2 Corinthians 2:14-16
Theme: Introduction to Paul's Theological Aside

In 2:14 we make a sudden sharp detour away from Paul’s practical exhortations over church discipline and forgiveness into this extended excursion into what is the richest theological rabbit trail ever composed. Starting from 2:14 Paul breaks away from his flow of thought and leads us down a doctrinal aside that ends at 7:4. With your pens, you can put a parenthesis around 2:14 to 7:4. Look at what happens if you read around 2:14-7:4, let’s read 2:12 and 13 and then skip over to 7:5-8:


If those nearly five chapters were taken out of this letter, it would flow seamlessly. Can you see that?

2:14 to 7:4 is such an abrupt intrusion into Paul’s description of his deep spiritual angst that it has prompted many scholars to suggest that it was written by Paul at another time and then cut and pasted by a later editor. Some scholars even think that this may be the missing letter of tears.

This section beginning in v. 14 is a dissertation on Paul’s theology of ministry. According to Macarthur, Paul deals in this section with 8 topics- picture it like a train with eight stops:
1. Let’s get on with the first stop: the triumph of the ministry (2:14-17)
“Thanks be to God who always leads us triumph in Christ…” (2:14)
2. The second stop is the commendation of the ministry (3:1-6)
“..you are our letter [of commendation] written on our hearts…” (3:2)
3. The train slows as we round the corner to the next stop, the basis of the ministry (3:7-18)
“How will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more [glorious]?” (3:8)
4. The theme of the ministry (4:1-7)
“…the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (4:4)
5. The trials of the ministry (4:8-18)
“…afflicted… but not crush; perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed.” (4:8-9)
6. The motivation of the ministry (5:1-10)
“For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may be recompensed.” (5:10)
7. The message of the ministry (5:11-21)
“[God] reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave use the ministry of reconciliation…” (5:18)
8. The conduct of the ministry is the terminus station (6:1-10)
“by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true…” (6:8)

And I can’t wait to visit every one of these stops as we preach through this boundless storehouse of God’s Word for as long as it takes to exhaust all the spiritual nourishment of this infinite buffet of truth.

This section may be an aside and a rabbit trail, but I don’t believe that it is the letter of tears because it is full of such victorious rejoicing- how could it be a letter if tears? Nor is it a lost letter edited into the scroll by some hapless scribe because, for one thing, any editor could have easily found a better place for it than right in the middle of Paul’s sentence!


No, what we are seeing here is Paul so overcome by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that he cannot even finish one sentence before leaping into an outburst of ecstatic prophetic glorying and you can imagine his scribe thrashing over the scroll with quill in hand and ink splashing as he struggles to keep up with Paul’s inspired monologue carefully recording every divine word. (So we owe it that anonymous scribe to do likewise and strain over every word so as to realize the full meaning of this exalted and exalted text.)

I do believe that the Holy Spirit has something to teach us though by this mystifying interruption; and I will tell you what that is in moment. But let’s look at a couple of key words first:

1. Thanks
And Paul begins his outburst by rejoicing with exultation to God in 2:14 saying (literally) “But to God thanks (Charis) to the one who always triumphantly leads us in Christ.”

This morning I want to look at three key words in that opening doxology. The first is that unassuming word, “Thanks”- charis in Greek.

Paul says something similar in Romans and it sheds light on this triumphal parade, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart” (6:17). This gives great meaning to the triumph because not only are we led in triumph, but we are emancipated from slavery and led before our old masters in triumph.

And in 1 Corinthians 15:57 he writes, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. The commonality to all three of these thanksgiving texts is that they are all exalting God for the victory that he has won for us in Christ: we are set free from slavery and led in a triumphal procession towards our ultimate victory!”

