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‘Ever thought of yourself as carrying an aroma of death?” Paul did:
“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.” (2 Cor. 2:16, NLT).
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Ambassadors of Christ smell like death to those who are perishing. Please note that we are not talking here about the elect of God who have not yet received it, but the lost and perishing.
This is a very important point that we are prone to missing in the modern Church. We need to understand that if we try to perfume ourselves so much that those who perish find our “aroma” pleasing and sweet, we strive in vain.
It should not shock us that death is what they smell on us. It is not a pleasing smell, not at all. And yet, those who are chosen for salvation from before the foundation of the world will find the aroma of believers and of the Church to be sweet, an odor that brings life.
Jesus Himself carried the odor of life and of death – in fact, He often spoke judgment outright. Just ask the Pharisees and teachers of the law how jesus smelled to them. Yet Jesus is also the Way Out of the wrathful judgment of God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He not only speaks judgment and will bring judgment which in turn brings death, but He offers grace in the form of complete rebirth into righteousness and salvation which we can neither earn nor achieve.
Jesus’ Apostles and their descendants, ambassadors of Christ, have carried the same aroma of life and death. Some of their hearers have chosen to live, and some to perish. Some smelled life, and others death.
“But it’s not nice to speak of death, or of judgment and wrath!”
Nice? God is always good, but not always nice. Neither was Jesus; nor was the Apostle Paul always “nice.” For that matter, life in the body of Christ, though always good, is far from perfect - it is sometimes ugly and painful. It is not always “nice.” Ask any pastor.
Ask millions of Christians who have been mistreated and martyred throughout history. Ask Peter and the rest of the martyred Apostles. Ask millions of saints who have passed “naturally” yet painfully out of this life with their minds and hearts fastened on the one in whom all possible hope resides. To some, these saints smell like death; to others, life.
The aroma of death is to one a stench of fear, futility and hopelessness. To another, it is the sweet smell of healing, hope and resurrection.
For His elect, God always and ultimately heals, saves, resurrects and restores. Our ancestors in Christ knew it - that’s why so many went triumphantly and even joyfully to the posts, stakes, ropes, racks, crosses, sea, animal pits, arenas and chopping blocks. They knew the worst possible fate was to be without hope of salvation, and they knew their living hope far transcended the concerns of this brief, mortal life. Precious to the Lord is the death of His saints.
The smell of their deaths was to the saints the smell of glorious victory and life eternal; but to their persecutors and to all who would persist in unbelief, the same smell was bitter and hopeless.
Consider Philippians 4:4-8: “Rejoice in the Lord always …The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. …And the God of peace will be with you.” As they were led to their deaths, the martyrs knew this very presence and peace. With this in mind, we might gain a deeper sense of meaning from the following passage (Romans 12:1):
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Paul had already tasted persecution, and there is a sense in his writings that all hell was about to break loose. Paul strived to prepare the Corinthians and Roman believers to hold up in faith under grave and terrible circumstances. Just for a moment, compare Paul’s teaching with the so-called “prosperity” and “entitlement” teaching which crawls all over modern airwaves and pulpits. They are certainly not the same teachings, not by any means.
Paul instructed the Christians in Thessalonica to persevere, warning them that Jesus may not return next week or next month (2nd Thess.) The Apostle Peter also prepared believers to endure hardship and persecution - just read his letters (especially 1st Peter – see for example 1st Peter 4:12-16). Peter urged perseverance in the face of mounting persecution, and he encouraged the believers to follow Christ’s example in suffering.
We know also that Peter and Paul were under no illusions about their own fates, since Jesus had revealed the cross to one (John 21:19), and “all he must suffer” to the other (Acts 9:16). We might hear the tempter asking with a hiss: Would God really allow His chosen ones, His saints, to be tortured and murdered by unbelieving pagans? Paul and Peter both knew He could, and He would. That is why Phil. 4:4-8 (quoted above) goes so much deeper in meaning than we might ordinarily imagine.
The word of testimony of the martyrs resulted in many turning to Christ, as the Holy Spirit caused some to perceive an odor of life and sweetness coming from the persecuted of Christ. If you would like to read of a martyr whose aroma was sweet indeed, read the following short story of Polycarp (c. 70 – 155 AD), beloved Bishop of Smyrna (near Ephesus) and direct disciple of the Apostle John:
“(Polycarp’s) martyrdom stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Christians during this period, and members of the early church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian -- a member of a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord". If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar's statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded, ‘Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’ Steadfast in his stand for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, and thus, was burned alive at the stake.” - From www.polycarp.net
Not all Christian suffering leads to martyrdom. However, all Christian living involves sacrifice and at least some suffering.
We simply live in a fallen world, in the grips of an enemy who hates everything about Christ, especially those who belong to Him. Naming Christ is no light, casual thing - no mere flip of the hand with no one looking around. It’s not our best life now, and it does not consist of reading Left Behind novels. It’s not complaining about prayer being taken out of public schools, or that a nativity scene is disallowed in the public square. It is not about politics or tea parties, or being a Republican, or ranting about how we must “return to being a Christian nation.” It is not spinning around in our tight, private, isolated, self-absorbed, American orbits and ignoring brothers and sisters enduring real persecution and martyrdom. http://www.persecution.com/
Because of what Christ has done for us, we can hold fast to a sure hope of glorious resurrection in which we will be raised incorruptible. What a beautiful aroma! When He returns, Jesus will bring the sweetness of eternal life and peace to all those who are being saved, and the terrible stench of death and justice to those who will perish.
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