In verse 14 Paul also likens himself and his co-workers to incense-bearers scattering the savor of the knowledge of Christ in His triumphant ministry as in a triumphal procession. The apostles are such incense-bearers in their ministry of Christ as well as captives in the train of His triumph. Concerning the phrase the savor of the knowledge, Vincent says, “According to the Greek usage, savor and knowledge are in apposition, so that the knowledge of Christ is symbolized as an odor communicating its nature and efficacy through the apostle’s work.” The apostles’ excellent knowledge of Christ became a sweet savor. On the one hand, the apostles were captives; on the other hand, they were those bearing incense, the fragrance of Christ. As the apostles marched in Christ’s procession, they bore the fragrance of Christ as incense. The apostles, being permeated with Christ, became a fragrance of Christ to God. They were not merely a sweet savor produced by Christ, but Christ Himself was the savor being exhaled in their life and work to God.
The more a person is exposed to the fragrance of incense, the more this fragrance will permeate him. If the fragrance of incense is imparted to him, wherever he goes, he will carry with him the fragrance of the incense. Hence, the scattering of the incense of Christ is actually a matter of the divine dispensing.
The transcendent power of Christ’s resurrection in us enables us to endure the sufferings that others cannot bear and to live a life that others cannot live, thereby manifesting the fragrance of Christ. Through the power of His resurrection Christ leads us in joyful triumph in His victory procession and manifests the savor of the knowledge of Him through us. If in our daily living we enjoy Christ, depend on Christ, fellowship with Christ, and are filled with Christ, then we can say that for us to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21a). People will sense a special flavor in us—the fragrance of Christ. This is not being a moralist or a virtuous man; this is Christ as our life living Himself out from us, leading us in triumph, and manifesting His fragrance.
One aspect of our living Christ is our spiritual service, which is an outward action that issues from touching the inward feeling of Christ. This action is Christ’s coming out of us. Because the Spirit is the realization of Christ, when the Spirit touches us, it is Christ who is touching us, and when the Spirit motivates us, it is Christ who is motivating us. Then anyone who contacts us will sense the fragrance of Christ in us. We will be able to give people a flavor that is spiritual and heavenly. When we listen to someone’s preaching, we may not sense the flavor of Christ in him. This is because in his living he is disconnected from Christ, and there is a barrier between him and Christ. He has not yet dealt with certain matters before God, and his spirit has lost contact with Christ. We sense his eloquence, but we cannot sense the Lord’s presence with him, and neither can we touch spiritual reality. Whatever we do in our service should have Christ and even be Christ.
In Philippians 3:8 Paul says that he counted everything as refuse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 he speaks of the savor of the knowledge of Christ. The excellent knowledge of Christ is a fragrance, an aroma. This means that we who have been conquered and captured and brought into the triumphal procession to celebrate Christ’s victory speak to others the excellent knowledge of Christ. Whatever we speak, that is the excellent knowledge of Christ. We know Christ by our experience and enjoyment of Him. As we march in the triumphal procession, we speak to others about the Christ whom we know. What we say concerning Him is a sweet-smelling savor.
In his preaching of the gospel, Paul was spreading abroad the fragrance of Christ. Likewise, whenever we speak Christ, this speaking is the spreading of the sweet fragrance of Christ. Paul also says that this is a sweet fragrance to God. This means that when we speak Christ to others, in our speaking the fragrance of Christ ascends to God for His enjoyment. Whenever we speak Christ to others, we need to realize that our speaking is the spreading of the sweet fragrance of Christ. While we are speaking, God is enjoying this fragrance. When we speak forth the riches of Christ in the meetings, we are spreading Christ as a sweet fragrance. God enjoys this fragrance in our speaking forth Christ.
We need to speak Christ with our spiritual knowledge. The apostles were a fragrance of Christ to God because they were saturated and permeated by Christ and with Christ. Because they were permeated in this way, they became the fragrance of Christ to God. When they spoke to others, the Christ with whom they were constituted spread Himself out from their being and came forth as a sweet fragrance to God for His enjoyment. We may say that they were permeated with Christ as the divine perfume. Wherever they went, God could manifest through them a sweet fragrance of Christ.
This should also be our experience today. While we are speaking Christ, He should come forth as a sweet fragrance out of our being. This is a matter of the divine dispensing. Through the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity, we can mature in life and triumph in our ministry. We all can have a triumphant ministry. When we open our mouths to speak for Christ, we will be triumphant. We can allow Christ to spread His sweet fragrance to God for His enjoyment. All this takes place by God’s dispensing, by the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into our being.
According to 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, God firmly attaches us unto Christ, has anointed us, sealed us, and given the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. Based upon this, God manifests the fragrance of Christ through us for others’ salvation (2:14-15). The saving power is the fragrance of Christ going out from us. This fragrance is actually the living Spirit. When unbelievers breathe in this fragrance, they receive Christ. When we go out to visit people for the preaching of the gospel, they should be able to breathe in the fragrance of Christ.
The real gospel preaching is the scattering of the incense. Jesus is the incense scattered among His captives. If we do not learn to enjoy the indwelling Christ, there is no incense in the church life. When we learn to enjoy Him as the One indwelling us, we scatter the sweet savor to others. This sweet smell is something of the sweet nature and essence of Jesus Himself.
In verse 15 Paul goes on to say, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God in those who are being saved and in those who are perishing.” The manifestation of the savor of the knowledge of Christ has a twofold effect, a twofold result: either it results in life unto life, or it results in death unto death (v. 16). To some, to those who are God’s chosen ones, this fragrance will be life; however, to others this fragrance will be death. This refers to the different effects of the apostles’ ministry upon different persons. It is a matter of life and death! This is the triumph and effect of the ministry, which is the constitution of Christ within us.
If we manifest the savor of the knowledge of Christ, wherever we are, we will bring either life or death. Wherever we go, people will either receive life or suffer death. Either they will go to Christ or will be devoured by Satan. No matter who a person may be, if he contacts us, it will be either life or death to him. This is a very significant matter.
Christ as the General won the victory over all His enemies and has had a triumphal procession to celebrate His great victory. In this procession we are the captives of Christ by His victory and ones who manifest the savor of the knowledge of Him. As we triumph in Christ in our ministry, God manifests the savor of the knowledge of Christ as a fragrance to God—in those who are being saved a savor out of life unto life and in those who are perishing a savor out of death unto death. This is our expressing Christ as His fragrance.