19.3 Led in Triumph
© 2015 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Notice the assertiveness of God in this incredible statement. God acts, and He acts in two specific and detailed ways. One: God – leads us – always, in triumph in Christ. Two: God – diffuses knowledge of Himself as fragrance – in every place, through us.
Whenever Paul speaks of God and us together he uses absolutes: all, always, every.
This half of the seventh most important verse provides the context of our overwhelming confidence.
Solid Ground
I was once taught that the jeopardy of the gospel, the big IF in Hebrews 3-4, meant that we could not now know if we would, someday, enter into all that the Holiest means. Rather, it would take years of perfect obedience under not knowing, before God would tell us if we had “made it” or not. I am amazed and cannot comprehend how these preachers refused even to look at the words that follow the IF!
We are part of Christ IF we hold firmly, standing on solid ground, to the absolute reality that we ARE, right now, in all possible ways and in every direction PART of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:14 defines that solid ground as well as defining how we are part of Christ.
The Action of God
Our being part of Christ is the ACTION of God. This Action of God is the Father, dwelling in us inside of Christ, the One who fills our hearts with His glory. This Father, connecting with us as one person every moment through the Bond of Christ, through every Word that He speaks, then ACTS towards us in a specific way and ACTS through us in a specific way.
Let’s start with the first action. Led in triumph is all one word: thriambeuonti. Other than the reality that all of this action takes place inside of Christ our only life, and that it always happens at all times, led in triumph is the bulk of the meaning.
Roman Victory
When the Romans conquered Greece in the century before Christ, they drew into their embrace a much older and more established culture in art, literature, and language. The Latin culture adopted much that was Greek. But the Romans had a custom, a major and influential rite of celebration, that the Greeks had never known. The Roman legions were among the most victorious in history. When 5,000 Romans faced a horde of 80,000 angry and wild Brits under Queen Boadicea, the Romans simply did what they did and few Brits left the field alive. The Roman legions possessed and maintained every element required for victory.
Roman Triumph
Many do not realize that the Roman Empire consisted of two things: the city of Rome with the surrounding plain of Latium on the central coast of Italy, and everything else that was KEPT conquered, including all the rest of Italy. That one city alone conquered the Mediterranean world. Thus to the Romans, each victory won was a big deal. For that reason, the Romans celebrated each victory won, many of them among the most mind-boggling in the history of military victories, by a massive victory parade through the streets of Rome. The Romans called that victory parade, celebrated often, the Triumphus (remember that English is half Latin).
After the Victory
The Greeks did not have any such practice. However, the Triumphus had such an impact on all peoples conquered by the Romans that, in this case, the Greeks made up their own word for it, in a reverse flow of culture. The Greeks called the Triumphus, Thriambeuo, a word derived from their hymn to their favorite god, the god of wine.
Understand that the Roman Triumph was not the victory. When the Triumph was celebrated, the war was over, the victory was history, the defeated lands were already laid subject to tribute, and the defeated foes were all in chains. Triumph was the celebration that comes after the Victory.
Caesar Beneath
Let’s use the name of a known Caesar – Augustus, and the name of a fictitious conquering general – Maximus.
The main boulevard approaching the Capitol buildings, wide and spacious, was thronged on each side by thousands of wildly celebrating people, doing whatever Romans did to express their delight and acclaim. Down the center of the boulevard in mighty parade came first the chariot of Augustus Caesar, resplendent in wealth and honor. With Caesar was Maximus, the victorious general. As they passed through the cheering crowds, Caesar Augustus raised Maximus’ arm into the air, indicating to all the people that it was he who had brought this great honor to Rome.
Paul’s Meaning
Behind Caesar’s chariot marched the cream of the legions, in splendid banners of war, their eagles of victory waving in the air. And behind the legions staggered kings and queens, princesses and princes, generals and mighty men, all in chains, defeated, conquered, made subject to Rome. As the people turned from celebrating the victorious warriors, they now derided and mocked these once terrifying foes now proven to be nothing.
It was Augustus Caesar who led Maximus in Triumph; it was Maximus who was led in Triumph by Caesar. We know that Paul meant exactly this celebration of military Triumph when he used the word, thriambeuó, a second time.
Our Solid Ground
Speaking of Jesus, the Victorious Conqueror, Paul clearly referred to the Roman rite of celebrating victory by dragging all the conquered foes in chains behind the honored warriors. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15). The Roman Triumphus – held up to us by Paul as the SOLID ground upon which our confidence stands.
