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You Smell Like Christ—And That’s a Problem for the World: The Christ-like fragrance isn’t welcome everywhere.

A man stands confidently at the center of a divided crowd, golden smoke rising from his body like a fragrance. On the left, grayscale figures cover their noses, hold protest signs like “Truth Offends” and “Don’t Preach to Me,” and recoil in disgust. On the right, people in full color worship with hands lifted, some kneeling in prayer and a child holding a flower, all drawn toward the man’s presence. The scene visually represents 2 Corinthians 2:15–16—how the gospel is received as life to some and death to others.
Some turn away in offense. Others fall in worship. But the fragrance still rises. “To one, we are a life-giving perfume; to the other, the smell of death…” – 2 Corinthians 2:16

2 Corinthians 2:15–17

“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.”


What does death and doom smell like? It’s probably pretty disgusting. I can’t imagine my words—words of love, of Jesus—coming across that way. But they do.


It’s not that the gospel changes from person to person. It’s that their response does. To the ones who reject it, the message of Christ smells like their impending judgment… their doom. Nasty. Heavy. Frightening.

But to those who are willing to receive the gospel? It’s a beautiful, life-giving aroma. Think fresh flowers. A crisp morning. The kind of scent you stumble upon in nature that makes you stop and breathe deeply. That’s the Christ-like fragrance we carry when we live out the gospel in sincerity and truth.


And yet—even when our lives carry this sweet aroma to God—it doesn’t always land that way with people. That’s the tension we live in. It’s heartbreaking to see someone reject the Lord. To watch them turn away from the freedom and healing we know Jesus offers. But the Lord has already told us what to do in that moment: Keep going.


He reminds us not to carry the rejection on our shoulders. Shake the dust off your feet and move on.


That kind of mindset protects your heart from getting caught in the pain of rejection. Because the truth is—they’re not rejecting you. They’re rejecting Him.


You are simply the messenger. And you are carrying something priceless.

Imagine holding the cure to every disease. No more cancer. No more deformity. No more mental torment. That’s the power of the gospel. And even when people don’t want it— you keep offering it.


Your belief in this cure must be unshakable. You know it works. You know it heals. You’ve seen it change everything.


So stay focused. Stay grounded in the truth. Pour into those who receive it. Build them up. Help them grow in their understanding of the Creator of this cure. That relationship—deep and rooted in truth—is what will carry them through this life and into eternal joy with our Heavenly Father.

Amen.

“You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.” —2 Corinthians 2:17

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