I just have one point I want to make about thanksgiving -that is that giving thanks is commanded in scripture. Psalm 50:14 says, “Offer to God thanksgiving…” and Philippians 4:6 “…in everything by prayer and ...with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” and Ephesians 5:20 says, “giving thanks always for all things to God…” and most emphatically, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

So that means that in everything for all things and at all times we are to offer up thanksgiving to God; not just when we have the victory, but when victory is uncertain, or impossible; not just when the stock market is up, but also when it is miserably down; not just when the cancer has gone into remission, but also when it spreads… in all things at all times- give thanks!

This also means that saying grace is biblical. (I’m going to grind an axe here) I once heard a young lady preach and say that she could find no command in scripture for praying before a meal. Maybe if she went a few days without food, she would be reading her Bible more carefully and she might have remembered some of the scriptures I just quoted and exhorted us to be thankful when we eat.

In fact, being thankful in all things means we should not only give thanks when we sit down to eat, but also when we get up from eating and when we sit down at the toilette.

2. Always
That leads me into my next key word in this doxology: ‘always’. God always leads us in triumph. Hebrews 7:25 says, “[Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Do you feel like you are always being led in triumph this morning or have you let your circumstances become more powerful than God’s promises?

So you’re sick; so you’re embroiled in controversy; so you’re struggling to pay the bills; so you’re dealing with the guilt of past sins or even current sinful patterns in your life; so what! He always leads in triumph so that no matter what the circumstance you are anchored to something that is more secure than your mortgage or your RRSP’s or even your marriage- you are always being led in triumph because you are anchored to an eternal hope that was planned before the foundations of the world.

Are you being led in triumph this morning? (If this were a Pentecostal church I might have to ask you to return to your seats right now. Maybe we need to be a little more Pentecostal when we are confronted with such a glorious truth!).

God always leads His elect in ultimate eternal soul saving triumph, not just when we feel like, not just when we have had a particularly religious day, not just when we have repented of all our sins, omissions and motives- ALWAYS!

He is faithful to finish the good work that he has started in us.

3. Triumph
Finally, I want to look at one final key word: Triumph. He always leads us in triumph in Christ. The English Standard version calls it the “Triumphal Procession” because what is being described here by Paul is a Roman parade that is given for a conquering general. It’s a metaphor for what Paul describes in Colossians 2:13ff
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14…He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

When the Victorious Roman general rides into the great imperial city, he rides in with the captives kings and generals and leaders of the nation he conquered making a spectacle of them before the jubilant Roman citizens as well as before the emperor himself.

I can only introduce this concept of the Triumph this week, but I want to unpack it next week in connection with what Paul goes on to say about us being the fragrance of Christ. But let me leave you with this picture Richard Mouw to encourage you about the triumph we share as believers:
Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ’s triumph presently benefits our lives: Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds they city will not let anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful. But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons. Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil—disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over.
Uncommon Decency, Richard J. Mouw, pp. 149-150[1]


Conclusion

Maybe you forgot that I promised I was going to tell us why the Holy Spirit broke into Paul’s description of his deep spiritual depression. Here’s what I think. I do not believe that Paul is rejoicing because of the news from Titus. Paul is not rejoicing because the situation has changed in Corinth. The Corinthians are still in a divided church with a small but virile minority trying to seize control by attacking Paul’s character and credentials.

And not only that, but the Corinthians church existed in one of the most pagan and hedonistic cities in the world. Fornication in the Roman world was called Corinthianizing. And Paul knew that his church was always at risk of sliding into syncretistic practices with the pagan religion and humanistic philosophies.

The reason that Paul breaks into such unrestrained spirit inspired praise is because the Holy Spirit wants to show us that no matter what our circumstances, there is always passionate joy in the Christian life- whether we are in sickness or in health, in rags or riches, under attack or at peace- We have access to a deep abiding joy in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.[2]


Notes:
[1]Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).
[2]Paul Eckert, Steve Green's MIDI Hymnal : A Complete Toolkit for Personal Devotions and Corporate Worship., Electronic ed. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1998).