Trophies of Christ’s victory

But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph as trophies of Christ’s victory and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: To the latter it is an aroma from death to death; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is qualified (fit and sufficient) for these things? [Who is able for such a ministry? We?]
For we are not, like so many, [like hucksters making a trade of] peddling God’s Word [shortchanging and adulterating the divine message]; but like [men] of sincerity and the purest motive, as [commissioned and sent] by God, we speak [His message] in Christ (the Messiah), in the sight and presence of God. (2 Cor 2:14-17)

A trophy is a perpetual reminder of a victory that was won, the proof of the success and achievement of the victor. Sometimes it is necessary to state the obvious: The trophy did not win any battle or achieve any victory. The trophy simple celebrates an event to which it contributed nothing, yet is intimately linked to. Life is not meant to be a series of battles in which we win some and loose some. Rather, as trophies of Christ’s victory, we are the proof and continual reminder of the once-and-for-all success of His achievement. We reign in life based on the accomplishment of this one man – His gift of righteousness.

There is only one standard of victory, one standard of life that God intends for us to enjoy and that is the victory and newness of life that He achieved in His death and resurrection. There is only one standard of fellowship: we’ve been invited into the same quality of fellowship that Jesus enjoys with the Father (1Cor 1:9)

After Paul spoke about Christ’s victory and our position as trophies of His achievement, he expands this thought by saying that we can never reduce this message to a sales pitch. Understanding the unprecedented significance of this event, we can never reduce it to a product that needs to be peddled. We are not salesmen promoting a product, but newsmen declaring an event in which:

He was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous; He planned for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, things in heaven and things on the earth. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy. Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him.
Rom 4:25, Eph 1:10, Col 1:15,18-20, Heb 10:14, Rom 11:36

But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself – received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself – and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him. It was God personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against men their trespasses , and committing to us the message of reconciliation of the restoration to favor. So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We, as Christ’s personal representatives, beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor now offered you and be reconciled to God. 2 Cor 5:18-20