Triumph in Christ

Paul’s heart was uneasy while waiting for Titus (2 Cor. 7:5, 6). Despite that uneasiness, he couldn’t stop talking about Jesus (2 Cor. 2:12). He loved Jesus so much. At that point, he didn’t yet know the results of his letter. He was anxious to see Titus and hear about the reaction of the Corinthians.

The work of Paul at Troas was successful, but “he could not remain there long. ‘The care of all the churches,’ and particularly of the church at Corinth, rested heavily on his heart. He had hoped to meet Titus at Troas and to learn from him how the words of counsel and reproof sent to the Corinthian brethren had been received, but in this he was disappointed. ‘I had no rest in my spirit,’ he wrote concerning this experience, ‘because I found not Titus my brother.’ He therefore left Troas and crossed over to Macedonia, where, at Philippi he met Timothy.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 323.

In a burst of joy, Paul affirms that God “always leads us in triumph in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:14, NKJV). What a marvelous statement! A heart filled with the presence of Christ spreads “the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14, NKJV).

Paul rejoices in Christ because the painful letter bore the fruit he intended to harvest (2 Cor. 7:5–9). This is a great victory. Meanwhile, in 2 Corinthians 2:17, Paul reaffirms his sincerity as an apostle of Christ (2 Cor. 2:17, 2 Cor. 1:12). According to this passage, what distinguishes a faithful servant of Christ from a false minister is that while the latter peddles the gospel for self-interest, the former preaches the Word of God in wholehearted love for Christ.

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Additional Reading: Selected Quotes from Ellen G. White

“Abide in me” are words of great significance. Abiding in Christ means a living, earnest, refreshing faith that works by love and purifies the soul. It means a constant receiving of the spirit of Christ, a life of unreserved surrender to His service. Where this union exists, good works will appear. The life of the vine will manifest itself in fragrant fruit on the branches. The continual supply of the grace of Christ will bless you and make you a blessing, till you can say with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20).
The sacred union with Christ will unite the brethren in the most endearing bonds of Christian fellowship. Their hearts will be touched with divine compassion one for another. . . . Coldness, variance, strife, are entirely out of place among the disciples of Christ. They have accepted the one faith. They have joined to serve the one Lord, to endure in the same warfare, to strive for the same object, and to triumph in the same cause. They have been bought with the same precious blood, and have gone forth to preach the same message of salvation. . . .
Those who are constantly drawing strength from Christ will possess His spirit. They will not be careless in word or deportment. An abiding sense of how much their salvation has cost in the sacrifice of the beloved Son of God will rest upon their souls. Like a fresh and vivid transaction the scenes of Calvary will present themselves to their minds and their hearts will be subdued and made tender by this wonderful manifestation of the love of Christ to them. They will look upon others as the purchase of His precious blood, and those who are united with Him will seem noble and elevated and sacred because of this connection. The death of Christ on Calvary should lead us to estimate souls as He did. His love has magnified the value of every man, woman, and child.—That I May Know Him, p. 132.

The experience that I had last night has impressed me very deeply. I seemed to have Christ close beside me. I was filled with hope and courage and faith and love for souls. I pleaded with God to sustain me, and He lifted me up, and made me to triumph in Him. I know that the Lord will work for His people when they will sanctify their souls by obeying the truth. Then the whole being, body, mind, and soul, will be in harmony with God. Loving God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves, we shall possess a freedom crowned with glory.
“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).—The Upward Look, p. 241.