The Smell of a Christian

I. Introduction

 A. God gave us a sense of smell. 

  1. We have the ability to enjoy pleasing smells, and we have the ability to be repulsed by disgusting smells. Generally, that which is wholesome and healthy smells good, and that which is unhealthy and harmful smells bad. 
  2. Metaphorically-speaking, our Lord Jesus has the most beautiful fragrance of all. Jesus means life and salvation and forgiveness and hope, so His fragrance is sweet and savory — for those who are being saved. 
  3. But this is not everyone. For those who are perishing, Jesus means death and doom and condemnation. And so for them, the fragrance of Jesus seems foul and putrid. 

 B. Read 2Corinthians 2:14–17 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? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

 C. Paul has been reflecting on the unrest he felt in his spirit while in Troas due to anxiety over how the Corinthians would react to his letter (v.12-13). Then as a result of receiving a positive report about the Corinthians from Titus, he gives thanks "to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." His thanks seem to result from Titus’ positive report, and the “being led in triumph” and the “manifesting the sweet aroma of Christ” are his explanation of their positive response. In other words, the reason they responded positively to his letter was because:

   a. God shows His power through the weakness of His people, and once again God has granted Paul success in spite of his weakness and frailty. 
   b. The Corinthians took Paul’s exhortation to heart because those who bear the fragrance of Christ will in the end be received by those who are being saved. Since Paul truly bore the scent of Christ, and since the Corinthians truly had (through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit) a nose for the aroma of Christ, there was a certain inevitability that they would sense Christ in the words and life of Paul. 

II. Four lessons to learn from 2Corinthians 2:14-17

 A. There are only two kinds of people in the world.

  1. Paul makes it clear in 2:15b that there are only two groups of humanity: "those who are being saved and...those who are perishing." 
  2. There is enormous pressure today to think of mankind as one. And we are all for breaking down human distinctions. 
  3. But no matter how much we dislike this truth, it is clearly and repeatedly taught in Scripture that Jesus did not come to unite all mankind into one (though He did come to unite all different kinds of men into one in Himself). He came rather to divide mankind into two. 

   a. He said:  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household." (Matt.10:34-36) 

    (1) He didn’t here mean a sword of warfare, but a sword as a tool of division, cutting things in 2.

   b. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory...He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’" (Matt.25:31-34, 41) 

