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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 2:12-17
After the introduction (1:1—2:11), Paul comes to the ministry of the new covenant (2:12—3:11). The ministry is absolutely different from the outward, miraculous gifts. In 1940, while giving messages on 2 Corinthians, Brother Nee strongly emphasized the difference between 1 and 2 Corinthians. He pointed out that the first book deals with the outward, miraculous gifts, especially tongue-speaking. Brother Nee used the illustration of Balaam’s donkey speaking a human language, pointing out that that was a genuine miraculous gift. It certainly was a miracle for a donkey suddenly to receive the ability to speak a human language. Brother Nee went on to say that a gift can be received in a sudden way. However, he pointed out that it may take twenty years to produce a ministry.
In speaking concerning the ministry, Brother Nee said that Christ must be woven into our being. This means that Christ must be constituted into us. The ministry is a matter of constitution. We need to be constituted with what Christ is, with what He has done, with what He has attained, and with what He has obtained. Christ has obtained the throne, the glory, and the highest power. Christ also has certain attainments. His attainments are the result of what He has accomplished and achieved. Today what Christ is, what He has done, what He has obtained, and what He has attained are all in the life-giving Spirit. This means that the life-giving Spirit is the embodiment of Christ in these four matters. The all-inclusive Spirit is the embodiment of what Christ is, of what Christ has done, of what Christ has obtained, and of what Christ has attained. This all-inclusive Spirit is an all-inclusive drink, a drink that has many ingredients.
As we have pointed out a number of times, the all-inclusive Spirit is typified by the ointment in Exodus 30. This ointment is composed of oil compounded with four different kinds of spices: myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. This ointment portrays the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. This Spirit is now being constituted into us. The result is a constitution of the processed God with redeemed human beings. A believer who is so constituted with this all-inclusive Spirit will become a minister of Christ, and his work and service will be the ministry in the New Testament.
The ministry in the New Testament is unique. The New Testament has just one ministry. Both Paul and Peter had a part of this ministry. All the apostles shared in the one ministry in the New Testament. This unique ministry is the ministry of the new covenant. Such a ministry is not gained by prayer and fasting. Anything received in that way would be a gift, not a ministry. The ministry is brought forth as a result of being constituted of the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. Christ, with all that He is, has, and has obtained and attained, must be constituted into the fiber, into the very being, of God’s chosen and redeemed people. This is the only way to have a ministry.
My burden is not simply to preach the gospel or teach the Bible. My burden is to carry out this New Testament ministry and to help those who sincerely seek the Lord and care for the desire of His heart to have a share in this ministry. This is the ministry Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians, especially in chapter three, where the word ministry is used a number of times. Paul compared this ministry to that of the old covenant. The ministry of the new covenant is far superior to that of the old covenant. The new covenant ministry is not only a matter of life; it is a constitution in life and of life. Therefore, this ministry takes time to grow and mature.
In 1943 I contracted tuberculosis and came very close to death. I thank the Lord that, for Himself and for His ministry, He spared me and has kept me. Brother Nee used to tell us that because it takes years for the Lord to gain one who has been constituted of Himself, we need to take care of our health in a proper way. This means that we should do everything possible to prevent an early death. If we are truly spiritual, we shall learn how to take care of our health in order to have a long life.
It takes more than a few years to grow and be constituted of the Triune God. As one who has passed through many things over the years, I can testify that a person needs to be at least sixty years of age before this constitution reaches maturity. However, for this to take place in a person by the age of sixty, he should be saved before the age of twenty. One who is saved in his forties probably cannot be matured in the divine constitution by the age of sixty. During the first twenty years of our Christian life, we need to learn certain matters. Then we need another twenty years to be constituted of the life-giving Spirit.
When the young people hear this word about how long it takes to be constituted into a minister of the new covenant, they may be disappointed. Young people, I encourage you not to be discouraged by the fact that it may take twenty years to learn things and another twenty years to be constituted. We are dealing with the highest life, the divine life, constituted into our human life. Surely this requires time. Even in the natural human life, a man is not adequately matured by the age of forty. I certainly would not have confidence in a president who is only forty years old. In everything we do, we need experience. This is true even in driving a car. The more years we drive a car, the more experienced we become, and the more skillful. I do not believe that a person under sixty years of age is mature enough to be fully adequate as a president or head of state. This is an illustration of the fact that life needs time to grow.
