July 25, 1995
According to a recent article in “Health Watch,” smell has more influence on our lives than taste. For instance, the odor of vanilla reduces anxiety. According to one experiment involving three thousand people, the scents of banana, green apple and peppermint together encourage weight loss, up to 5 pounds a month.
People who lose their sense of smell also experience depression or anxiety. Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of smell and taste research in Chicago says often smell is craved, not food. Perhaps that is why those smells produce a weight loss; smell alone satisfied those three thousand people in the experiment.
If people are truly more interested in “smelling” than eating, that could explain why people do not like Christians “shoving religion” down their throats. I will explain. . . .
The metaphor is this: in the Bible, prayers and obedient lives are called “pleasing odors” to God and the “sweet smell” of Christ to others. Being forced to ingest or accept a doctrine or theological viewpoint without really wanting it is like being force-fed. Seeing someone live it out is far more pleasing. Thus, “smelling” is better than “eating.”
The metaphor holds true from the opposite perspective too. If someone is spiritually hungry and fortunate enough to observe a pleasing Christian lifestyle, their hunger will be satisfied, but only for a short time and only in a minimal way. The “sweet smell” of another person’s life cannot replace spiritual food to satisfy a deep and genuine spiritual hunger. Those who are hungry need to “taste and see” for themselves or they may perish.
Jesus called Himself “the Bread of Life who came down from heaven” and claimed, “He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
People who heard him were confused. Before they could understand the metaphor, they had to accept that He came from heaven. This they were not willing to do. To them, He was merely the son of Joseph, the carpenter, so He responded to their confusion with, “Stop grumbling among yourselves . . . Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only He has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever.”
As Jesus explained that his flesh was the bread, which He would give for the life of the world, the Jews began to argue even more. They thought He was cramming an unwanted theology down their throats. Although He had lived a sinless, “sweet smelling” life before them and although He had told them this “Bread” would save their lives for eternity, they were not interested in either eating or smelling.
The Apostles experienced the same response: “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”
Some cannot imagine anyone enjoying life in submission to Christ; to them, Christians “smell” like death. They assume whatever we offer is poison. Others see the aroma of Christ and to them, the Christian life is pleasing, like fresh baked apple pie. That sweet smell draws them to the Source and eventually to “taste and see that the Lord is good” for themselves.
Showing posts with label smell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smell. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Monday, January 26, 2015
A Sweet Smell ................. Parables 227
(July 25, 1990)
What thoughts come with the smell of warm apple pie... the difficulty of losing ten pounds?... Grandma’s house?... Cheddar cheese and melting ice cream?... Or harvest time and a crew of men around the table?
Odors evoke memories. Some publishers even put them in “scratch and sniff” stories to make scenes more alive for young readers. For example, one child’s book I’ve read has berry pie, pepper, chocolate and automobile exhaust fumes hidden in the ink.
Children are not the only ones treated to scented ink. At least one major food chain uses it in their flyers. It is subtle, fades quickly, but reminds potential customers of how good food tastes and hopefully draws them into the store.
The Bible talks about the allure of a sweet scent too. It is not a splash of cologne or aftershave but a heavenly fragrance, the aroma of Christ. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Thanks be to God who... through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life...” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
The origin of this metaphor is found back to the Old Testament where sacrifices for sin were burned on an altar: “And you shall burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to the LORD.” Exodus 29:18
Figuratively speaking, the smell of the sacrifice rose to the nostrils of God and gave evidence that a sinner had made the necessary offering, in faith, for the forgiveness his sin. That offering was a shadow of a future offering that would be made by a Savior.
When Jesus came, He became the final and perfect sacrifice. As He died on the cross, His offering rose as a sweet smell to God, setting sinners free from the death penalty. Now, according to the New Testament, those who believe in Christ are bearers of that sweet smell.
Notice that 2 Corinthians 2 says “we are to God the aroma of Christ;” that is, our new life is first for God, for His delight because it gave Him great pleasure to provide it.
