Ku 2 AbaseKorinte 2:14-17, sifunda ukuthi naphezu kokuphikiswa nokushushiswa kwabantu, UPawulu nabanye abaphostoli/abafundi bakaJesu Kristu babebonga uNkulunkulu, Who always caused them to triumph in Christ and made manifest the savour of His knowledge through them in every place. They were a sweet savour of Christ unto God and everywhere they came, they spread the savour of the knowledge of Christ. But the savour of Christ was not a sweet savour and a savour of life to everyone. To some people, the savour of Christ was a sweet savour unto life and to some people, the savour of Christ was a savour of death unto death. Kusho ukuthini lokhu?
The savour of Christ is a savour of death to them that perish
Manje makabongwe uNkulunkulu, Okuhlale kusenza sinqobe kuKristu, and makes manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. Ngoba thina singoNkulunkulu iphunga elimnandi likaKristu, Kuzo ezisindisiwe, nakulabo abashabalalayo: KuLowo siyiphunga lokufa kuze kube sekufeni; nakwelinye iphunga lempilo empilweni. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ (2 AbaseKorinte 2:14-17)
Because to those, who belonged to the world and loved the world and were enemies of God, Paul and the others were a savour of death. Because the truth; the knowledge of Christ, which they preached called the people to ukuphenduka kanye noshintsho lwempilo. The message they preached meant the death of their flesh and not everyone wanted to hear that message, because many loved the world and their flesh.
But Paul and the others didn’t adulterate the words of God and didn’t adjust the message of Christ in order to be accepted and loved by people.
They didn’t use the Word of God for personal gain to enrich themselves.
They didn’t compromise no matter what, but they remained faithful to God and kept preaching the truth of Christ, which was a hard message for many people and caused angriness, inzondo, ukumelana, nokushushiswa.
But they had laid down their own lives and were not ashamed of the gospel. Babengazithandi izimpilo zabo, but they loved God above all and their neighbors as themselves, and therefore they stayed faithful to God and kept preaching Jesus Christ and didn’t give up but persevered.
And so they spread, the sweet savour of Christ on earth and were to them, who would perish a savour of death unto death, but for those, who were saved and would be saved a savour of life unto life.
The savour of Christ on earth
Ngiyakuncenga ngakho-ke, bazalwane, Ngomusa kaNkulunkulu, Ukuthi nilethe imizimba yenu umhlatshelo ophilayo, '-ngcwele, Kuyamukeleka kuNkulunkulu, okuyinkonzo yakho enengqondo (AmaRoma 12:1)
Ngakho yibani ngabalandeli bakaNkulunkulu, njengabantwana abathandekayo; Futhi uhambe othandweni, njengalokhu noKristu wasithanda, wazinikela ngenxa yethu, abe ngumnikelo lomhlatshelo kuNkulunkulu, kube yiphunga elimnandi (Kwabase-Efesu 5:1-2)
Labo, who are born again in Christ and belong to Him and are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and still preach the true Jesus Christ; the unadulterated Word, are still the savour of Christ on earth unto God and unto all man. But not all man will appreciate the savour of Christ.
Bona, who have died in Christ and are dead to the world, but alive unto God and spread the knowledge of Christ, shall be a savour of death to those, who belong to the world and live in darkness as enemies of God and the cross and love the world, ubumnyama, and love doing the works of the flesh and are not willing to repent.
Ngakho-ke, they that are carnal and live after the flesh can’t be in their presence, because they can’t stand the savour of Christ and therefore they shall do everything they can to avoid them.
Because they don’t want to be confronted with the fact that the works they do (imisebenzi yenyama) ububi. They don’t want to be confronted with their sins and unrighteousness and don’t want to be confronted with the righteousness of God and judgment, but they want to live undisturbed after the lusts and desires of the flesh in darkness.
The savour of Christ is a savour of life to them that are saved and will be saved
Kepha kulabo, who are saved and belong to God and to those, who will be saved, to those they, who spread the knowledge of Christ, shall be a savour of life unto eternal life.
To them the preaching of the knowledge of Christ means salvation, ngegazi likaJesu Kristu, and deliverance of sin and death through faith and regeneration in Him; ukufa kwenyama nokuvuka komoya kwabafileyo. They shall rejoice in the unadulterated words of God.
Therefore let us never bow for the desires and lusts of carnal man and compromise with the world and adjust and adulterate the words of God, but let us stay faithful to God and preach the unadulterated Word of God, so that we remain a sweet savour of Christ unto God.
And although we will be a savour of death unto those who perish, unto those who are saved and belong to God and unto those, who will be saved we will be a sweet savour of life unto eternal life.
‘Yibani usawoti womhlaba’
