Fall or Spring
I just turned on the heater in my office for the first time this fall. Last week, I was preaching in Arkansas enjoying temperatures in the 80’s and today in Indiana we will be lucky to hit 60 degrees. It feels unwelcomingly chilly.
Yet, about six months ago 60 degrees felt like a heat wave after a winter of cold. My pale face smiled at the thought of the warmer temperatures of spring. So, why is a high of sixty degrees in early fall so much different from a high of 60 in early spring? The temperature is the same, but the difference is me!
The apostle Paul used a similar illustration in 2 Corinthians 2 with reference to the gospel. “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life” (2:14-16).
Paul compares the gospel to a fragrance or smell. To the saved, the fragrance of the gospel is quite refreshing. Yet, to those who reject God the scent of the same gospel is like a rotting corpse. Why? Why would people view the gospel in completely opposite ways? Why do some welcome it while others reject it? It has nothing to do with the gospel, but the individual.
Some individuals “love the world.” They enjoy pursuing their own pleasures and are short-sighted in their pursuits. If anyone was to bring them the gospel and demand they change to follow an Almighty God they would view it as a killjoy and threat to their humanistic lifestyle.
However, others realize the temporal nature of this world. They know physical death is around the corner for all men. Further, an eternal God rules the world and will judge each individual (Hebrews 9:27-28). For this reason, the gospel appeals to those who look beyond the grave. It demands we live for more than the “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life” because “the world is passing away” (1 John 2:15-17). It shows us a welcoming Savior who has conquered death and offers hope after our last heartbeat (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).
Which of these describes you? Is hearing the gospel like the first biting winds of winter? Or, is God’s forgiveness like the early warm sunlight of spring? Your reaction says much about your worldview.
Think about it.
October 2009