There is the need of more among us who are matured. I hope that in the years to come there will be a number of fathers in the Lord’s recovery. It is a blessing to have such fathers, such matured ones, among us. Their very presence among us is a great blessing.
I say again, the ministry cannot be formed in a short time. I am happy that I heard such a word concerning the ministry from Brother Nee in 1940. Approximately twenty years later, the Lord sent me to this country.
Now we are ready to consider 2:12-17, some verses which are the introduction to the section on the ministry of the new covenant. Chapter 1:1—2:11 is the introduction to the entire book of 2 Corinthians. But 2:12-17 is the introduction to the section on the ministry. Following this section, we have a long section concerning the ministers of the new covenant (3:12—7:16).
Paul introduces the ministry in a very personal, intimate way, in a way that is not at all doctrinal. In 2:12 Paul does not say, “I have finished my introduction. Now I want to give you some doctrine concerning our ministry.” On the contrary, Paul says, “Furthermore, when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, a door also being opened to me in the Lord, I had no relief in my spirit when I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia” (2:12-13). In addition to what he has mentioned in verses 10 and 11, the apostle furthermore tells the Corinthian believers of his concern for them. Although a door was opened to him in Troas, even in the Lord, not of human effort, he had no relief in his spirit when he did not find Titus there. He was anxious to meet Titus to receive information concerning the effect of his first Epistle among them. Therefore, he left Troas and went forth to Macedonia (v. 13), being anxious to meet Titus for the information because of his great affection for them. His concern for the church was much more than that for the preaching of the gospel.
Paul was one who lived and acted in his spirit, as indicated in 1 Corinthians 16:18. A door had been opened to him in the Lord. Paul deliberately inserted the phrase “in the Lord” to indicate that he did not open the door through any kind of natural skill or maneuvering. The door was opened by the Lord, not by human effort. But even though a door had been opened in the Lord, Paul had no relief in his spirit. How can we reconcile the fact that the door was open by the Lord and yet Paul did not have the relief in his spirit to remain there? This seems contradictory. Before we answer this question, I wish to emphasize that the reason Paul did not have relief was that he had not yet found Titus. His concern was not mainly for the preaching of the gospel; it was to find Titus in order to know the situation among the Corinthians. Paul was waiting for Titus to give him a report concerning how the believers at Corinth had responded to his first Epistle. Therefore, Paul went forth into Macedonia. This Epistle was written in Macedonia after his stay in Ephesus on the third journey of his ministry (8:1; Acts 20:1).
We have seen that the Lord opened the door, but Paul left that open door. It seems that he did not go along with the Lord’s opening of the door, but only went along with what gave relief to his spirit. Here we find the answer to the question concerning the open door and the relief in the spirit. When you have something done by the Lord outwardly, but inwardly your spirit is not at rest, which will you follow, the outward situation or the sense in your spirit? Paul followed the sense in his spirit. Sometimes the Lord will do two things at once: He will open up something outwardly, but inwardly He will not give you a feeling of relief. This leaves you in a position of needing to choose between the outward circumstance and the inward feeling. If in this kind of situation you exercise your spirit to take care of the spirit, you are truly spiritual. This means that if you obey the inner feeling and do not go along with the outward open situation, you are a truly spiritual person. This was the case with Paul in these verses. He went along with what gave relief to his spirit, departing into Macedonia in order to gain information from Titus regarding the believers at Corinth.
In verse 14 Paul says, “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.” Concerning this verse, Conybeare has this to say: “The verb here used means to lead a man as a captive in a triumphal procession; the full phrase means, to lead captive in a triumph over the enemies of Christ....God is celebrating His triumph over His enemies; Paul (who had been so great an opponent of the gospel) is a captive following in the train of the triumphal procession, yet (at the same time, by a characteristic change of metaphor) an incense-bearer, scattering incense (which was always done on these occasions) as the procession moves on. Some of the conquered enemies were put to death when the procession reached the Capitol; to them the smell of the incense was an odor of death unto death; to the rest who were spared, an odor of life unto life.” The same metaphor is used in Colossians 2:15. God always leads the apostles in such a triumphant way in their ministry. The word “us” here refers to the conquered captives in the train of Christ’s triumph, celebrating and participating in Christ’s triumph. The apostles are such captives; their move as captives of Christ in their ministry for Him is God’s celebration of Christ’s victory over His enemies.
