What is your scent?

There's a student at Christian Challenge that I can always detect before she enters a room and after she leaves. She has this scent, a pleasant and fragrant aroma, that announces her presence. This morning after smelling her visit to Christian Challenge, I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 2:14-17:

"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?  You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us."

In view of this passage I couldn't help but ponder how I smell.  Am I a scent of life or death?  Do I even have a smell?  Are people able to smell the outworking power of the Holy Spirit in my life?  I sometimes forget the truth of verse 14 is this, "I was once a slave and captive to sin.  Now I am a captive of Christ.  My life is not my own because it belongs to Jesus.  Moreover, the purpose of my life is to bring glory to Jesus!."

The image that Paul is using in this passage is one of a great Roman general entering a city after returning home from a conquest.  It's a lot like that scene in "Gladiator" when Commodus (the bad guy) comes back to Rome after murdering Marcus Aurelius, his father. The whole city is in celebration and there is a gigantic procession with Commodus at the head of all the slaves/captives and other spoils of the wars in Gaul trailing behind.  The purpose was to magnify Commodus the new emperor.

In the same way Jesus Christ is the great general and returning emperor.  He conquered sin and death freeing the people who used to be under that heavy yoke.  Now Jesus, is at the head of a procession of all the saints, Jesus is the one who is magnified.  All who are saved are to proclaim the glory of Jesus Christ.  

Scent of Life or Death

In the passage Paul says that the captives are like the scent of death to the perishing and the scent of life to those being saved.  Think of it this way.  If you lived back in Ancient Rome and you weren't a Roman citizen but a subjugated enemy of Rome.  If you were to see a bunch of captives from another conquest being paraded around you'd be afraid.  You would think, "This sucks!  We're never going to be free from the power of Rome.  Look!  Here's more people that have been brought under the authority of Rome."  You would feel defeated and conquered.  On the other hand, if you were a citizen of Rome, if you were to see this same procession, you would feel pretty confident in your ruler and His power.  You would feel safe and secure, you'd probably also have reason to celebrate.  After all, the empire you belong to top dog, ain't no one gonna take ya down.  

Now take that image and transfer it over to spiritual life.  Those who are still enemies with God, the ones that have rejected God's gift of grace and do not recognize the authority of God over their lives are the subjugated enemies of Rome.  See the problem with our world today is that people have such short vision.  We see the things right in front of us and can't see the things behind the immediate.  The truth is that in the end Christ wins and whether you accept His authority or not doesn't matter, because He is ruler of all.  So when captives of Christ are put on display proclaiming the glory of Jesus, it's a terrifying sight, a reminder to all the enemies of God that, "Man! We are defeated and we won't ever escape the authority and power of Jesus."  

However, to all friends of God, all the ones who have accepted God's gift of grace and have now become adopted sons and daughters of the King, the captives of Christ become a reminder of abundant life found in Christ Jesus.  

Closing

So the question is, "Are you a fragrant reminder of abundant life found in Jesus Christ? Do you live your life in a way that shows you recognize the authority of Jesus over all creation foreshadowing His imminent return?"  I know I'm challenged by that passage and image.  And all it took was a little whiff of some Bath and Body Works body spray!  At least I'm pretty sure that's what she wears :)