The Stench of the Gospel
In a previous article, we
showed how Christians can be viewed as troublemakers. In this one, we’ll see
how some view the gospel as unpleasant to the ears.
When I first became a
Christian, naturally, I tried to share the gospel with others, especially my
co-workers. I remember one incident in which a group of them were sitting at a
break table and one of the older members was telling a story. She said,
something to the effect, of a deceased relative was sitting at the foot of her
bed and smiling.
After she finished, I tried
to tell her it that it wasn’t true, citing scripture. At that very moment, the
entire table cleared as they weren’t interested in what I had to say. It was as
if the words, coming out of my mouth, carried a foul odor; a stench, if you
will.
Sweet Smell or Foul Odor
The congregation was still
divided primarily over Paul’s apostleship. There were some who didn’t recognize
him as a true apostle but more as a “preacher for hire”. That’s why he didn’t
take money from them to do the work but, rather, received from others. He used
the phrase, “I robbed other churches…” (2 Cor. 11:8).
His words would be both an
sweet-smelling aroma to those who believed the gospel, and a foul odor to those
who rejected the message. It’s almost like a paradox that one message can
create both results.
They prefer the Darkness
Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that
the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) Those who don’t
want to hear the truth prefer to live their lives in a worldly manner; the
light of the gospel would shine on their wickedness and show people who they
really are. Therefore, they can’t stand when someone quotes scripture to them
as it has a foul stench to their ears.
That why Paul wrote, And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11) Those of
the world prefer the darkness and, to them, the gospel is wrong. They know it’s
the truth, but they don’t want to be told that. They’d rather wallow in their
daily lives of unrighteous behavior than to have someone upset their “balance of
normalcy”.
Conclusion
If you abide in Christ (Jn.
8:31-32), it is a pleasant odor to God and it should be a sweet-smelling aroma
to you. However, if you reject His Word (Lk. 10:16) it will be a horrible
stench to God and to you. Even rejecting one little part of the gospel can
become a stench to you. Embrace all of God’s word!
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