On Being the Fragrance of Christ

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life." 2 Cor. 2: 14-16

Have you ever had a big whiff of rotting flesh? Not very pleasant, is it? In fact, in certain circumstances my gag reflexes take over and I am bent over on the verge of losing my lunch. This past camping season, as I was preparing the camp for guests, I kept getting that strong, familiar scent of rotting flesh. Because of how pungent the smell was, I could never get a handle on from where it was coming. I did have my sister's dog, Madison, with me for the day. It took Madison only a few moments to locate, and proudly bring to me, the rotted shin and hoof of a deer. It was without a doubt the source of the fragrant "aroma of death." To me the fragrance was the aroma of death and rotting flesh. To Madison, in terms of her natural base instincts, I would say it the wonderful fragrance of life. For Madison's ancestors, it meant survival.

In most of today's social settings, if you and I are vocal about our faith in Christ, we are considered annoying, offensive, maybe even insensitive. Why? Well, the world would say it's because people who believe that salvation is through faith in Christ alone is myopic and intolerant, leaving no room for the beliefs of others. That is what they would say, but deep down, in the innermost part of their being, everyone-having been created in God's image-has the knowledge of the living God. This of course creates an uncomfortable existence. Therefore, through sincere believers, the love of God is "diffused" to anyone they meet. As we walk around this world, believers are the fragrance of Christ. To other believers it tanslates to a wonderful aroma of life in which we can experience the joyous, spiritual intimacy which comes from the knowledge that we will share an eternity in Paradise.

However, to those who are not believers, that same fragrance of Christ which we emit has that uncomfortable, unpleasant aroma of death. They have been told by the world (the reality shows, MTV, VH1, magazines, talk show hosts and politicians) that the aroma of death they are smelling is coming from the Christian next to them. However, the most disturbing reality is that the aroma of death they smell is the unconcious knowledge of barrenness of a heaven-bound life in eternity within themselves.

This is not a popular subject, even within our milque-toast churches today. But it is what the apostle Paul is communicating to us in our passage today. Believer, I urge you to continue to be that fragrance of Christ, in so doing you may draw others to the "aroma of life leading to life"!