Bible Study: 2nd Cor 2:14-17

Last evening, I led Bible Study for the College Group at College Church. We always study the passage to be preached in the main service on the following Sunday, and this Sunday Jay Thomas is finishing a 4-part series on the pastor's life as an example for the believer with the topic, "The Pastor Must Suffer as a Servant of the Gospel". The passage is 2nd Corinthians 2:14-17:

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, ¹⁶ to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Because we have such a large group at Bible Study, we first split up into smaller groups to discuss the passage before coming together to bring the fruit of our insights before each other. Here were the directions I gave the small groups:

Everybody: Focus especially on determining what Paul means by “triumphal procession” given the context, what the aroma is about, and the difference between true and false gospel ministers.

Group 1: Look at 1:3-14 for an alternate context of the theme of suffering in 2 Cor, and see how it interacts with our passage.

Group 2: Look at 4:7-18 for an alternate context of the theme of suffering in 2 Cor, and see how it interacts with our passage.

Group 3: Look at 6:3-13 for an alternate context of the theme of suffering in 2 Cor, and see how it interacts with our passage.

Group 4: Look at 7:2-10 for an alternate context of the theme of suffering in 2 Cor, and see how it interacts with our passage.

Group 5: Look at 11:21b-31 for an alternate context of the theme of suffering in 2 Cor, and see how it interacts with our passage.

Group 6: Look at 12:7-18 for an alternate context of the theme of suffering in 2 Cor, and see how it interacts with our passage.

Then after we all came back together, I led us through this set of questions in order to really bring the passage home for us:

1. What is Paul thanking God for? What does it mean for God to lead us in triumphal procession in Christ?

2. How might the context of Paul's situation inform the meaning of his "triumphal procession"? See especially 2:12-13.

3. What is God's purpose in leading Christians, and particularly apostles like Paul, in triumphal procession?

4. What are the two possibilities for how people react to the aroma of Christ given off by suffering ministers of the gospel? Is this a comfort to you?

5. Why do you think Paul exclaims, "Who is sufficient for these things?" in the middle of this passage?

6. What characteristics define true gospel ministers, as opposed to those he calls "peddlers of God's word"? Look at 4:1-6 as a parallel text.

7. The suffering of gospel ministers is one of the main themes of 2nd Corinthians. How does this passage interact with what Paul says elsewhere in the book about suffering?

I've been pleased to have several people commend how well I did leading Bible Study because of how fruitful the discussion was. I love God's word because if you listen closely to it, it always has astonishingly powerful things to say.