A colleague approached me in front of some coworkers and asked, “So what’s your attitude, as a Christian, to euthanasia?” Everyone stopped their conversation and all eyes were on me. I spent 20 minutes not in debate, but trying to share the aroma of Christ with those who didn’t know Him: His love, compassion, unchanging character, and absolute righteousness. As I shared about Jesus and His love, I prayed that my coworkers would get a whiff of the character of God—not the erudite arguments of a theologian.
Paul starts out his second letter to the church in Corinth with a number of exhortations, including: We are called to smell of Jesus wherever we go, not merely among other believers (2 Corinthians 2:15). It’s so easy to sound and look spiritual—to say Christian things using spiritual words on a Sunday morning; but when a nonbeliever, maybe an anarchist (like my work colleague), asks for a real answer to a hot topic, is our reply permeated with the beautiful aroma of Christ? If not, do we fudge the issue or launch into a fiery debate?
The apostle encouraged the early church to be so full of Jesus’ love that He couldn’t be hidden. The aroma of Christ would go before them, pervading all their conversations and lingering behind long after His chosen vessel had left their company. When we speak to other believers, it builds their faith and brings more life; to those who reject the gospel and sneer, it makes their spiritual death even more obvious as they willingly reject the Savior (2 Corinthians 2:16).
What a marvelous image and a challenging lesson for us! In all circumstances and in all conversations, may we “with sincerity and with Christ’s authority” reveal His fragrance (2 Corinthians 2:17).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Peter 2:1-25
More:
Read 2 Corinthians 13:5 and consider how examining your walk with Jesus can help you emit a more Christlike fragrance.
Next:
What are some marks of a person who possesses a Christlike scent? How will you spread the fragrance of Jesus in your sphere of influence today?
Tim Gustafson on December 22, 2015 at 6:32 am
Thanks for tackling this topic, Russell. It’s so hard for me not to skirt around the issue or get angry. But choosing either of those options does no favors to anyone — least of all Christ. The hard work is to take the time to engage people in love and respect.
Gary Shultz on December 22, 2015 at 7:37 am
I never viewed you as a man of fragrance; however, your point is well spoken. We just had a conversation in Sunday Bible Study about someone who displayed a nativity scene with zombies instead of the regular characters. There was a great amount of stir and indignation about someone doing that. Finally one gentleman said, he wondered if anyone spoke love to him, if anyone kindly asked him the reason of this statement? As Tim says that does not come easy. Well, I have to go wash up so I smell a little better. Thank you, may Christmas fill your home with it’s sweet fragrance.
Tim Gustafson on December 22, 2015 at 8:33 am
Gary, you made me laugh out loud, and then your observation provoked anger in me. Not directed at you, mind you. First, the laugh: Having met Russell (we live on separate continents, so that’s not easy), I can tell you he is not a man of fragrance in the traditional sense. 🙂 Then the anger over the disrespect of a holy moment by creating a zombie nativity. How might we turn this to a way to be the fragrance of life, not death?
sandy229 on December 22, 2015 at 8:25 pm
I heard about the zombie nativity, it was all over the news….we usually don’t watch TV, so when we do, that’s all ppl were talking about? really? I wish ppl were that interested in hearing the story of the real baby Jesus. I really thought that was disrespectful.
Mike Wittmer on December 22, 2015 at 9:14 am
This is so good, Russell. I think that when we are asked a hard question about abortion, sex, or euthanasia, our first response should be to weep. If the questioner realizes that we are broken by the brokenness of our world, they may be willing to trust us when we share God’s prescription.
russell fralick on December 22, 2015 at 11:29 am
You have a good point there Mike. We need to express a real compassion, and an openness with people. This honesty, I find, often gives us the opportunity and the credibility to express sometimes difficult truths to people. I find more and more people have become jaded with pat answers and generalities that skirt the issue. They want to hear what Christians actually believe, and why they believe it. The big problem is, frankly, that many Christians do not know why they believe stuff; it’s just what they have been told. And yet scripture tells us to always be ready to give a defence of our faith (1 Peter 3:15). Being real with our compassion enables us to be real with the truth, I find.