Many readers of the Bible pay close attention to the book of 1 Corinthians but not nearly as much attention to the book of 2 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians Paul speaks concerning Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Readers of the Bible may consider these matters in a superficial way. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians at least ten problems in the church life are covered. Also, in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul speaks about spiritual gifts, including healing, miracles, and tongue-speaking. It is easy for readers of the New Testament to be curious about such things.
It is not nearly as easy for readers of the Bible to become interested in 2 Corinthians as in 1 Corinthians. The reason is that 2 Corinthians is a much deeper book.
In 2 Corinthians Paul uses a number of metaphors to describe the Christian life and ministry. The first of these metaphors is that of captives in the train of Christ’s victorious procession: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and manifests through us the savor of the knowledge of Him in every place” (2:14). Paul was a captive of Christ, one captured, subdued, and fully gained by Christ and then put into His train of victorious procession.
Many readers of the New Testament have no knowledge of the metaphor used in 2:14. But we may have the knowledge of this metaphor and yet not have much inner realization concerning its application. We may not have the realization, the sense, that we have been captured, subdued, possessed, and fully gained by Christ, the Victor, and that now we are captives in the train of His victorious procession. If we have an inward realization concerning this matter, it will make us a different kind of person. We shall always be conscious of the fact that we have been captured by Christ, subdued by Him, and gained by Him. In relation to ourselves, therefore, we are nothing. A captive is one who is now absolutely for the one who has conquered him. He knows that now he is one of those marching in the train of the victorious procession of the one who has captured him. This was Paul’s thought in 2:14.
Often after a Roman general had won a victory in battle, he would return to the capital leading a train of captives. The triumphal procession of the captives celebrated the general’s victory. All the captives in the procession were for the celebration of the victory of the triumphant general. How many Christians today are like this in relation to Christ? How many of us have the consciousness of being a captive in the train of Christ’s triumphal procession? I do not believe that many of us have this realization. If we were conscious of this fact, we would not be able to exchange words with our husband or wife. How could a captive in Christ’s triumphal procession exchange words? A captive has nothing to say. We all need to realize in a practical way that we are captives in Christ’s procession. Such a realization will certainly change us.
In 2:14-16 we see that those who are captives in Christ’s triumphal procession are also incense-bearers manifesting the savor of the knowledge of Him in every place. In 2:15-16a Paul says, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God in those who are being saved and in those who are perishing: to the one a savor from death unto death, to the other a savor from life unto life.” In these verses we have two metaphors: captives and incense-bearers. Because we are captives in Christ’s triumphal procession, we are also incense-bearers, those who scatter incense wherever we go. Because we have been captured, subdued, possessed, and gained by Christ, He has the liberty to saturate us with His fragrance. As a result, we become a savor spreading His sweet fragrance. The metaphor of the incense-bearer illustrates this. As captives of Christ, we are being saturated with His fragrance. In this way, the captives in His procession become incense-bearers.