Secondly, this aroma “is among those who are being saved... the fragrance of life.” Our Christlikeness is also for the pleasure of those who are Christians. To one another, it is a reminder of the perfect sacrifice of Christ and attracts us to the Savior. It is He who gives each one His sweet fragrance.
Lastly, it is “the smell of death... for those who are perishing.” Perhaps the Bible means that those who do not believe in Christ see His death as defeat. To them, the gospel is nothing but a morbid message. Maybe they think Christians are mere fools, bearing not an attracting odor of life but one that repels. To those who don’t believe, Christians may also be an unwanted reminder of an uncertain eternity.
Just what is this aroma? Is it the niceness of a committed Christian? The loveliness of Jesus? Perhaps; but since this word is used in context with sacrifice, I believe it is the message of the Cross lived out in the lives of those who believe in Him. Because Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, we die to sin, put our past behind us, and live in newness of life. The death of the old nature demonstrated in practical obedience smells good to God, just as our new life in Christ also pleases Him.
I know -- not all Christians smell right. Sometimes that God-given odor can be masked with the stench of sin. But when confess our sins and take a wash in His Word, He restores the sweet aroma, then uses it to bring the memory of Him to the hearts of those around us.
What thoughts come with the smell of warm apple pie... the difficulty of losing ten pounds?... Grandma’s house?... Cheddar cheese and melting ice cream?... Or harvest time and a crew of men around the table?
Odors evoke memories. Some publishers even put them in “scratch and sniff” stories to make scenes more alive for young readers. For example, one child’s book I’ve read has berry pie, pepper, chocolate and automobile exhaust fumes hidden in the ink.
Children are not the only ones treated to scented ink. At least one major food chain uses it in their flyers. It is subtle, fades quickly, but reminds potential customers of how good food tastes and hopefully draws them into the store.
The Bible talks about the allure of a sweet scent too. It is not a splash of cologne or aftershave but a heavenly fragrance, the aroma of Christ. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Thanks be to God who... through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life...” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
The origin of this metaphor is found back to the Old Testament where sacrifices for sin were burned on an altar: “And you shall burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire to the LORD.” Exodus 29:18
Figuratively speaking, the smell of the sacrifice rose to the nostrils of God and gave evidence that a sinner had made the necessary offering, in faith, for the forgiveness his sin. That offering was a shadow of a future offering that would be made by a Savior.
When Jesus came, He became the final and perfect sacrifice. As He died on the cross, His offering rose as a sweet smell to God, setting sinners free from the death penalty. Now, according to the New Testament, those who believe in Christ are bearers of that sweet smell.
Notice that 2 Corinthians 2 says “we are to God the aroma of Christ;” that is, our new life is first for God, for His delight because it gave Him great pleasure to provide it.
Secondly, this aroma “is among those who are being saved... the fragrance of life.” Our Christlikeness is also for the pleasure of those who are Christians. To one another, it is a reminder of the perfect sacrifice of Christ and attracts us to the Savior. It is He who gives each one His sweet fragrance.
Lastly, it is “the smell of death... for those who are perishing.” Perhaps the Bible means that those who do not believe in Christ see His death as defeat. To them, the gospel is nothing but a morbid message. Maybe they think Christians are mere fools, bearing not an attracting odor of life but one that repels. To those who don’t believe, Christians may also be an unwanted reminder of an uncertain eternity.
Just what is this aroma? Is it the niceness of a committed Christian? The loveliness of Jesus? Perhaps; but since this word is used in context with sacrifice, I believe it is the message of the Cross lived out in the lives of those who believe in Him. Because Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, we die to sin, put our past behind us, and live in newness of life. The death of the old nature demonstrated in practical obedience smells good to God, just as our new life in Christ also pleases Him.
I know -- not all Christians smell right. Sometimes that God-given odor can be masked with the stench of sin. But when confess our sins and take a wash in His Word, He restores the sweet aroma, then uses it to bring the memory of Him to the hearts of those around us.
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