In the second section of this Epistle, from 2:12 through 7:16, the apostle speaks about his ministry and that of his co-workers. He first likens their ministry to a celebration of Christ’s victory. Their move in their ministry for Christ is like a triumphal procession from one place to another under God’s leading. Paul and his co-workers were Christ’s captives, bearing the fragrant incense of Christ for His triumphant glory. They had been conquered by Christ and had become His captives in the train of His triumph, scattering the fragrance of Christ from place to place. This was their ministry for Him.
In verse 14 Paul indicates that he was a captive of Christ. He fought against Christ, the heavenly General, but eventually he was defeated, subdued, and captured, and thereby became a captive of Christ. Saul of Tarsus fought against Christ, against God’s economy, and against the churches. But while he was fighting, he was defeated and subdued by Christ on the way to Damascus. At that time, the Lord Jesus told him not to kick against the pricks, that is, not to fight against Him. It seems as if the Lord Jesus was saying to Saul, “What are you doing? Why are you kicking against the pricks? Don’t you know that it is easy for Me to subdue you? All I need to do is move My little finger, and you will be defeated, subdued, and captured.” After Saul of Tarsus was captured, he was placed in Christ’s triumphal procession. The first three captives in this procession were Peter, John, and James. As one of the captives in a train of defeated foes, Paul was being led in Christ’s triumphal procession.
Paul uses the metaphor of a procession held in honor of the victory of a Roman general to illustrate what he was in the ministry. Paul’s ministry was a triumphal procession of a victorious General, the Lord Jesus, leading many captives. Paul and his co-workers were captives in that procession. This indicates that the proper ministry of the New Testament is a triumphal procession celebrating Christ’s victory. Inwardly, I also have the sense that I am a captive in Christ’s triumphal procession. As such a captive, I am a witness that once I was an enemy, but I have been defeated, subdued, captured, and made submissive to Christ.
The ministry of the New Testament is to testify of Christ as the Winner and the Victor. I believe that as Paul was marching in Christ’s triumphal procession, he could praise the Lord for His victory and in this way testify of Him. Likewise, as a captive of Christ, I also witness of Him today. I can testify that I have been defeated by Him, captured by Him, and subdued by Him. Now I am a submissive captive, saying amen to His victory and praising Him. This is our ministry. We in the Lord’s recovery are in a procession celebrating Christ’s victory. If someone asks you what you are doing in the church life, you may want to answer, “We are having a procession, a triumphal procession celebrating Christ’s victory. We have all been defeated, subdued, and captured by Him, and now we are submissive to Him.”
We have pointed out that Paul first likens the ministry to a celebration of Christ’s victory. The apostles’ move in the ministry was like a triumphal celebration from one place to another under God’s leading. Wherever that procession moved, they celebrated the victory of Christ and witnessed of Christ’s triumph over them. Hallelujah, we all have been defeated by Christ! Now we are submissive captives in Christ’s procession.
Perhaps you have been a Christian for years without realizing that the New Testament ministry is a procession celebrating the victory of Christ. Who has defeated us, subdued us, captured us, and made us submissive? The victorious Christ has done this. Hallelujah for the New Testament ministry being a procession celebrating the triumph of Christ!
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.
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 apostles, being permeated with Christ, become a fragrance of Christ. They are not merely a sweet savor produced by Christ, but Christ Himself is the savor being exhaled in their life and work to God, both in those who are being saved, as a savor from life to life, and in those who are perishing, as a savor from death to death.
Verse 16 says, “To the one a savor from death unto death, to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” The phrases “unto death” and “unto life” mean resulting in death or resulting in life. This refers to the different effects of the apostles’ ministry upon different persons. It is a matter of life and death! Only the captives of God in Christ, who are saturated with Christ by the Spirit, are sufficient and qualified for this (3:5-6). The Greek word rendered sufficient also means competent, qualified, fit, worthy. The same word is used in 3:5.
In verse 17 Paul says, “For we are not as the many, peddling the word of God; but as out of sincerity, but as out of God, before God we speak in Christ.” In this verse to speak in Christ is to minister the word of God. The word peddling also means retailing, hawking, the selling of inferior things at high prices by low class peddlers in a tricky way. Many engaged in this kind of hawking, adulterating the word of God for their profit. However, the apostles did not do this. Out of sincerity and out of God in their ministry, they spoke in Christ the word of God in the sight of God. How sincere and genuine was the apostle’s ministry!
