2 Corinthians 2:12

Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother. But taking my leave of them, I went from there into Macedonia. Now, thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish... 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.

When stress slams the door God has opened, how do we keep marching in Christ's triumph?

Paul's Setting and His Critics

As Paul writes 2 Corinthians, he is most likely in the city of Philippi, in the region of Macedonia. He writes to a church he knew well, a church he had planted. God had used him instrumentally to birth the church in Corinth and to strengthen it, even though, like every church, they had many problems. Paul had a real love and passion for this church, stemming from the love of God in him. As 2 Corinthians 4 shows, it was the love of Christ that compelled him to do this work.

This is perhaps his fourth letter to this church, and there were some at Corinth—perhaps outsiders—bringing accusations against Paul and his ministry. Some said he was greedy for money, ministering only to get something from people. Others said he was fickle and flighty, that he didn't plan according to God's will, that he promised to come and didn't. Paul answers these false allegations and defends himself.

Why even defend yourself, when David said, "God is my defense"? As an ambassador of Christ, Paul had a real concern that these false allegations might stick to him and be projected onto God, so that people would misunderstand who God is and how He works. We've already seen two of his defenses: at the end of chapter 1, he didn't come out of restraint, so as not to bring a severe rebuke (1:24); and in the first verses of chapter 2, he didn't come because he didn't want to bring a burden of sorrow, since the purpose of fellowship is mutually beneficial joy.

A Door at Troas

Now Paul gives his third defense: an open door of opportunity to preach Christ's gospel was given to him at Troas. He had been in the region of Ephesus, and he traveled more than a hundred miles north to Troas because there was an opportunity for the gospel.

Notice in verse 12 that it is Christ's gospel—not Paul's own teaching or ideas. And the door was opened "of the Lord." It was God's message, God's good news, and God made the way open. Paul's place was to be faithful. The same is true for us. It is God's message, Christ's gospel, the ministry of reconciliation committed to us. Every day God opens opportunities, even doors, for us to minister as He supplies the strength. And at that moment we have a decision: will we walk through that door? Honestly, it is not always easy to walk through those doors.

"I Had No Rest in My Spirit"

It gets more difficult in verse 13: "I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother." Titus had been dispatched by Paul to Corinth and had left there; apparently the plan was for the two to meet up again. When that didn't happen, Paul had no rest in his spirit, took his leave of those in Troas, and went on to Macedonia—about 140 miles northwest, probably to Philippi. There he waited for his dear friend and disciple Titus.

Paul is the king of digressions. Here he begins what is called the Great Digression. He says in verse 13 that he had no rest in his spirit, and not until chapter 7, verse 5, does he pick up the thread: "When we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus." Between 2:13 and 7:5 is a giant parenthesis—four chapters in which Paul defends his apostleship further.

God Comforts in Natural Ways

It's important to note something from chapter 7, verse 6: "God, who comforts the cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus." In chapter 1, Paul called God the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. Here, Paul was troubled, had no rest in himself, until God comforted him in a very practical, natural way—by bringing a brother, Titus, alongside him.

Sometimes we miss the very natural ways God seeks to comfort us because we're looking for something amazing and supernatural. You may know the old, even cliché, story of the man in a flood. The waters rise, and a neighbor warns him to leave—"No, I trust God to save me." The sheriff comes—same answer. A boat comes as the water fills his house—same answer. A helicopter drops a ladder as he clings to the chimney—same answer. Then he drowns and asks God, "Why didn't You save me?" God replies, "I sent your neighbor, the sheriff, a boat, and a helicopter."

Yes, God works in mysterious ways. But God also works many times in very natural, practical ways. Paul was troubled, and God comforted him by the coming of Titus. We need to be careful not to reject the very natural comforters God sends our way.

Paul Was a Man Like Us

This passage highlights something I've pointed out throughout this letter: Paul was a person just like us. We can almost deify Paul, imagining he had some extra measure of faith and Spirit nobody else has, and then fail to notice verses where he confesses he was discouraged, troubled, even stressed. Can anybody relate to the stress Paul speaks of here? We live in a stress-filled culture—one that almost likes stress, as if it stirs us to bigger things. But there are times you're simply stressed, discouraged, and filled with anxiety.

Notice something key: God opened a great door at Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and Paul left because he was distressed. Discouragement and stress hindered the work God desired to do in Troas. What could have happened in that city? We experience similar things. God has given us His message—doors are open to us regularly throughout the week—and many times we are hindered from going through them because of stress, anxiety, and discouragement. How many open doors for the gospel are missed because we're hindered this way? Paul had an open door and left because he had no rest in his spirit—a classic definition of stress.

