IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Being Used to Spread the Aroma of Christ

Date: Oct. 18, 2026

Passage

2 Corinthians 2:5-17

Forgive the Sinner

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 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, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 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. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 2:14

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.

Church discipline causes everyone involved some grief. Paul praises the community for correcting the individual involved as he had instructed them. Now he encourages them to forgive and comfort the individual, with Paul sharing in this forgiveness. In this way Satan’s scheme to corrupt or divide the church will fail. May we learn the love that both corrects and encourages fellow believers.

Paul rejoiced in the leading of God though it wasn’t necessarily easy to discern. Even though the way opened up to preach at Troas, Paul felt convicted to continue on to Macedonia because Titus was not there. Yet Paul thanked God, who always leads us in a triumphal procession to spread the aroma of the gospel everywhere. This aroma is death to the perishing but life to those being saved. And Paul was happy to serve Christ purely and not for profit.

Prayer: Lord, unite our community through restoration and in preaching the gospel.

One Word: Spreading the aroma of the knowledge of Christ

Daily Bread

The Lord Judges the Proud

Psalm 75:1-10

Key Verse: 75:2

“At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.

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Intro Daily