15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
Double odor. We ‘smell’ differently to different people. Our Jesus-acts are received as grace by other believers. They mark us a part of the wonderful family. But those same acts stink to the non-believer. They might smell like arrogance or self-righteousness. Those acts of kindness might be labeled as stupidity or old fashioned or out of date. Since we live in a culture at values dog-eat-dog, when we bind the wounds of a wounded dog, we are labeled intolerant. Take as an example our stance as a culture on abused women. There are twice as many animal shelters in the United States as there are shelters for battered women. That surely makes a statement about our values as a culture. The pet is more important than the pet owner! And I certainly won’t mention the percentage of abortion providers that are located in demographically poor neighborhoods. So if we as Jesus-followers stand for the rights of these women and unborn children, the culture says that we are intolerant. We want to stand up and have the voice of reason heard, but we are drowned out by the culture. It doesn’t help when some on this side speak in ways that are contrary to the message of Jesus. We can’t accomplish righteous ends through unrighteous means. But on a personal level, our actions must match our message. If we are losing it with family and friends, what does that say about the depth of infiltration of the message? When people see us vomiting our unrighteousness on others, the whitewash becomes evident. But Paul is speaking about the pure message of the Gospel. The Good News that sins can be forgiven sounds great to those who want forgiveness. But to those who don’t want to be reminded of their sin, the message becomes, SINS can be forgiven. The focus is on the sin. And all sin stinks, even when it is our own. Jesus-followers are reminders of both the grace that brings forgiveness AND of sin and the need for forgiveness. The first smells so sweet; the second smells so offensive. That is the reality. Let’s work to make only the Gospel smell, not our poor representation of it.
The Arnold Journey 