Two Choices Under Distress

So how do we deal with distressing, stressful circumstances that tempt us to anxiety? Remember, all of our life is ministry, because everything we do is to be for the glory of God. When distress comes, we face at least two choices.

First, we can focus on the circumstance and turn inward with a "poor me" attitude. This is incredibly easy—it's our default in the flesh. We instantly internalize it and think about it from fifty angles. This is what causes sleepless nights. You lie in bed running scenarios—"What if I do this? No, that won't work"—and at 3 a.m. you've figured nothing out. We're all very good at being stressed; we've got PhDs in anxiety.

Second, we can refocus on God and all we have in Him. There's a perfect picture of this in Numbers 13. God had brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty miracles—the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, water from rocks, bread from heaven—and now they stood at the border of the land flowing with milk and honey, at Kadesh Barnea. Twelve spies searched the land for forty days and came back with a cluster of grapes so big it had to be carried between two men. The land was just as God said. But ten of them said there were giants, and "we were as grasshoppers" in our own sight.

Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, gave the minority report: yes, there are giants, but they will be bread for us; our God is greater. They saw everything the others saw, but they saw something greater—God. The whole nation wept that night and did not enter the promised land for thirty-eight years. Only Joshua and Caleb of that generation went in. Everyone saw the same situation; only two saw it through the right lens. That shows us how to face distressing circumstances.

"Thanks Be Unto God, Who Always Causes Us to Triumph"

Paul eventually registered this truth, and he clues us in. In verse 13 he was troubled and could find no rest, so he went to Macedonia. But before Titus ever shows up—that's the whole point of the four-chapter parenthesis—Paul writes in verse 14: "Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ." He turned away from the debilitating, heartbreaking circumstance and his focus was lifted.

This is the very truth he later wrote to Philippi, which I believe he learned while visiting them at this time. Philippians 4:6: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." When God gives a command, He also gives the enabling power to fulfill it.

He goes further in verse 8: "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report... think on these things." When difficulty comes and our default is to deconstruct it from every angle, we must make a decision of our will to step back and think on God—His virtue, character, and love. Verse 9: "Those things... do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Isaiah 26 adds, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." In Hebrew it reads "Shalom, Shalom"—peace doubled for emphasis, perfect peace. And the next verse exhorts, "Trust ye in the LORD for ever."

The Roman Triumph

What good, lovely thing can we think on? Paul gives one here: God in Christ makes us victorious conquerors always. Romans 8:37 says we are "more than conquerors." The word "triumph" is a technical term for the triumphal processions held in the Roman Empire for a victorious general returning home.

William Barclay, in his commentary on the Corinthian letters, explains that the highest honor for a Roman general was a triumph, and it required strict conditions: he must have been the actual commander-in-chief, the campaign completely finished and the territory pacified, at least five thousand of the enemy fallen in one engagement, an extension of territory gained, and the victory won over a foreign enemy—not a civil war. These were rare.

Barclay describes the order of the procession: first the state officials and the Senate; then trumpeters; then the spoils of the conquered land. One such triumph followed Titus's destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70; an arch in Rome today, near the Colosseum, shows in relief the seven-branched lampstand and the table of showbread being carried. Then came painted pictures and models of the conquered citadels and ships; a white bull for sacrifice; the captive princes and generals in chains, soon to be imprisoned or executed; the officers, executioners bearing their rods, musicians with lyres and harps; priests swinging censers of sweet-smelling incense; then the general himself in a chariot drawn by four horses, wearing a purple, gold-embroidered tunic, a crown held over his head by a slave, his family riding behind, and finally his victorious army chanting, "Triumph! Triumph!"

Jesus, Our Victorious General

When Paul says God through Christ has made us to triumph always, this is the picture. Jesus is the captain of our salvation. He won the battle of battles on the cross when He said, "It is finished." In Christ He has brought us into this triumphal procession; we are victors with Him, more than conquerors, always. This is what we look forward to when He returns to earth—triumphal entry 2.0—coming on a white horse with us behind Him, victorious in battle.

So when stressful circumstances come and we bottle ourselves in, consuming spiritual vitality and sleepless nights over something that seems like the biggest thing in the world—it's not. There's something greater, and we're part of this victorious procession. Why aren't we there yet? Because we still have work to do. We're in this parade for a purpose: to sound the glory of our victorious General, permeating this world with His fragrance.

The Fragrance of Christ

Verse 14 says God "makes manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place." We in this procession are a permeating fragrance of Christ and His victory, carrying the greatness of His glory. Verse 15: "We are unto God a sweet savor of Christ." God enjoys what He sees in us; we're like sweet-smelling incense to Him.

