Knowing the Sweet Smell of God's Knowledge

GREEK WORD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION: γνώσις (gnosis)

PRONUNCIATION:  GNOW-sis

STRONG’S CONCORDANCE #: 1108

MEANING: knowledge

ENGLISH WORDS DERIVED FROM: gnostic

HOW TRANSLATED IN KJV AND/OR ESV:  knowledge

# OF TIMES USED IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT: 29

VERSES IN THE BIBLE WHERE GREEK WORD USED:

2 Corinthians 2:14

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge (γνώσις) of Him everywhere."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: 

What exactly IS “knowledge”?  Folks would differ in defining, but the reality in to “have knowledge” means “to know something”…yes, it is that simple.  But, just “knowing” something is not enough.  Paul talks about the “fragrance of the knowledge of Him”, with the “Him” being Christ. 

The sweet aroma of the Triumph arose from the incense-filled censers carried by the priests in the parade and from the garlands of flowers that were thrown into the streets. The fragrance speaks of influence; Paul's point is that God, in wonderful condescending grace and mercy, manifests through believers the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place. He uses human preachers to give off the sweet aroma of the gospel, to influence people with the saving knowledge of Christ. To the Romans Paul wrote, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things'!" (Romans 10:14-15).

It is not that believers deserve such a high privilege of being influences for the eternal gospel. Paul was keenly aware of his unworthiness for such service to God. In 1 Corinthians 15:9 he wrote, "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." To the Ephesians he added, "I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:7-8). As previously noted, he expressed to Timothy his wonder that Christ chose him, a persecutor of the church, to preach the gospel.

   

In the Triumph, the emperor seated on his great throne at the capitol smelled the fragrant aroma of the incense when it reached him at the end of the parade. Paul likens the preacher's ministry to a fragrance of Christ to God. Although a preacher proclaims the gospel to men, it is in reality God who is his audience. His faithful gospel ministry causes the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ to be manifest to people, but the fragrance of that gospel ministry ascends to the very throne of God.

Pleasing God was the consuming passion of Paul's heart. Later in this epistle he wrote, "Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him" (5:9). In Galatians 1:10 he asked pointedly, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." He admonished the Ephesians to try "to learn what is pleasing to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10) and the Colossians to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects" (Colossians 1:10). Paul declared to the Thessalonians, "Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts" (1 Thessalonians 2:4) and exhorted them, "Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more" (1 Thessalonians 4:1). What matters is not the preacher's popularity or the size of his church. It is that he pleases God by his faithful proclamation of the gospel.

While it always pleased God, the fragrance of Christ from Paul's preaching had a twofold effect on the people who heard it. To those who are being saved, the fragrance of apostolic preaching was an aroma from life to life. These are the elect and redeemed people of God, who are headed for full and final glorification. On the other hand, the same message was to those who are perishing—those unbelieving sinners destined for eternal damnation—an aroma from death to death. In the Roman Triumph, both the victors, who were to be honored, and the vanquished, who were to be executed, smelled the aroma from the priests' censers. To the former, it symbolized their victory; to the latter, their impending deaths.

CHALLENGE FOR THE DAY:

What victories are you experiencing today?  Are you smelling the fragrance of His knowledge through constant victories?  Thanks God today for those victories of the past and ask Him for strength to have yet more victories in the future. 

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Father, to have your knowledge would be so awesome, yet I realize that is impossible.  But I am grateful today that I can at least know you personally.  And with that knowledge Father is the knowledge of your victory on my behalf.  I thank you Father that despite my failure, you have already won the victory for me.  I thank you that through Christ I can be victorious.  Please help today to remember that your strength is sufficient for me.  Cause me each and every moment today to call on you for you to show yourself real and mighty.  Thank you that I can indeed enjoy triumph and victory this side of glory.  May your grace sustain me this day.  In Jesus’ victorious name.  Amen.