What do you smell like?

www.istockphoto.com

By Dawn Ford

I used to hate walking in a department store.  I have so many allergies; I’d have to dodge the perfume ladies, wanting to sprits me with some new fragrance.  While I admire perfume on others, I’m limited to simple clean scents that don’t make me sneeze or make my nose run. As Christians it’s really no different, we have to be careful what kind of scent we give off to others, making sure we’re always pleasing and never overpowering.  

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul states, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”  [2 Cor 2:14] As Christ followers, we're supposed give off a pleasant fragrance.  Let's look at the whole scripture to get an idea how.  

Scripture

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NIV)

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.”¹

Back Story

The small Corinthian church was weak, but in their defense, Corinth was a tough town. As part of post Hellenistic Greece, Corinth was an important port city on the Aegean Sea.  It was a very busy prosperous town, with lots of visitors from all over and many pagan temples that worship the Greek gods. 

The Christians in Corinth struggled in their surroundings.  With all kinds of corruption and every conceivable sin going on around them, they felt a great pressure to adapt.  In First Corinthians, Paul tried to instruct them in their faith, resolve conflicts and solve problems.   Most received the letter well, but among them there were false teachers who denied Paul’s authority and attempted to slander him.  Second Corinthians is written to defend his position and to denounce those who were twisting the truth.  ²

The Use of Imagery

To make his point, Paul used imagery the Corinthians and others of that time period would have understood.  When the Romans conquered an area, there would be a Roman triumphal procession through the towns.  The Roman general would display his treasures and captives amidst a cloud of incense burned to the gods.  To the victors, the aroma was sweet; to the captives in the parade, it was the smell of slavery and death. ³

In the same way, Christ the triumphant ruler of our lives has a sweet smelling aroma to those of us who believe in Him.  Consequently to those who don’t know Him (or have been hurt by someone claiming to follow in His name), the Good News message of the Gospel may have a horrible stench smelling like death.    

Our Take Away

Just like expensive perfume, a little goes a long way?  Yes there will be times when someone asks you specific questions about Christ and they’ll want you to go into detail and explain.  For the most part, your actions will have an opportunity to speak louder than your words.  Do you just "dab" yourself in Christ enough so those around you get your clean fresh scent or are you so overpowering you make others sick to their stomach?

Smells leave an imprint.  The olfactory or sense of smell is the most primitive and most sensitive, so from an early age, different smells are imprinted in our brains.  Just as easy as smelling your mom’s homemade apple pie today can bring back wonderful memories of your childhood, smelling bleach or antiseptic can bring back a terrible hospital experience.  What’s going to be your lasting smell; pleasant or painful?

Sometimes no matter how good you smell you’re still going to make someone sneeze.  Even if we do and say all the right things, people can still be turned off and reject the Good News of Christ.  Jesus addressed this very specifically in Gospel of John, “...No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him...,” (John 6:44).   Our only requirement is to be good ambassadors of Christ and to represent Him well.  Remember, you may be only be one link of a chain of saints who brings a soul to Christ.

Are you up to the task?  Spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ is not for the weak, but go back to Paul’s words above, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us...” (verse 14) and “...we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God,” (verse17).   There are hints of how to be fragrant:

• Let God lead you. 

• 'Sincerity' is translated from the Greek word eilikrineia, which means “pure” or “transparent.”  Paul’s message and ministry, had no hidden motives or agendas. Neither should ours.

• We speak in the sight of God in Christ. Paul was always aware that his first audience in ministry was God Himself. Every word he spoke, he spoke in the sight of God. Its the same for us.  

Questions

1.  We're all human and we all make mistakes.  Think about a time you may have come on too strong.  How would you do things different if you had the opportunity?


 2.   Jesus said, "...No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him...," (John 6:44).  How does that change the way you look at your role as a Christ follower and ambassador for him?



1 Life Application Study Bible, New International Version, 1991, p. 2095.
2 Life Application Study Bible, New International Version, 1991, p. 2059.
3 www.blueletterbible.org, commentary by David Gurzik on 2 Corinthians. 


Dawn Ford is the VP of Infinite Love Ministries, INC.,  a not for profit corporation dedicated to transforming lives through the power of God's Word.  Please visit www.infiniteloveministries.com  to contact Dawn as a speaker for you next women's event.