  4. Sometimes we can’t tell which group a person is in. But we know that every person is on a path. He is either on the path to hell ("perishing") or to heaven ("being saved"). 
  5. A person can change paths, of course, or no one would be saved (since we are born "children of wrath" Eph.2:3). But each man is on one of two paths, heading for one of two eternal destinies. And when we appear before Christ on the last day, their will be no purgatory or second chance or third option. Some will rejoice greatly, others will flee in terror (Rev.6:15-17). 
  6. Never on earth has there lived a man who is so hated and so loved as Jesus Christ. 
   a. He is the most loved man in human history. Thousands have willingly lost their lives for Him. Hundreds of millions have dedicated their entire lives to serving Him and helping others to love Him too. For 2000 years millions of groups of His admirers all over the world have gathered frequently to adore Him and learn more about Him.
  7. And yet He’s also had more enemies than any other man. An innocent man drew such an insanely angry response from the people of His day that He was killed as a criminal though He had done nothing wrong. They even tried to kill Him when He was newborn! And that continues to today. 
  8. See how Jesus divided mankind into two groups? Those who love Him and those who hate Him, those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 
  9. By receiving or opposing Jesus, a man exposes the secret thoughts of his heart. He shows what is down deep inside of him. He shows what he thinks of God. He reveals his true nature. 
  10. What about you? What side will you be on? There is no neutrality. Jesus is either a stumbling block or a corner stone. You either rise up because of Him or fall down because of Him. Every man is either for Him or against Him.
  11. But the amazing thing is not that Jesus divides mankind. The amazing thing is that He didn’t just leave us as a united mankind on its way to eternal punishment. But He came and He died in order that we might escape this judgment. Amazingly He loved us even when we hated Him. And He came to die for our sins.
 B. God’s people smell like Jesus.
  1. God has anointed His people with the fragrant ointment of the Spirit of Christ. And so, God’s children have the aroma of Jesus. That’s what Paul’s saying here. 
  2. But not everyone is a fan of that smell. Those who are attracted to Christ (i.e. those who have been given by the Spirit a ‘taste’ for Him) find it to be a pleasing fragrance of life. But to those who find Christ repulsive, our aroma is similarly repulsive. 
  3. To those who are being saved, that means we smell like life. But to those who are perishing, we smell like death. 
  4. “Everywhere” (v.14) we go we carry with us the sweet scent of Jesus Christ.
  5. But it isn’t just other people who smell the scent of Christ upon His people.
   a.  "We are the aroma of Christ to God." 
   b. This "sweet aroma" of Christ borne by believers also rises up as a pleasant fragrance to God! 
   c. We have all experienced taking in to our nostrils such a lovely fragrance that suddenly we are completely distracted from what we are doing and drawn to the source of this luscious aroma. Well, this gives us an idea of what it is like for the Lord when He smells from heaven the splendid fragrance of His beloved Son upon us.
   d. Most of the smells which arise up to our Father’s nostrils from the earth are foul. 
   e. But what a blessing it is to Him, what a breath of fresh air it is to Him, what a fragrant aroma it is to Him when He smells Christ upon His beloved people. For Christ is the One who produces every truly pleasing fragrance to God:  “...Christ loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2)
   f. And in particular, how pleasing to the Father is the sacrifice of the Son. It is for us like a deodorizer that takes away the stench of our sins and replaces it with the most wonderful scent ever smelled. So that now when God smells those who are in Christ, He no longer smells our sin, but only the lovely fragrance of His beloved Son. Isn’t that wonderful? 
  6. And so Paul asks, “Who is adequate to bear this precious aroma?” (v.16b). None of us are. 
   a. And yet God has chosen to for this Treasure to reside in earthen vessels (4:7a), to let His power shine through our weakness so that it will be clear that it comes not from us but from God (4:7b). 
   b. It is not the smell of us — that would stink. It is Christ who “through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 
 C. In spite of God’s delight in us, the world thinks we stink. 
  1. Jesus Himself said, "If the world hates you, you know it has hated Me before it hated you...If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also." (Jn.15:18-20)
  2. So why does the world hate Jesus? He answers the question Himself in John 7:7: "It hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil." 
  3. The same answer is found in Jn.3:19-20: “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, & men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, & doesn’t come to the Light for fear his deeds will be exposed.”
  4. And this is basically the same thing Paul says here in 2Cor.2:16 when he says that to those who are perishing we are an aroma of death.
  5. This is why Christians smell like death to those who are running from the Light. Christians remind them of their impending, eternal death, which they dread and don’t want to think about. So, they often lash out and attack those who remind them of it.
  6. Now the fact is that this isn’t the only reason non-Christians think that Christians stink. Sometimes it’s because of our arrogance or self-righteousness or hypocrisy.  But even if we are perfectly Christ-like, we will still bear the stench of death to those who are fleeing from Christ. 
  7. How sad it is that men flee from their Creator, from the One who offers them life and hope and forgiveness. And how sad it is that men despise the very people who can offer them hope. 
  8. It’s hard to be found disgusting.
   a. It’s especially hard when our own loved ones are repulsed by the fragrance of Christ.  
   b. And that brings temptations.
   c. You see, we are susceptible to feedback. And to an extent, that is good. But it can also be bad. 
   d. Sometimes people react to us with disgust. And it’s tempting to adapt ourselves on account of that feedback when they might be reacting that way because they smell Jesus on us. 
   e. Instead of changing when they react this way, we should remember the words of Jesus,“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11–12
   f. This is why you can’t base who you are on how others react. You can only strive to be like Jesus.
 D. There are counterfeit Christian leaders around.
  1. 2:17 “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”
  2. As one bearing the aroma of Christ, Paul contrasts himself with those who use the gospel as a way of gaining wealth and power. He mentions them often in this letter. He says they adulterate the word of God (2Cor.4:2), they preach another Jesus and a different gospel (2Cor.11:4). They are motivated by lust for material gain (in contrast with Paul who had refused any monetary support from the Corinthians). 
  3. This verse reminds us that there are many who preach not for the glory of Christ but for their own advantage. Those not mindful of this can easily fall prey to these wolves in shepherds’ clothing. 
  4. Speaking in the name of God gives a person a lot of power, power that can be used to take advantage of others. God’s people must beware.
  5. Of course, you can take this too far. This verse also reminds us that there are those who preach from sincerity, whose preaching is "as commissioned by God," who speak "in Christ," and who conduct themselves "in the sight of God."
  6. It is wise to be careful: there are many phonies on the loose. Satan often uses counterfeits to trip us up (see 2Cor.11:13-15). But we must also be careful not to punish the sincere because of our experience with or our fear of phonies. Instead, we need to praise God that He raises up men of sincerity, who don’t adulterate the word of God, but work hard to proclaim it accurately & soundly.