God always leads us in Triumph in Christ. Look at these words. Isn’t the victorious conqueror Christ Jesus? Yet it is not He that God always leads in Triumph, but us!
As If It Was Us!
God always leads us in Triumph in Christ. God is ALWAYS standing in the place of Augustus Caesar towards us. Though King of All, God, for this moment, this always moment, bows Himself in honor of us, pointing to the universe that for this moment, they should celebrate, not Him, but us!
And you and me, wide-eyed and overwhelmed, stand in the place of our Maximus, in the place of our Conquering Hero, the Lord Jesus Christ, led by Father God AS IF it was us who conquered the enemy, us who defeated death, us who overthrew sin, us who bound the enemies of God with chains. – AS IF it was us!
Conquered by Us
Don’t you think that our Father is bizarre? I certainly do. And yet God always leads us as if we are the already proven winners, because we are entirely and only inside of the One who gave Himself in Gethsemane and upon the cross for us.
Many ministers of the gospel use this line from Paul to teach that God always gives us the Victory in Christ. That is most certainly true; they are not wrong to teach that. But that is not what this verse says. Paul says that God always leads us in Triumph, in the mighty celebration AFTER the Victory is long finished, with all of our enemies, sin and death, already fully conquered by us.
Already Overcome
You have already conquered sin. You have already defeated death. You are already proven Victorious over the beast and over its image and over the number of its name. You have already overcome; you have already proven your worthiness to eat of the tree of life and to be seated upon the throne of God.
You have already ENTERED INTO the Holiest, into His rest, into all the Glory of God reserved for those – who? Those who walk in full confidence that they ARE! God always leads us in Triumph.
Upon Firm We Hold
Unto the end firm we should hold (Hebrews 3:6/14). The two key words in this line are FIRM and HOLD. In this instance we don’t think in terms of “hold firm”; but rather, “upon FIRM, we hold.”
- Bebaios: firm, secure, steadfast, "to walk where it is solid"; hence, firm, unshakable; giving guaranteed support. “What can be tread upon"; worthy of confidence because on "solid footing." (adapted from biblehub.com)
- Katecho: I hold fast. I bind. I restrain. I take possession of.
Act of Piracy
God does not lead us to “duplicate” the victory of Jesus. God always leads us as if we are the ones, inside of Jesus, who did win that Victory. This is the act of piracy God expects of us – IF.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … (Philippians 2:9-10)
God’s piracy is that we would seize for ourselves the place of heavenly honor and celebration granted to Jesus by which God has highly exalted Him – seize it with absolute confidence! God has never led us any other way; God has never not led us.
A Life for a Life
Do you see the trade that Jesus made, there, in Gethsemane? A life for a life! Whatever of us should have been back there in chains, He became momentarily, and then left it all in an empty grave. And whatever of Him that is highly exalted above every other name, is us, you and me, weak and vacillating in every direction except one. We are not weak towards God. We seize with absolute confidence, we hold firm upon the solid ground of our complete union with the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are already overcomers, that we are already part of God.
Turn Around
Do you see how this CONFIDENCE that God wants from us changes everything? All thought of being “a sinner,” all thought of “falling short,” all thought of “not yet entering in,” all thought of “maybe someday,” MUST vanish from our minds. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, to prove BY YOU … the will of God (Romans 12:2 –adapted by the Greek).
I have been writing “turn around” for about two years now. I am finally having it happen fully in my own mind. From here on out we are NOT entering into God; from here on out, the Father and we are doing all things together.
Boomfangled
Think of that: the Father and we are doing all things together. Paul gives us the picture of what that looks like.
The Father ALWAYS does everything together with us by this means: by lifting us up in the highest place of honor, as we are in Christ Jesus, the Victorious Conqueror. The Father ALWAYS does everything together with us as we are the honored ones, the face of His glory, the appearance of His Person. And through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
It’s okay to be completely boomfangled.
Actions of Faith
And this is age-abiding life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3). – And through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. This final thought speaks for itself.
Our concern, the thing we WANT to know, is HOW do we establish this level of confidence that we are absolutely part of the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His Victory and Glory. God has given us three simple actions of faith that anyone CAN DO, regardless of ability, that will build that confidence in us: speak Christ, ask and believe, and give thanks.
Let’s do these three things with all our hearts.