Good morning. Skipping
some verses: but thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph (my Bible says
that the imagery is that of a Roman triumph in which the victorious general
would lead his soldiers and the captives they had taken in festive procession,
while the people watched and applauded and the air was filled with the sweet
smell released by the burning of spices in the streets) in Christ, and
manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and
among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the
other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? So
non-Christians are the “walking dead“, with toe tags on their feet; while
Christians are “walking bags of potpourri”, bringing a sweet smell wherever
they go. Father help us to bring the sweet smell of Christ wherever we go.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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