Do I Smell?

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."