The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 4 August 2022 – The Aroma Of The Gospel Of Christ
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TOPIC: The Aroma Of The Gospel Of Christ
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (NKJV)
- Now thanks [be] to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
- For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
- To the one [we are] the aroma of death [leading] to death, and to the other the aroma of life [leading] to life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?
- For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
THE MESSAGE:
In today’s passage, Paul likened himself and everyone who preaches the gospel of Christ as an ‘aroma.’ The Greek word for ‘aroma’ /osman/ refers to a smell given off which affects those who come in contact with it. The preaching of the word of God is the aroma that is emanating from Christians. It is a sweet-smelling aroma to those who favourably respond to the preaching of the gospel, and to those who reject, a smell of destruction (verse 15).
Paul used his knowledge of the Romans to explain the two outcomes of the aroma. When the Romans returned triumphantly from battle, they would burn the incense of victory to their gods. Some of their captives were set free, while others were executed. The fragrance of their incense, therefore, meant life to some and death to others. Though, the aroma of the Gospel of Christ is meant to give life but anyone who rejects it is already condemned (verse 16; John. 3:18). Christians are the vessels through which God propagates the aroma of the Gospel of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).
Our lives ought to reveal Christ to others. We should also be mindful not to preach the Gospel of Christ for material gains as some do, rather we should see it as a commission from God (verse 17).
PRAYER: Help me O Lord, that my life may possess the aroma of Your word, so that my life may be a pleasing aroma to the world for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
