What Does It Mean to Be a "Pleasing Aroma of Christ"?
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Have you ever been drawn in by a delightful scent? In 2 Corinthians 2:15 it says:
“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
To God, believers are a “pleasing aroma of Christ.” We bring the good news of Jesus, and we are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). In the world, there are those who are being saved and those who are perishing. As Christians, we walk among both groups of people in life, but not everyone receives the aroma of Christ in the same way.
In verse 16, believers are described as either “an odor of death and demise” to those who are perishing or “a fragrance that brings life” to those who are being saved. Not everyone is going to think that we are a pleasing aroma of Christ, but God’s opinion is greater than mans’. Followers of Jesus are a pleasing aroma to Him and have a purpose in spreading the knowledge of Him wherever they go.
Offerings to God in the Old Testament
Believers from a Jewish background would have been familiar with the Old Testament burnt offerings to God in the Tabernacle. These sacrificial offerings were often described as a “pleasing aroma to the Lord” (Exodus 29:25; Leviticus 1:17; Leviticus 3:5). Furthermore, as part of the grain offerings, incense such as frankincense are added (Leviticus 2:1, 16). The temple would be filled with a lot of pleasing smells as a result of the sacrifices and offerings being made.
Believers in the Corinthian church would have been familiar with the triumphal processions and military parades of the Romans, where incense would be offered up by the victors in the Roman army. If you were on the winning side, the incense would have left a pleasing aroma. However, prisoners of the defeated foes would often be put to death, therefore the incense offered would have been no comfort to them.
The Corinthian church would have been made up of believers from different backgrounds, yet they were part of something greater than anything Rome could boast about. They had the greatest news - the gospel of Jesus Christ - to offer a dying, defeated world. Likewise, we also offer this news amongst those who are presently perishing in their sin, and to encourage those who are being saved by this glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has won the ultimate victory; the battle was won at Calvary.
The Ultimate Sacrifice in the New Testament
The aroma of Christ is ultimately His sacrifice on the cross for sin. Christ’s offering pleased the Father (Isaiah 53:10) and His body was prepared to make this sacrifice (Hebrews 10:5). His atonement for our sin made a way for believers through His death to come before God. Ephesians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” The Lord Jesus provided a fragrant offering and sacrifice that was a once-for-all atonement for the sins of His people.
The burnt offerings of the Old Testament foreshadowed the coming of Jesus who would be the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is the pleasing aroma; He is the sacrifice that takes away sin and He goes before the Father on our behalf as an offering of atonement for us. Jesus is the spotless sacrificial lamb without blemish that the Mosaic law pointed to (Leviticus 4:32; 1 Peter 1:19). Without His blood sacrifice there would be no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22), for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus is the one who washes away our sin completely, to the uttermost; it is the ultimate sacrifice for all time (1 Peter 3:18; Romans 6:10).
A Living Sacrifice
The ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made assures and amazes us. He has fulfilled the requirements of the Old Testament law to the full. The wages of sin is death and Jesus paid the penalty that our sin deserved. What is there left for us to do but to be in humble adoration and continual thankfulness for His tremendous sacrifice on our behalf?
The verse prior to Christians being called a “pleasing aroma of Christ” describes this thankfulness to the Lord. It says, “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” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus leads the way in “triumphal procession;” we are triumphant and victorious in Him because He is triumphant and glorious! Jesus is the One who goes before us and has chosen us to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. It is only because of Jesus that we can please Him at all. It is His sacrifice which pleases the Father. We are instruments chosen by Him to bring the good news to others. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
How can we repay Him? Our debt is paid and there is nothing we can do to win His favor or secure our salvation. All we can do is come to the Father through Jesus the Son and trust in His sacrifice for all time.
However, we can choose to live for Him in a life of service and sacrifice. With the help of the Holy Spirit of God working through us and in us, we can daily offer our life as a sacrifice. As it is written in Romans 12:1, “...in view of God’s mercy… offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.”
We can worship Jesus by offering our bodies and indeed our very lives as a living sacrifice to Him. We can take hold of Jesus as our sacrificial, sinless, spotless sacrifice; He died in our place and now we spread the knowledge of Him everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Spreading the Aroma of Christ Everywhere
As we live a life of worship to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we can share the good news of His death and resurrection everywhere. There are two outcomes upon hearing the gospel. One leads to life and the other leads to death. They are two very different paths. We will be a pleasing aroma to those who are being saved but a stench to those who are perishing.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Eternal life is found in Him alone (1 John 5:11-12). We cannot save anyone - only Jesus saves.
God enables us to share the gospel; He is sufficient, and it is His strength that breaks through in our weakness. We are to be faithful to Jesus and to the gospel, just like the apostle Paul who wrote to the Corinthians. One day, we will be in the presence of God forever. He hears the prayers of believers throughout the centuries that are offered up like incense, pleasing to the Lord (Revelation 5:8).
The Lamb of God is worthy of all of our praise and worship. May our prayers and our lives be a fragrant offering and a pleasing aroma to the One who offered Himself to the uttermost for us.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Leohoho
