An Aroma of Christ to God
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16. to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” (2Co. 2:14-16). In the last article, we looked at the term “triumphal procession,” but there is another word I am sure most of us could not help noticing. It is, of course, the word “fragrance.” It appears three times in the selected verses and is indeed a strange metaphor, at least at first glance.
We are all affected by smell. As a toddler, I remember being carried into a tire manufacturing plant by my father. I can still recall the horrendous smell of the melted rubber. But I also vividly remember digging my head into his neck to escape that awful stench and smelling the manly scent of Old Spice Cologne. To this day, whenever I smell burnt rubber or Old Spice, I recall that day. I still hate the smell of the former and absolutely love the latter. A smell can make us happy: think of the tantalizing aroma of a fresh steak on a barbeque. But the opposite is also true. Some smells conquer our gag reflexes all too well.
How can any dad forget the smell of a newborn’s diaper after the fact? There are other smells that we detest as well, but since they are so subjective, I will leave you to your own thoughts in that regard. Suffice it to say that we would eliminate them from our memory in a second if we could. However, when Paul uses the metaphor of us being the fragrance of the knowledge of God through Christ, he is not using it negatively. The source of this sweet sense is none other than the Savior. When we spread the gospel of grace to those chained to the devil in the darkness of sin, we become a sweet aroma of Christ.
And, like I recall how safe that smell of Old Spice made me feel that day in the tire factory, they too can take comfort, knowing that the arms of the Savior are stretched out to embrace them through our words. But Paul also warns of the foolish who do not believe in God. Psa. 14:1 describes these individuals so succinctly, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God….’” The same scent of salvation is offered to everyone, but while some embrace it, the fool rejects it outright. And that, brothers and sisters, if continued unto death, has eternal consequences.
In Roman times, the victorious general would parade the captors through the city streets. Unfortunately for those prisoners of war, the end of the parade also meant their end. They would be dragged out of the city and summarily put to death. That same fate awaits those who reject the aroma of the gospel of Christ, and there will be many. Mat. 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” On the day of judgment, they will be cast away from the presence of God, where they will meet their fate.
Their decision makes no sense to a Christian, but when I think of them, I think of one of my children when he was a preteen. He would not try new food, no matter how much we tried to convince him it was good. We offered him a spoonful of trifle dessert on one occasion, but he stubbornly refused to taste it. We told him to smell it, but even the sweet aroma of fresh custard and cake did not convince him. A few days later, he “gave it a go.” He put a tiny bit in his mouth but immediately gagged, so convinced was he that he would hate it. Months later, he tried it again, and to his astonishment, he loved it.
When we asked why he tried it, he replied, “To be honest. I liked the smell.” The world is like he was. They are programmed to reject it, but if, through our words and actions, they are presented with an opportunity to try it, they will discover they love it. It may take more than one try, so we should not be too quick to give up on them. Some will immediately try, some will take longer, and some never will. Sadly, for the last group, the only smell they have to look forward to is the horrendous stench of their own burning flesh in the fiery pits of hell forever. Be sure to spread the aroma near and far so more people can have the opportunity to choose “life from life.”