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on his return a train of captives. On such occasions incense bearers
were appointed, and as the army marched triumphantly home, the
fragrant odor was to the captives appointed to die, a savor of death,
showing that they were nearing the time of their execution; but to those
of the prisoners who had found favor with their captors, and whose
lives were to be spared, it was a savor of life, in that it showed them
that their freedom was near.
Paul was now full of faith and hope. He felt that Satan was not
to triumph over the work of God in Corinth, and in words of praise
he poured forth the gratitude of his heart. He and his fellow laborers
would celebrate their victory over the enemies of Christ and the truth,
by going forth with new zeal to extend the knowledge of the Saviour.
Like incense the fragrance of the gospel was to be diffused throughout
the world. To those who should accept Christ, the message would be a
savor of life unto life; but to those who should persist in unbelief, a
savor of death unto death.
Realizing the overwhelming magnitude of the work, Paul ex-
claimed, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Who is able to preach
Christ in such a way that His enemies shall have no just cause to
despise the messenger or the message that he bears? Paul desired to
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impress upon believers the solemn responsibility of the gospel min-
istry. Faithfulness in preaching the word, united with a pure, consistent
life, can alone make the efforts of ministers acceptable to God and
profitable to souls. Ministers of our day, burdened with a sense of the
greatness of the work, may well exclaim with the apostle, “Who is
sufficient for these things?”
There were those who had charged Paul with self-commendation
in writing his former letter. The apostle now referred to this by asking
the members of the church if they thus judged his motives. “Do we
begin again to commend ourselves?” he inquired; “or need we, as some
others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation
from you?” Believers moving to a new place often carried with them
letters of commendation from the church with which they had formerly
been united; but the leading workers, the founders of these churches,
had no need of such commendation. The Corinthian believers, who
had been led from the worship of idols to the faith of the gospel,
were themselves all the recommendation that Paul needed. Their
reception of the truth, and the reformation wrought in their lives, bore