The Sweet Aroma of Christ – EGP Blog post from September 22, 2013

(NASB) “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life…”

Paul also said in (NASB), “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

We are pleasing God by being like children who love their Dad so much, they spray on His cologne and walk around, as He gives the “triumphal procession” of “this is My child!” The “cologne” is Christ’s righteousness, love, and sacrifice, by which we have become God’s children.

However, other people will find our “spiritual scent” pleasant or putrid, depending on their eternal stance (, ), because Christ is Truth and therefore exudes a fragrance that shows them the truth about their eternal destination.

To the lost, we are the stench of their mortality not only here, but on into the second death (). This is likely one of the big motivators behind persecution. To the saved we are the pleasing fragrance of the new birth in Christ into the eternal life with God (). This is what helps bind us together through the power of the Holy Spirit during tough times and persecution.

In the end, when you draw close to God and be more like Him, some will want to “be like Daddy” too, but others will choose to harden. But, I think the lesson here is that we are to represent God well in order to please Him, regardless of what others think.