cross at Calvary, the moment of triumph may even look like complete failure. But our triumph is always assured. The struggle may be desperate, but it always ends at last in the complete achievement of the objectives God has set for us. Even the opposition we encounter is made to serve the purposes of victory.

The third mark follows immediately. After saying, But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession, Paul continues with this beautiful statement of the impact we have as authentic Christians: and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. Our lives should be spent giving off a fragrance — not only to other people, but to God. There is something about authentic Christianity that leaves an unforgettable impression when encountered. The Christian who has discovered this secret makes an enduring impact, which may be in one of two directions: he either increases opposition to Christ (death to death) or it leads toward faith and life (life to life). If your life is one that reflects authentic Christianity, then you are making people either bitter or better by contact with you. But one thing cannot happen: people will never remain the same. Those who are determined to die are pushed on toward death by coming into contact with authentic Christianity. Those who are seeking to live are helped on into life.

Lord, thank you for the privilege of being called into a ministry like this that does not rest upon my resources, personality, money, time, or anything else but the greatness of our God. Amen.