Think of your favorite smell. Walking down Main Street at Disneyland, halfway down on the left, there's a cinnamon-roll place that pipes the smell into the street—and it's just wonderful. Andrea and I can't pass it without stopping; it's the first thing we do. That's what we, His church in Christ, are to God. He wants to make the savor of His knowledge manifest in every place. That's why you're in that workplace that stresses you out—to be the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of God there.

But verse 16 adds something curious: "To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life." Whether our fragrant influence leads to someone's salvation or to their rejecting Christ, it is still a sweet savor to God. Sometimes we think that if our presentation of God doesn't lead to a person's salvation, it's been ineffective. That's not what Paul says. He's placed us there to be the fragrance of Christ—and God is pleased with that.

Go back to the triumph. The priests swing censers; just in front are the captives, smelling that incense not as glory but as the fragrance of their coming judgment. In the rear are the victors, smelling that same incense as joy and glory. Where God leads you, some people get the fragrance of Christ in you and pull away—you don't talk like them anymore, don't do the old things, and your life is a conviction to them, so the fragrance smells like death. Others can't help but be drawn to you because that fragrance is the smell of life.

Sincerity, Not Peddling

"And who is sufficient for these things?" Paul continues in verse 17: "We are not as many, which corrupt the word of God." That word "corrupt" describes a street salesman conning someone into buying something he knows isn't worth it, just to make money. There were many who peddled the gospel for their own fame, money, or power. Paul says, "I am not one of those." He's answering critics who claimed he only ministered to get something.

Fast-forward two thousand years: there are still many who peddle God's word for monetary gain, fame, or power. Paul says, "That's not us." How do we know? Verse 17: he preaches "of sincerity"—out in the open, judged by the light, where everyone can see and examine it, with no hidden meanings. He preaches "of God"—it is God who works through him, with His message, not Paul's. And he preaches "in the sight of God"—recognizing that God is his ultimate Judge, before whom he will one day stand. The peddlers lack that recognition, but they too will stand before God.

Living Epistles of Christ

In chapter 3, verse 1, Paul asks whether he needs letters of commendation to or from Corinth, like some others. False apostles showed up with letters of reference from Jerusalem, and when they left, they asked for letters to carry to the next city—"Look what we did at Corinth." Paul needed none of that. Verse 2: "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men." The very existence of the church at Corinth was the endorsement of his ministry, proof of his sincerity.

Verse 3: "Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." We, like Corinth, are living epistles of Christ—walking advertisements for Jesus wherever we go, whether we like it or not. At work, at school, on the ball field, in your neighborhood, you are a living letter of Jesus. People may never read this book, but they will read you.

One commentator wrote: "The honor of Christ is in the hands of His followers. We judge a shopkeeper by the goods he sells, a craftsman by the articles he produces, the church by the kind of men and women it creates"—and people judge Christ by His followers. Another preacher said, "The greatest handicap the church has ever had has been the unsatisfactory lives of professing Christians." Those are challenging words. With that in mind, think about your life this past week.

Our Sufficiency Is of God

You may be thinking, "I didn't sign up for this. I didn't see the fine print. I can't do that." Back up to chapter 2, verse 16: "Who is sufficient for these things?" Then chapter 3, verse 4: "And such trust we have through Christ to God-ward." This is a heavy reality, so we must trust God.

I highly recommend memorizing verses 5 and 6: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." As we trust Him, He enables us. Take the word "ministers" and fill in the blank: God has made us able husbands, able parents, able employees, all for His glory.

Paul recognized his insufficiency—that is what made him great. Alan Redpath said, "God reduces a man to a minimum in order that He might use him for the maximum." If you come into the body of Christ saying, "Lord, You got a good one—I can do this," God will bring you to the place where you say, "I can't." First Corinthians 1 says not many mighty, not many strong; He chose the weak things to confound the strong, so our focus would be on Him.

One of God's Old Testament titles is El Shaddai, the Almighty God—described by ancient rabbis as "the all-sufficient One." He is the all-sufficient One on behalf of us, the insufficient ones. The quicker we say, "I can do nothing apart from Him," the quicker we find the glorious truth that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." There God gets the greatest glory. Our greatest inability is failing to recognize our insufficiency apart from God's almighty power. But when we honestly say, "Without Him, I can do nothing," we find the strength to be able husbands, wives, parents, employees, Christians, and ministers.

Closing Prayer

Father, Your word is challenging. It is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts deep; it divides between joint and marrow, soul and spirit; it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Lord, we need, by Your grace and power and as You supply by Your Spirit, the ability to shine as lights in this world. Enlighten us. Burn brightly through us. Help us to decrease that You would increase, that people would see and glorify You, our Father in heaven. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.