The aroma of Christ

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. II Corinthians 2: 14 – 16

The wonderful thing about a pleasing aroma is that though you cannot see it, you can smell it which is such a wonderful thing. Aroma here of course is speaking about being an influence or witness for Christ because we bring the pleasing aroma or presence of Christ wherever we go. We may not be able to see our influence but it is there affecting those we come into contact with.

I am always amazed when people start talking to me about my being a Christian when I have not said a word to them about my faith. Have you walked into a crowded room and known immediately that some other people are Christians? It is the aroma of Christ that they carry. However if people can smell Jesus on us how we behave will be a powerful testimony or a real turn off. Non Christians can smell hypocrisy as well as the aroma of Christ so we must be careful that our testimony is truthful and real.

There is the story of a pastor who regularly travelled on a bus and one day the driver gave him too much change. The pastor pointed this out and returned the extra money to which the bus driver said, ‘I knew you were a pastor and I wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. Now I know you are honest I’m coming to your church on Sunday’. Joyce Meyer also talks about going to a restaurant with a party of friends and getting awful service from a young waitress culminating in her spilling something in Joyce Meyer’s lap. Full of nervous anxiety, the waitress apologised which Joyce graciously accepted and she explained that she was new in the job and knew who Joyce was and therefore was very nervous about serving her which was why the service was so bad. Joyce said she was very glad she had not been impatient or rude and demanding as that would have been a terrible witness.

People often know we are Christians because we carry the aroma of Christ in us so it is important we behave with the highest levels of integrity and honesty in the workplace, school, supermarket, home, restaurant wherever. Let the fragrance of Christ in us be a pleasing aroma to everyone around us so we bring the life of Christ wherever we go.