NOTES for Co2 2:14-17

Printable version

¹⁴Now 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.

¹⁵For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

¹⁶To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

¹⁷For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

In today's reading, the apostle Paul offers us a kind of verbal icon. It may be compared with Isaiah's vision in the Temple in Jerusalem or with the images of the Apocalypse. This icon reveals the God to Whom we offer thanksgiving. Thanksgiving makes us not merely spectators but participants in what is depicted—such is the law of spiritual life.

The apostle then speaks of God in action, of the One Who said of Himself: “I brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.” His action is limited by no conditions; He always leads us in triumph in Christ. But here is the wonder: what kind of triumph is meant? Triumph in Christ turns out to be God's spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Himself, like the blowing of a gentle breeze revealed to the prophet Elijah.

“The fragrance of the knowledge of God” is a somewhat refined expression, for the Greek original simply says “the smell of the knowledge of Him.” Who does not remember the children's tales in which it was said that “it smells of Rus'”? A smell is a perceptible sign of the presence of something invisible. God is invisible, but the people come to know Him, and this wafts in the air, making His presence perceptible.

Other notes

For Co2 2:12-17

¹²Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

¹³I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

¹⁴Now 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.

¹⁵For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

¹⁶To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

¹⁷For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Continuing the theme of witness, Paul says of the word of God that for some... Read more

Continuing the theme of witness, Paul says of the word of God that for some it proves life-giving, and for others deadly (v. 16). These words recall others from the letter to the Romans, where the apostle says the same thing about the Torah, which, according to Paul's testimony, both gives life and kills at the same time (Rom. 7:7-13). There is nothing surprising here: Paul looks at the Torah not simply as a law once given by God and then formally carried out, but as the living word of God, which acts on the soul and heart of a person every time that person wants to follow the law given by God by keeping the commandments. Understood this way, the Torah proves inseparable from the word of God and from the Kingdom. That is why it is impossible to ignore it, just as it is impossible to ignore God's revelation and the Kingdom itself: both require self-definition from a person, a clear and unambiguous "yes" or "no," becoming, depending on the answer given, either a source of life or the beginning of a path leading to death.

But to bear witness in such a way that the reality of God's word and the reality of the Kingdom become obvious to those around is possible only when the witness himself preaches "from God, before God, in Christ" (v. 17). What he says must be revealed by God, and revealed not to someone else from whom the witness might have heard what he testifies about, but experienced by him himself as his own revelation. Testimony itself is possible only in the presence of God, which confirms the witness's words, assuring those who are ready to hear God but for whom the arguments of human wisdom alone are no longer enough. And finally, the witness must live one life with the risen Christ, the life of that Kingdom about which and from which he bears witness. After all, the main task of Christ's witness is to let those who listen to him feel what the Kingdom is and what God's breath is. And if he succeeds in this, the witness can consider his task fulfilled. Everything further depends on the choice each person makes for himself.

${currentDateString}

NOTES for Co2 2:14-17

Other notes

Readings for 11 August 2026

Main news

Orthodox readings

Catholic lectionary

The Bible for beginners

Three-year Bible reading plan

Five-year Bible reading plan


	After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free.