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The Aroma of Christ
(2Co2:12-17)
God is the God of revelation.
He reveals Himself according to His will, and
He reveals Himself according to His ways.
Faith is receiving Him as such and having an experience, and
The life of this faith is giving off the aroma of Christ.
All living things have their distinct scent.
In general, people do not like unpleasant odor, decaying odor,
While they like fragrance, fresh scent, thus even adding it to food, cosmetics etc.
According to the Bible, the good scent is life while the bad scent is death.
After Adam sinned and he was banished from the Garden,
The Garden was shut down (Ge3:4-6, 24) because
God despises sin, the odor of death.
One event in history illustrated this and it was the deluge in the time of Noah.
While countless animals and humans had died and the entire earth was filled with a terrible stench,
Noah gave a burnt offering of clean animals and birds.
The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said to never curse the land again (Ge8:20-22).
God showed the way to approach Him
For man with the odor of sin and death ” in the tabernacle (Ex25:8) where
There were two types of aromas:
1) In the courtyard ” the altar of burnt sacrifice ” animal was burned ” sin and death consumed (Ex29:15-18; Lev4:24-31);
2) In the sanctuary ” the altar of incense ” the smoke of incense of spices and blood filled the Most Holy Place (Ex30:1-10).
There were regulations and breaking them was sin (Ex30:1-10; Nu16:6):
1) It was to be executed by the high priest;
2) It was to be given before the golden altar of incense, with the golden censer of incense;
3) Unauthorized incense was forbidden;
4) It was to be given throughout generations; and
5) They were to make atonement on its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering.
Jesus appeared and said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give His life as the perfect burnt offering, the eternally pleasing aroma to the Father, for
He is the incarnate Word in whom was life (Jn1:1, 4, 14).
As such, the devil and demons sensed a distinct scent from Jesus (Mt4:3; Mk1:24),
While men hated Him and eliminated Him brutally (Jn15:20).
Nevertheless, as He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Gave His life, His blood as the aroma of life, eternally pleasing to the Father (Jn10:17-18; He10:5-9);
2) Condemned the origin of sin, the devil, to be burned up in hell forever (Ge3;4; Mt25:41; Rev20:14); and
3) With His body became a burnt offering to burn up the sin and death of all men (He10:11-14).
The Father raised Him to life, and
He revealed the true form of life (Jn11:25).
The Holy Spirit whom He sent
Comes to those who received His blood and
Lets them gives off the aroma of Christ:
To the believer it is an admirable aroma from life to life,
Though to the unbeliever it is a detestable odor from death to death (2Co2:14-17).
The man filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph5:18-20) is he who
Always praises and gives thanks,
Has no foul odor in his life,
Only speaks the word he received from God even in the midst of persecution (2Co2:17), and
Fills up the heavenly sanctuary with the smoke of incense of his prayer (Rev8:3-4) for
He longs to be taken up there when the Lord returns.
O Lord,
Even if we are mistreated without a cause and hated without a reason,
Let us only give off the aroma of Christ.
Even if people despise and reject us like the skunk,
Let this aroma from life to life be spread! Amen.