A Scent That Divides: The Gospel No One Can Ignore

[David]

The Fragrance of Christ in a Dark World is what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 2, which contains a passage with some of the most beautiful, picturesque, and evangelistic language Paul ever wrote. He speaks of the gospel as a fragrance, a life-giving aroma that should accompany the Christian wherever he goes: “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” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Pause and let that sink in for a moment. Wherever you are this very minute, whether at work or at home, at school or online, you are giving off a fragrance. It is a constant, it never changes, it follows you wherever you go, and it is always the same: Christ Himself. But the result is very different according to who receives it. Listen to Paul: “To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

This is why the gospel should be proclaimed with both joy and sobriety. To some, it will be the fragrance of life. They will hear the name of Jesus, and it will be to them the smell of life, hope, grace, and salvation. To others, it will be the stench of death, for it will drive them to fear and despair, for it will reveal their sin and their need of a Saviour, which will make some hostile, even those who claim to be Christians who are really fakes and don’t really know Him. Jesus said, “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

Our fragrance is therefore not just kindness, love, and good deeds; it is the proclamation of Christ. That proclamation will be sweetness to the humble and bitterness to the proud. It will divide, for it lays bare the heart. This is why Paul exclaimed, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). The answer is: none of us, but only God by His grace can make us sufficient for this great task.

This also means that we must not distort or adulterate the fragrance to make it more palatable. Paul continued: “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17). Our calling is not to peddle God’s Word but to speak it plainly, whether men hate it or love it.

The question is, are we spreading the sweet-smelling fragrance of Christ or are we covering it up with the scent of compromise? The Bible says: “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2).

The world today does not need pious mumbo jumbo. It does not need mere words and wishes. It needs to smell the true aroma of Christ through us, truth spoken in sincerity, love practiced in boldness, and a gospel that has not been neutered. Some will reject it, some will receive it. In either case, the fragrance will spread.