The Aroma of My Life

 

The Aroma of My Life

…a sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

2 Cor. 2:14

It seems in my adult years that I have had a very strong sense of smell. When I’ve been pregnant, my sense of smell has been heightened even further, much to my dismay. There have been times during pregnancies when I have prayed that my sense of smell would be dulled. A couple of years ago, when I lost my sense of smell due to Covid, I honestly didn’t complain. I laughed to myself that my prayers had finally been answered. I don’t want to make light of the struggle that some face without a sense of smell, and I have since regained my ability to smell all things, but to illustrate the power of fragrances, whether good or bad. We’ve probably all been unfortunate victims of stepping into a room, only to be hit with an overpowering stink. We try not to breathe through our noses while we complete whatever task we have so as to leave the stinky room as quickly as possible. On the flip side, we know the pleasant experience of the power of sweet fragrances: ones that make us smile, maybe bring back precious memories, or cause us to linger a little longer in order to breathe in the wonderful smells. In 2 Cor. 2:14-17, Paul tells the Corinthians that he and the others with him who are preaching the gospel are a sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place and they are the fragrance of Christ to God. 

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the fragrance 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? For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

In this text, Paul is initially using the picture of the Roman Triumph, with which readers of his day would have been familiar. “If a commander in chief won a complete victory over the enemy on foreign soil, and if he killed at least five thousand enemy soldiers and gained new territory for the emperor, then that commander in chief was entitled to a Roman Triumph. The processional would include the commander riding in a golden chariot, surrounded by his officers. The parade would also include a display of the spoils of battle, as well as the captive enemy soldiers. The Roman priests would also be in the parade, carrying burning incense to pay tribute to the victorious army” (Wiersbe). Commentators differ on some of the elements of the Roman Triumph and what they represent. All agree that God Himself is the victorious general, but some say that believers are “willing and joyful captives who count it a privilege to be part of God’s ‘triumph’ and as vocal witnesses to the General’s victorious strength” (Verbrugge), while others see believers as “the incense-bearers” since Paul says that it is “through us” that God manifests the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ. Calvin sees believers as those sharing in the triumph with God “just as the chief lieutenants shared the general’s triumph by riding on horseback beside his chariot.” I’m not exactly sure what Paul had in mind, but each of those things is true of us as believers. We have been taken captive to our new King. He has made us partakers in His triumph. He has also caused us to now spread His triumph, the knowledge of Him, in every place we go, as a sweet aroma. 

A Sweet Aroma among Others

Paul makes it clear that God has saved us for the purpose of carrying the fragrance of Him to all the ends of the earth (cf. Matt. 28:19-20). The way He does this is by making the knowledge of Him known through us, through our lives and through the gospel message we share. When Paul states that through us God reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of Him, it is clear that it is the knowledge of Him, and knowledge implies facts or information that is learned. It is not merely that we go around living like Jesus hoping that people notice the difference in us, although that is important, but we must also carry with us the truths of the gospel that we share while living out the gospel in our attitudes and actions. This is what permeates the world with the fragrance of Christ. This is what Paul and the apostles were committed to doing. They were not peddling the word of God, but were sincerely carrying the gospel truth; and by the preaching of the Word, God was making His truth known. 

While we seek to live faithfully, this aroma of the gospel message and the gospel lived is the sweet aroma of life to life to some. To others, however, the gospel message is repugnant, an aroma from death to death. Just as there are times when the perception of certain fragrances can be good or bad differing from person to person, so also the gospel is not a sweet aroma to everyone. Sometimes we will be stinky to those around us, not because we are, but because those who are smelling our aroma have rejected Christ. So while we are to be a sweet aroma in every place that He leads us, sometimes the gospel message we share will be received differently. The elect will be attracted by our aroma; the ungodly may be indifferent or even repulsed by it. We are His instruments and His ambassadors of Christ through whom He is reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:20).

A Sweet Aroma to God

But we are not just a fragrance of Christ among people, but we are a fragrance to God. Paul said, “We are a fragrance of Christ to God” (2 Cor. 2:15).  What other Scriptures describe a sweet smelling aroma to God? Paul describes Christ’s sacrifice of Himself for our sins as a fragrant aroma to God (Eph. 5:2). He told the Philippians that their gift to him to supply his needs was a “fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18). John reveals the bowls full of incense, incense having been used as a fragrant offering in the Temple in the Old Testament, to be the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8). For the believer, our lives can be a sweet smelling, fragrant aroma to God as we live in close communion with Him, being found in Christ, and laying down our life in service to those around us. Our aim is to please the Lord.

What is the aroma of my life? Am I spreading the knowledge of the Lord in every place I go as a fragrance fills a room? Is the aroma of my life permeating an aroma that is distinctly Christ-like? Am I diligently seeking to know Him more in order that I can be equipped to spread the knowledge of Him? Am I aware that my life is both a fragrance to God and among others? Contemplating these things can make us realize that we fall short. Perhaps Paul recognized this temptation to be overwhelmed with the idea that in every place we are to be an aroma for the Lord and to Him, because he asks, “And who is adequate for these things?”(2 Cor. 2:16). He answers his own question in 2 Cor. 3:5, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” He makes us adequate. He supplies what we need. In our weakness, He is strong (2 Cor 12:9). It’s not up to us. Although we labor to please Him, we lean on Him as we labor. In Christ and through His enabling strength, God will manifest through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 

Lord, Thank you that it is by Your power and enabling that we are able to be the aroma of Christ in this world. We fall short in many ways. Forgive us for not being faithful ambassadors and representatives of You. Continue shaping us into the image of Christ, growing in the grace and knowledge of Him, and boldly sharing the gospel truth with those around us. Manifest through us today the sweet aroma of the knowledge of You wherever we go, and may our lives be a fragrant aroma to You. In Jesus’ name Amen.