Study THE Word

Today as I opened my bible to study God’s word, the section I opened to was 2 Corinthians 2, “Triumph in Christ.” Triumph is defined as a “A great victory or achievement.”

Christ was triumphant, but we still have a mission to fulfill. Verse 14, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” What an honor and privilege to be able to be used by our king in this way. God has conquered death for us, and now we get to serve him by letting the whole world know!

Jesus’ last words to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “’All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Paul reiterates the very words of Jesus when he talks about us, “through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” Jesus was very clear we are to, “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”  I love how Paul is careful in his letters to encourage the churches to follow after God in the same way Jesus had commanded his disciples. We all are disciples of the Lord and all need to be seeking to live our lives in a way that obeys his words.

But, this is only possible through the reading and study of scriptures. Which Paul hits on in verse 17,  “For we are not like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”

David Guzik in his commentary of 2 Corinthians 2 says, “The word peddling has the idea of “adulterating” or “watering down” for gain, and was especially used of a wine seller who would water down the wine for more profit.”

Let’s not be a generation that water’s down God’s Word, for our own gain. But let’s be, “men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” Let us follow in Paul’s example and study God’s word and understand them so that we can encourage one another in the ways of God. Let us be a people of God that seek hard after the Lord and His Word!