So I was reading this morning in 2 Corinthians 2 and I came across this passage:
14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
Now I have been following the buzz about the new atheists, Richard Dawkins new book, and all that. And I have been distressed by the positive attention that these folks are getting. They speak so venomously against faith and christians, and the natural response would be to fire right back at them.
But when I came across this passage it just reminded me that while we love and serve and do what he has called us to do, we will be the aroma of life to many. But still there are those who look at us and are so repulsed by I don’t know what, and to them we will be the scent of death. It’s crazy, but it’s not our death. We shouldn’t get into the fire fight with these people because no matter what they say they will still hate us. But we can love them. We can live the life that just doesn’t make sense to them. And maybe the smell of death would be their awareness of their sin and their need for the life that only Christ can give.
I don’t know if this helps anyone but it helped me to think through this.
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