The Aroma of God

What is the aroma of God? I guess I had never really thought of it until the other day. I have often heard God's presence described as a sweet spirit or aroma. So, what does that mean for us as Christians? Can you really smell God’s presence, or is it just a sense of Him being there?

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 ESV

15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Let’s think about it in two different ways for a moment.

First - Our Aroma to God

The Fragrance of Our Worship - Fragrance was an intricate part of Old Testament worship. The

Lord gave Moses precise instructions on making perfume for use in the Tabernacle. (See Exodus 30:34-38 and 37:29.) It was never to be duplicated for personal use; it was holy to God. “And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy” (verse 35). Another translation reads, “a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.” We also see fragrance in New Testament worship through the act of love Mary showed toward Jesus. “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment” (John 12:3). Everyone there could smell the fragrance of her extravagant act of worship.

The Fragrance of Our Testimony - Second Corinthians 2:15 compares our lives to a sweet savor (or perfume) unto the Lord. Its fragrance gives testimony to those around us, both saved and unsaved. Like the perfume of Tabernacle worship, our lives need salt, purity, and holiness. Without the compound of these vital ingredients, its perfume does not touch the world for God. This sweet smell cannot be replicated artificially; it results from a Spirit-controlled life.

Second - God’s Aroma to Us

God’s aroma is often described in the modern day as a sweet smell like flowers. Being in God's presence is intoxicating. Even when we have nothing to say, being with Him captivates and satisfies our hearts like nothing this world can offer. The more time we spend in His Presence, the fragrance of His oil is found in our lives. And then, without knowing, we leave traces of that oil on everything we touch, releasing an aroma for others to know Him, too. We have nothing to prove today. Just sit in His Presence, slow down, and linger for a while, even if you have nothing to say.

Let me leave you with this question: What is the aroma of your life? Do you leave God's aroma with the people that you meet or the things that you touch?

Written by Leigh Brackett