What Does It Mean to Be the Aroma of Christ?
Short answer
To be the aroma of Christ means that the knowledge of Christ spreads through the lives and words of believers, as 2 Corinthians 2:14 describes. Paul calls believers a sweet savour of Christ unto God, and says the same fragrance is the savour of life unto life to some and the savour of death unto death to others (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). The believer's part is sincere speech and love before God, and the believer is not responsible for how every person responds.
The aroma of Christ is the knowledge of Christ spreading through the lives and words of believers, as 2 Corinthians 2:14 describes. The King James Version uses the word savour, and the picture draws on Old Testament offerings described as a sweet savour. At Find A Prayer, we publish scripture-backed prayers for specific moments, so we read this passage with ordinary daily life in view. Verse 14 names the fragrance as the savour of his knowledge, made manifest by us in every place.
The fragrance is the knowledge of Christ, and it becomes visible through people who carry it into everyday settings. Verse 16 ends with a question, who is sufficient for these things, and verse 17 begins to answer it. This page follows the passage in order, then turns to the practical question of living it out.
Aroma of Christ Meaning in Plain Terms
The aroma of Christ is the knowledge of Christ made visible through believers. Verse 14 calls it the savour of his knowledge, and says God makes it manifest by us in every place. The phrase every place matters.
The passage speaks of the savour made manifest in every place. Verse 15 adds that believers are a sweet savour of Christ unto God. The fragrance belongs to Christ, and Paul says it is a sweet savour to God.
It also reaches two groups of people: them that are saved, and them that perish. Three points carry the meaning. The fragrance comes from Christ.
It travels through the people who carry his knowledge. Each person receives it differently.
The Verses in Context
The passage runs as one thought across verses 14 to 17. Verse 14 opens with thanks to God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ. Verse 15 names believers as a sweet savour, and verse 16 gives two outcomes. Verse 17 sets sincere speech against those who corrupt the word of God.
Verse 14 uses the word triumph. Some readers connect that word with the picture of a victory procession, and with the fragrance of incense that went with such a procession. The passage itself does not spell out that image, so the connection stays a reading of the word triumph and not a statement of the text. Verse 17 names three settings for the speaking: sincerity, God, and Christ.
Paul writes that he speaks as of sincerity, as of God, in the sight of God, in Christ. Reading the four verses in order keeps the question in verse 16 connected to the answer in verse 17.
Two Responses to One Fragrance
Verse 16 names two results of one fragrance. To the one, believers are the savour of death unto death. To the other, they are the savour of life unto life.
The fragrance is the same in both cases. The same fragrance is received differently. Verse 15 says the sweet savour is found in them that are saved, and in them that perish.
The verses place the same aroma in both groups. They describe the outcomes without explaining why each group responds as it does. The passage gives the outcomes, and it does not supply the cause.
That limit gives a believer a clear boundary. A believer is not responsible for how every person responds to Christ's knowledge carried through life and words. The passage does not make the believer answerable for each listener's response.
The Sweet Savour in the Old Testament and Ephesians 5:2
Exodus 29:18 describes a whole ram burned upon the altar as a burnt offering unto the LORD. It calls the burning a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. The offering is described by its sweet savour to the LORD. Ephesians 5:2 links that language to Christ.
The verse calls believers to walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. In that verse, the sweet savour is the self-giving of Christ. Some readers take 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 and Ephesians 5:2 together. On that reading, the aroma of Christ ties back to sacrificial love.
Paul also uses the same sweet-smell language in Philippians 4:18 for gifts sent to him, calling them an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. So the same picture describes a gift from the Philippians as well as the offering of Christ.
Sincerity and the Question of Sufficiency
Verse 16 ends with a question: who is sufficient for these things? The question refers to the work described in verses 14 to 16, which is spreading the knowledge of Christ to people who receive it as life or as death. Verse 17 starts the answer with sincerity.
The speech is as of sincerity, as of God, in the sight of God, in Christ. The answer places the work before God. A believer can ask God for sincerity, steady love, and patience.
A believer need not manufacture results. A short prayer fits this passage. Ask God to make your words sincere in his sight, and to keep your love steady when people respond in different ways.
Living as Christ's Fragrance Day to Day
Verse 14 says God makes the knowledge of Christ manifest in every place. Living as the aroma of Christ therefore means living and speaking Christ in ordinary places. The passage names no special setting.
Any ordinary place fits the every place of verse 14. Begin with sincerity. Verse 17 places speech before God, so a prayer for sincere words comes before a conversation.
Then walk in love, the pattern Ephesians 5:2 describes in Christ giving himself. Matthew 5:16 uses a different picture, light, and it also ties a visible life to glorifying your Father which is in heaven. Expect that responses will vary, since the passage says the fragrance is received as life by some and as death by others.
Ask for patience when a response is slow. This week, choose one ordinary place where you usually speak or serve. Pray for sincere words and steady love before you go there.
Key Bible verses
- Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. — 2 Corinthians 2:14
- For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? — 2 Corinthians 2:15-16
- For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. — 2 Corinthians 2:17
- And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. — Ephesians 5:2
- And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD. — Exodus 29:18
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean that Christians are the aroma of Christ?
It means the knowledge of Christ spreads through the lives and words of believers, as 2 Corinthians 2:14 says. The fragrance belongs to Christ, and it reaches people through the believers who carry it. The same fragrance is received differently by different people. The believer's part is sincere speech and love.
What is the difference between the savour of death and the savour of life in 2 Corinthians 2:16?
The savour of death unto death and the savour of life unto life describe two outcomes of one fragrance. Verse 16 says believers are the savour of death to one group and the savour of life to the other. Each person receives the fragrance differently, and the passage does not give the reasons for either response.
What does the sweet savour mean in Ephesians 5:2?
In Ephesians 5:2, the sweet savour is the self-giving of Christ, described as an offering and a sacrifice to God. The verse then calls believers to walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us. Some readers connect this with the aroma language of 2 Corinthians 2, which ties the aroma to sacrificial love.
How can I be a fragrance of Christ to other people?
The passage points to sincere speech, and Ephesians 5:2 points to walking in love. Verse 17 describes speaking as of sincerity, as of God, in the sight of God, in Christ. Ephesians 5:2 says to walk in love, and Matthew 5:16 describes a visible life that leads others to glorify your Father in heaven.
Why do some people reject the aroma of Christ?
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 states that the fragrance is the savour of death to some and the savour of life to others, but it does not give the reasons for either response. A believer is not responsible for how every person responds, and can bring that result to God in prayer.
What does 'who is sufficient for these things' mean?
It is the question Paul asks at the end of verse 16, after describing the work of spreading the knowledge of Christ. Verse 17 begins the answer by pointing to sincerity before God and speaking in Christ.