The Aroma of Christ

Read: 2 Corinthians 2:14–16

14 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?

Smells are hard to hide.
You know what I am talking about.
We have all done it.
Some of us still think it is funny.

Paul is using this word picture of Christians as the “aroma of Christ” to help us understand that we are carrying a hard-to-hide message with us. Belief in the truth that Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead should permeate the air around us as we cannot help but speak about what we have seen and heard.

Sadly, I am not always carrying a fragrance that aligns with the message and mission of God. I give off bitterness, jealousy, greed, and arrogance. I am short-tempered, slow to listen, serving self and not others. I choose laughs over lifting others up. I talk sports multitudes more than I talk spiritual truths.

You are giving off an aroma!
What is that aroma?

Reflect on what your life “smells like” spiritually.
What attitudes, habits, words, or reactions are spreading from your life into others?