The Bible says that faithful Christians produce a spiritual aroma. This fragrant aroma produced by Christians is the smell of Christ, and this smell is pleasing to God.
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 Corinthians 2:14-17).
Jesus Christ is a good fragrance to God (Ephesians 5:2). Jesus always pleased the Father in everything he said and did, and his entire life was a fragrance going up to heaven. Christians can release the same spiritual smell, for they are filled with the same Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament people offered burnt offerings which released a pleasing smell to God (Leviticus 1:9). When faithful priests offered sacrifices on the altar according to God’s word, the sacrifices released an aroma that God liked. These sacrifices foreshadowed the death of Christ for our sins.
Now in the New Testament Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, and his aroma is perfect. If we are in Christ, we too become a fragrant aroma that pleases God.
Diffusers are used to freshen up the air in homes. These mechanical diffusers take aromatic oils and release their aroma. Christians are spiritual diffusers of the fragrance of Christ. They take the aromatic oil of the Holy Spirit and release it into the world.
Christians release the aroma of Christ whenever they obey God. They release this fragrance when they speak the word of God to others. This aroma spreads from them when they walk in the Holy Spirit and interact with others by the Holy Spirit. To the extent that we live according to God, to that extent spiritual smell of Christ will come out from us. The more faithful we are to God the stronger this spiritual smell will be.
People react differently to the same smell. Some people may like a certain smell, but others may not like it. People can have visceral reactions to a smell. Sometimes people hate a smell so much that it makes them feel sick. In a similar way, people can have differing reactions to the spiritual smell of Christ.
To those who are spiritually perishing, the aroma of a Christian is like death. The smell of death is terrible. The smell of rotting food is bad, but the smell of a dead carcass is worse. Those who are perishing hate the spiritual smell of a Christian because it shows them they are not living right with God and calls them to turn from their old life. To them, this is like death.
Whenever people smell a terrible smell, they want to get rid of it. They want to throw out whatever is causing that bad smell.
Christians should not be surprised if people hate them.
“Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13).
Christians can avoid the world’s hatred by compromising (John 7:7). They can stop giving off the strong smell of Christ. If Christians become like the world then the world will love them. Jesus says that when people speak well of Christians, they need to be careful, because deceived people throughout history spoke well of false prophets (Luke 6:26).
It’s not just the world that can hate the smell of Christ. Sometimes even deceived Christians find the spiritual smell of faithful Christians to be repulsive. Faithful Christians urge them to leave compromise and evil behind. Sacrifice your own ways of doing things, and do what God wants instead of what you want. Obey the Bible rather than culture or your own likes.
Jesus said religious people will hate God’s people so much that they will kill them (John 16:2).
Paul said some churches had become his enemy because he told them the truth (Galatians 4:6).
Many Christians are living in deception. They do not obey God. They follow the traditions of men and even pagan rituals rather than the commandments of God. They do not want to hear that their religious activity displeases God. They want to keep doing things they’ve always been doing. The smell of a Christian who tells them they need to obey God’s word and leave behind religious traditions or their own religious preferences is repulsive.
Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people loved the spiritual smell of false prophets. These men said that everything is ok, what you’re doing is fine, you don’t need to change anything, and God is going to bless you! Sadly, most of God’s people have loved the spiritual smell of deception.
True prophets on the other hand gave off a very different smell. They say that what you’re doing is wrong. It’s not according to God’s word. You’ve made up your own ways of worshiping and serving God, and you’ve ignored his word. Therefore God is going to judge you! Leave this religious garbage behind and repent!
This spiritual aroma of the true prophet was very pleasing to God, but it was an aroma that most of God’s people found to be like death. So they killed these true prophets so they would not have to smell them any more.
This is the same reason they killed Jesus and the apostles.
It’s why some people don’t like you when you share with them the truth and love of God.
It’s why they will kill the faithful people of God at the end of the age (Matthew 24:9).
To those who are spiritually perishing, the smell of the Christian is one of death, and it leads to death. It leads to death because it exposes the perishing soul to the truth of God, giving him an opportunity to openly reject the truth. When a person fights against the truth, their judgment is greater.
On the other hand, for those who are being saved, the smell of a Christian is like life that leads to life. When someone releases the fragrance of Christ by serving God, speaking the truth, and walking in the Spirit, other true Christians will love that and want more of that. They love this smell because it leads to life. It edifies them and encourages them. It shows them more of Christ. It causes them to want to live more in the Spirit.
The powerful scent of Christ that is released through faithful Christians into the earth is a fragrant aroma that pleases God. However people react differently to this powerful scent. Those who are lost hate this smell and want to get rid of it. But those who are being saved love this smell and want more of it.
Let us release the aroma of Christ into the world without fear. Let’s spread the knowledge of God. This is why God has called us, and it is why he has put his Holy Spirit inside us – so we can diffuse the knowledge of Christ in every place. May God help us to do so faithfully.
Lincoln House Churches 