Why should you accept defeat?
Have you ever felt like you just can’t win?
At times, I’ve suffered under the delusion that if I just say the right thing in the right way, I’ll be able to fix the problem. Usually, these are relationship conflicts that I’m trying to fix. I approach reconciliation with the perspective that being in Christ is my primary identity; as a result, I don’t need to get defensive, and I am willing to be corrected if I’m wrong. But not everyone approaches conflicts that way.
I’ve had to learn that there are times I just can’t win the person over. Last year, after initiating a conversation with a friend about the racial tension in our country, I was falsely labeled and cut off. In a different conflict a decade ago, my wife and I were trying to work through something in our bible study group. Those we had considered some of our best friends ended up making statements to us like “You’re the kind of people that make others not want to become Christians,” or “No wonder so-and-so wants nothing to do with you.”
Ouch.
Sometimes, you just can’t win no matter what you do or how hard you try.
But should we consider this a defeat?
The apostle Paul didn’t think so. In 2 Corinthians 2:14, he wrote, “God always makes his grace visible in Christ, who includes us as partners of his endless triumph” (TPT).
The Message paraphrase puts it this way, “In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if Paul said this after having a “success” in ministry. But what makes this statement even more powerful is that Paul said this when things were not going his way.
First, his affliction was so overwhelming that he “even despaired of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).
Second, he had planned to visit the church in Corinth, but changed his plans because of conflict and tension in their relationship. Instead, he wrote a challenging letter, praying that God would speak to them through that letter. In 2 Corinthians 2:4, Paul said, “For out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart I wrote to you with many tears – not that you should be hurt, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you” (HCSB).
Then, he went to meet Titus in another city where he thought they would have fruitful ministry together. But Paul couldn’t find Titus, so he continued on to yet another town.
Today we would say that Paul just couldn’t win. But he said ‘Christ always leads us in victory!’ Is anyone else confused? Again, the context helps us understand what Paul means and how we can apply it to our lives.
First, Jesus is the Victorious King. As His people, He “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, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, ESV).
In Jewish culture and tradition, Kings were anointed. In John 12, Mary anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume. It would have been so strong that he likely still had that fragrance about him days later when he was arrested, beaten and crucified. That fragrance would have radiated from Christ announcing Him as King. Some rebelled against that and killed Him. Others loved Him and grieved that their King had been killed. Ultimately, we know that because of Christ’s victory over sin and death, the response to the fragrance of Jesus indicated who was following Him into Life and who was committed to being His enemy.
Think again about a time when you felt like you just couldn’t win. What if the other person’s reaction is more a reflection of their heart toward Christ than anything you have said or done? Paul says that the fragrance of Christ is the scent of death to some, but that same fragrance is the scent of life to others. It all depends on their heart’s disposition toward the reigning King.
Second, these situations should teach us greater reliance on Christ. In 2 Corinthians 1:8b-9 Paul told us, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (ESV).
Dear Saints, don’t confuse your feelings about a situation, or another person’s negative reaction, with the fact that God is leading you in victory. Jesus Christ is the Conquering King who has all authority in heaven and on earth. You and I, as believers in Christ, are part of His triumphal procession.
Why should we accept defeat when God says He is always leading us in victory?
No matter the conflict, as you follow Christ, you’ll exude His fragrance. And that, my friends, is living from victory to victory.