2 Corinthians 2

Forgiveness

So you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. – 2 Corinthians 2:7-8

This is a reminder that we as Christians should not repay evil for evil. Instead, we should follow Christ's example and forgive. Otherwise, for the sake of the member being punished, it may cause them to feel extra guilty and possibly push them away from Christ, which is the last thing we want.

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. – 2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Satan is pretty clever–I'm guessing his goal is to isolate us so that he can then slowly eat away at our guilt and fill our thoughts with negativity. Once we are alone, it's much easier to strike at us with a higher chance to succeed.

We must not let this happen. Two are better than one, and three are better than two (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Let us be strong together in community!

Fragrance

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. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. – 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

What an analogy using the sense of smell. One of my favorite fragrances is walking into a bakery and enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread. I wonder if Paul has this analogy in his head as he wrote this.

This fragrance analogy also reminds of me of when Jesus said that we are the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16), which include the senses of taste and sight.