The Smell of Autumn Mornings

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” ~2 Corinthians 2:14-16

There’s something distinct about the smell of autumn mornings. Spring mornings are humid and noisy, with bugs waking and birds singing, and they smell of flowers, new leaves, and early rain. Autumn mornings are crisp and hushed, and they have an earthy aroma, like freshly raked leaves rather than freshly mown grass. As you read this, you are either relishing the early sunsets that signal winter’s approach or longing for the lengthening days and warming air that promise summer.

Isn’t it funny how the same smells and seasons can draw such different responses, even from people who agree on nearly everything else? Scripture speaks of the gospel and the public witness of God’s people in much the same language. Of course, preferring autumn to spring is a matter of taste. Paul’s point is far weightier.

Paul borrows the picture of a military triumph. When a conquering general returned to his home city, glad crowds covered the streets in flower petals, and incense burned along the route. To the victors, the aroma was the smell of triumph, but to the prisoners being marched away in defeat, that same smell spoke of death. Same aroma, opposite response. That, Paul says, is what we are in the world: to some “a fragrance from death to death,” and to others “a fragrance from life to life” (v. 16).

Notice that the aroma itself doesn’t change. It is Christ, and the difference lies in the heart of those who encounter Him, just as the word of the cross “is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). That frees us from two errors. We needn’t water down the gospel to make it smell sweet to everyone, because it never will. And we needn’t despair when some recoil, because some always will.

But take heart: noses can change. Paul himself once smelled death in the gospel. Scripture tells us he was still “breathing threats and murder” against the church when Christ met him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5). By grace, he became one of its most fragrant carriers. So we keep spreading the fragrance, because a heart that recoils today may be drawn tomorrow.

Still, Paul asks the question we’re all asking: “Who is sufficient for these things?” (v. 16). Not us. Look back at verse 14. God leads, and God spreads the fragrance through us. That’s why Paul says, “Thanks be to God.” And notice that we are the aroma of Christ to God, whatever the response. Christ gave Himself as “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:2), and those united to Him are pleasing to the Father for His sake.

So go into your week, Christian, and spread the aroma of Christ wherever He sends you. Don’t be anxious over how every nose receives you. You get to carry the fragrance of Christ, and whether you prefer the smells of spring or autumn, He is the aroma of victory for all who are united to Him.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor