THE TRUTH OF II CORINTHIANS 2:14-16

Sometimes it is hard to understand the Bible due to a lack of understanding of biblical times and the culture of that era. II Corinthians 2:14-16 is based on the culture of Rome 2000 years ago and without that knowledge it is impossible to understand this passage. However, with an understanding of the Roman Triumphant Procession from that period this passage come to life and gives the Christian cause for rejoicing.

THE TRUTH OF II CORINTHIANS 2:14-16
Sometimes it is hard to understand the Bible due to a lack of understanding of biblical times and the culture of that era. II Corinthians 2:14-16 is based on the culture of Rome 2000 years ago and without that knowledge it is impossible to understand this passage. However, with an understanding of the Roman Triumphant Procession from that period this passage come to life and gives the Christian cause for rejoicing.
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.
When a Roman General was victorious in a battle that ended a war having 1) taken land and treasure 2) captured the enemy and 3) had minimal loss of life on the Roman side he was given a triumphant parade. In that parade were the Senate, the prisoners, the General and his family and the army commanded by the General. Incense would be burning from every temple and flowers would adorn the temples as well as statues along the route that the procession took and the Senate and army were adorned with laurels.
To imagine this is something. The smell of incense and flowers, the roar and applause of the crowd and the elation felt by the conquerors as they marched through the city of Rome as heroes. But there was another group that had an opposite feeling and that was the group of prisoners. These prisoners marched in the same parade and smelled the same sweet smells of incense and flowers but they were marching to their deaths. After the procession the prisoners were taken out and killed. And, so it is in the spiritual world today.
Christ triumphed over two thousand years ago. He took property:
I Peter 1: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
He took prisoners:
Ephesians 4: 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
I Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Jesus Christ’s actions ended the war.
I Corithians 2: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The reason that the devils would not have crucified Jesus Christ is because by crucifying Him they shed innocent blood and lost what the Devil had gained in the Garden of Eden when Adam transgressed and gave the dominion of th earth to the Devil.
Matthew 4: 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Romans 5: 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
The only loss of life was that of Jesus Christ:
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So, how does this all relate to II Corinthians 2: 14-16? Christ triumphed over the Devil and his devil spirits over two thousand years ago. And we as Christians are more than conquerors because of what Christ accomplished. In Christ’s victory is our promise of going to heaven. We are taking the victory walk knowing that life awaits us. But, the Devil and devil spirits are in this same procession as we Christians are but they know that their end is death! To God we are the good scentedness, fragrance, sweet smell of Christ and to the Christians and to those that will believe we are a sweet smell because it is the fragrance of life unto life BUT to the devil spirits and to them that refuse to believe the Bible, that same smell that God calls a sweet savour is, to them the smell of death. They are marching to their death.