Every once in a
while it's good to ask, "Do I smell?"
Hopefully someone can respond, "Yes, you smell great, what are you
wearing?"
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in
triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of
Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are
being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death
to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for
these things?"
New American
Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 2 Co
2:14–16.
Once we hit
adolescence the question, "Do I smell?" can be quite common. No one wants to give off an odor that could
be offensive. We would rather bring a
pleasant scent into a room or a conversation.
Unfortunately body odor, bad breath, or foot odor can be unavoidable.
But modern man has found easy solutions, for a price.
Scripture speaks to
a different type of aroma we can exude, a spiritual aroma. For the Christian, one who has Christ in his
or her life, we will give off a very pleasant, life giving smell. It's called
"the fragrance of Christ".
This beautiful smell reminds us of life itself. In nature we experience
something like this on a fresh morning in springtime. When new leaves and flowers are emerging and
the air is clean there is a certain smell in the air that energizes and
invigorates.
Christ reveals
Himself through us in such a way that fellow Christians can pick up this scent,
this life-giving scent. Possibly it's
the scent of "grace" or "unconditional love" or anything
that God is working into our lives. It
might be the recognition of one brother to another, or the shared hope of
eternal life. Maybe it's the forgiveness
we have found.
Unfortunately the
smell we exude takes on a different tone to those who do not know Christ. Paul simply describes it as the "aroma
of death". To the human nostrils, almost
nothing is as noxious as the smell of death and decay. What causes these fumes?
To some, Christ is a reminder of a dismal eternity or judgement. This dynamic could explain the persecution
Christians often face.
Of course Christians
can act inappropriately at times. We may
give off a nasty odor because of some sin or offense we cause. Hopefully that's not the source of the aroma
of death.
Every once in a
while it's good to ask, "Do I smell?"
Hopefully someone can respond, "Yes, you smell great, what are you
wearing!" We can answer, "It's the aroma of life, a fragrance of Christ."
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