"But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere." 2 Corinthians 2:14, NIV

Ok, ok...so I can be a little competitive at times.  Just ask my family what it's like on game nights, or ask my parents how many childhood tennis racquets I disfigured whenever I lost matches against my older brother.  While I've had my extreme moments of frustration over failure, I think we can all agree that none of us enjoys defeat.  It never feels good to find ourselves on the losing end of the games or efforts we pour ourselves into.  But even when victory belongs to someone else, there's still a silver lining.  Defeat has a way of keeping us humble and dependent rather than prideful and arrogant.  It has a way of making us feel our need for something or Someone outside of ourselves.  I think that's part of what inspires Paul to give thanks to God for always leadings us "as captives in Christ's triumphal procession" (2 Cor. 2:14, NIV).  Thanks for defeat seems counterintuitive and maybe even uncomfortable, but it's deeply profound.  The reality of Christ's victory over us actually keeps us dependent on Him.  And when we realize we're captives of Christ, that's when we're most effective in spreading "the aroma" of Christ to others.

ENEMIES RECONCILED

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled..." Colossians 1:21, NKJV

The uncomfortable but honest truth of the great controversy between good and evil is that, in our fallen humanity, we ourselves are in opposition to Christ.  We tend to limit our view of the cosmic conflict as being solely between Christ and Satan, but ever since the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, every son and daughter of Adam has been born "alienated and enemies" of God. Thankfully, God "has reconciled" (Col. 1:21) those who once were His enemies through the death of Christ (v. 22).  Paul declares the same truth in Romans 5:10, highlighting the power of both the death and life of Jesus to repair our hostile relationship against God:

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:10, NKJV

Viewing ourselves as enemies of God may not be a comfortable thought, but it's an honest one that makes us aware of how deeply sin runs.  Sin shows up not just in our outward works but in our inward thoughts.  This perspective reveals that at the very core of who we are, "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).  It's not just that we neglect to choose surrender to God's will.  The honest truth is that we have no capacity to subject ourselves to God's will.  

That enemy relationship can never be repaired through self-help.  It can only be mended through the sacrifice of Christ.  

When we embrace the truth that only Christ crucified can triumph over sin and selfishness, then we can spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus not just as a message that modifies our external behavior but as the gospel that totally transforms our internal hard drive.  We can teach others that the only way to gain victory in their lives is to let Christ be victor over their lives.

PLUNDER RESCUED

Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. Matthew 12:29, NKJV

In Matthew 12, Jesus had just healed one "who was demon-possessed, blind and mute" (v. 22).  The man's miserable condition is a reminder that in the controversy between Christ and Satan, humanity not only sides with the enemy but ends up bound by him too.  At the same time, the man's miraculous healing is evidence that Christ is greater than he that is in this world (1 Jn. 4:4). The amazed crowd concluded that the promised Messiah was in their midst, but the unbelieving Pharisees attributed this exorcism to the power of Satan instead.  As part of His explanation that the Holy Spirit was truly at work in the demoniac's deliverance, Jesus employs a metaphor that gives insight into the the relationship between Himself, humanity, and Satan:

Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. Matthew 12:29, NKJV

In the cosmic conflict, Satan may appear like a strong man whose "goods" of lost, sin-sick souls are untouchable.  But the good news is that Jesus can bind that seemingly strong man.  For what purpose?  To "plunder his house" and reclaim all that the enemy has held in his grasp.  When Christ leads us in triumph (Col. 2:14), we can give thanks to God that...

...we are not only enemies who are reconciled but also plunder that is rescued, reclaimed, and restored to our rightful owner.  

When we embrace the truth that Christ is "greater than he that is in this world" (1 Jn. 4:4), we can spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus as a message of hope to those who feel bound beyond help.  We can lead others to trust that no addiction is too great that Jesus cannot overcome, and no bondage too strong that Jesus cannot break.

Are you a captive of Christ?  Have you experienced the reconciliation of the hostile relationship only Jesus can repair?  Have you experienced the rescue from Satan's grasp that only Jesus can provide?  Then thanks be to God!  The more we let Him lead us in Christ's victory, the more we'll fulfill the ministry that declares Christ's victory.