The Fragrance of Our Lives

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of Course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? (Romans 6:1 NLT)

Has it ever occurred to you that your life in Christ has an aroma, a scent of purity, holiness, gentleness, and wholesomeness that doesn’t originate with you, but from Him? And if the “scent” of His presence doesn’t exist, what might that indicate?

Many years ago my wife and I, our two children, ages 3 and about 8 months, and my in-laws decided to go to lunch after church one Sunday. The restaurant was crowded and it seemed a long time before we got served, but when the meals finally came, as we prepared to pray, I looked across the long table and at the end opposite me sat our 8 month old boy in his highchair, jaws puffed out, face red as a beat, and diaper full to the brim. The odor suggested he might need immediate attention, and the enjoyment of our meal would be postponed.

Did we reprimand him? Punish him for the awful thing he did? Of course not, so why do I bring it up? Because filling your diaper when you’re 8 months old is perfectly normal and acceptable but if an adult has a similar accident, it can be cause for serious alarm and immediate medical attention.

Similarly, if a new believer in Christ commits a sin, often in ignorance because they simply don’t know better, it doesn’t create an environment of God’s anger or a need for punishment, only correction; however, if a child of God of many months, even years, continues in habitual sin, that creates a major problem. Why? Because John writes in 1 John 2:1: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin.”

The use of the word in the original language carries with it the idea of “continuing in the same sin – sinning habitually!” Why is that a problem? Because sin separates us from God! How can we build communion and intimacy with our heavenly Father if we choose sin over Him? Foul odors are for those who aren’t clean, not only in appearance, but language, attitude, demeanor, countenance, and openness to others. That’s for spiritual “children”, not adults! We can laugh it off or do something about the serious issue.

So, what are we to do if our sinful behavior is continuing? According to 1 John 1:9: “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Did you catch that? “…to cleanse us from all wickedness.” We want to treat our sin as if it’s no big deal, but it IS a big deal to God. It’s the wickedness that nailed His sinless Son to the Cross. To believe we can say a prayer of confession and go on living in sin is to misunderstand the will and purposes of God.

The only way we are useful to God is if we’re holy and that can’t occur except by the presence and power of His Holy Spirit who will not live in an unclean vessel. How do I know that? Because Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:16: “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” And please don’t misunderstand, holiness isn’t human perfection, that’s impossible, holiness means being willing to submit to the Lordship of Jesus and allow Him to live His life out through us. That can only be accomplished by our willingness to learn to consistently say “yes” to Him and “no” to sin in whatever form it rears its ugly head.

But don’t we have to sin “more or less every day?” That nonsense is not found in the Bible and simply is not true. Sin is a willful transgression against a clear directive of God and as an adult believer we can choose to not sin. But how? By learning to love God more than we love our sin!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