Think of someone you know who is genuinely pleasant to be around. What qualities make them that way? Now imagine what it would have been like to be around Jesus. Any similarities? Perhaps joyful, peaceful, trustworthy or positive, come to mind. He must have been a great person to be around – someone you look forward to hanging out with. You know that person you can just let your hair down with. The person you can always share a laugh with, or the one you feel safe opening up to.
Though Christ may not be with us physically today, His presence remains with us. And His presence shouldn’t be underestimated or dismissed. Christ leaves an indelible mark on our lives. In 2 Corinthians Paul uses a powerful image from Roman culture to help us grasp the magnificence of Christ’s presence in our lives. He compares believers to captives in a Roman victory parade, in which prisoners of war would be led through the streets, signifying the conquering general’s triumph. God leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15
Roman victory parades included the burning of incense in celebration, spreading a distinct fragrance throughout the city. In the same way, God uses us to spread the “aroma” of Christ. As we walk in Christ’s triumphal procession, that aroma – the evidence of His presence – reaches others. Being in the presence of Christ is evident and it gives others the opportunity to experience his presence as well.
This theme continues in the next chapter in which we read more about the way our lives themselves reveal Christ’s presence to others.
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:1-3
When someone was sent to a New Testament church they would often have a type of letter of recommendation so to speak, identifying and vouching for them. Paul tells the Christians in Corinth that they are his letter, meaning that their transformed lives are living proof of Christ’s work. You are a letter from Christ! Imagine that! Christ himself writing your recommendation. Christ writes with the Spirit of the living God on our hearts!
Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you. 2 Corinthians 13:5
Let that sink in for a moment – Christ is not only with you, He is in you! We are the representation of Christ and the work He is doing within us. Christ is actively working in us and through us. That is what our lives can and should reflect. When we let God’s light shine in our hearts, we naturally carry His presence into every situation—whether at work, with family, or in worship. Practicing the Presence of Christ means living in awareness of His presence daily, letting His Spirit shape our thoughts, actions, and interactions. Living in Christ’s presence doesn’t just give us an improved version of ourselves, we are entirely new creations, reflecting Him in every space we step into.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!… We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 20
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