The Smell of the Gospel

When Roman soldiers won a dramatic victory, they were sometimes permitted a special celebration called a triumph. This was a sort of military parade in which the soldiers would march into Rome, rejoicing in their victory while leading their captives in humiliation.

One thing that some have pointed out is that a triumph had a particular smell. There was a scent to the parade. Perfumes and flowers would be lavishly put to use in order to make the triumph an experience of sight, sound, and smell.

That fact needs to be in our minds as we see the passage below where Paul talks about God leading his followers in triumph.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 – 14 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. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

God leads us in triumph. He marches us through the world. We are his captives and his honored children. We are his slaves and his family. We are both rejoicing in victory and the ones who have surrendered our lives to his cause.

And there is a smell. The scent of a triumph goes with us as we march. But the question is, how will it be received? To some, the scent of salvation by grace through faith in Christ is glorious. To some that scent is like the finest perfumes or most lavish flowers. It is a good smell of life. It is the smell of freedom and forgiveness.

To others, however, the smell of the gospel is distasteful. To those whose hearts have not been made alive in Christ, the concept of the gospel is ugly. The idea of surrender to God is pure humiliation. To some it is loathsome to be called to bow, to worship, and to yield our lives to the will of the Lord.

So, consider how the gospel smells to you. Do you smell life? Do you smell death? Do you love the idea of being welcomed into the family of God and becoming part of his holy nation? Or, does the whole concept turn your stomach? In truth, you will eventually be on one side or another. You will eventually move to love or hate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I would tell you, as one in the ranks of those being marched through this world in Christ, that it is far better to be forgiven by Christ than to be opposed to him. There is life in Christ. There is mercy from God in Christ. But against him, there is a terrifying future. Bow to Jesus and follow him in life. Surrender to the Savior, as he will have mercy on all who believe in him and who come under his lordship.