神聞你:是臭味還是香味？
嗅覺是神賜予我們的偉大禮物。有了它，我們可以聞到是否有燃火?水果何時成熟或腐爛?媽媽正在做什麼樣的晚餐?或尿布需要更換嗎? 你知道神的嗅覺也很敏銳嗎？如同我們的生活方式也可被描述為是一種香氣（神所喜悅的）或某種臭味（神所不喜悅的）。
第一次提到神的嗅覺是在祂 "聞到諾亞獻祭的馨香之氣 "時（創世記8:18-22）。神用洪水淹沒了世界，消滅了除了挪亞一家和每對動物之外的所有生物。當地乾涸後，諾亞從方舟中出來，為耶和華築了一座壇，並將一些潔淨的動物獻為燔祭。經文繼續告訴我們，“耶和華聞那馨香之氣”，並應允再也不用洪水毀滅地和各種活物。像挪亞一樣，當我們因神的施恩憐憫讚美祂時，我們是在向神獻上馨香之氣。
在出埃及記和利未記中，摩西對各種獻祭條例做了指示，從有意和無意的罪、團體和個人的罪、強制性和自願獻的祭，到祭司和會幕的按立和祝聖。聖經再次告訴我們，獻祭的香氣是耶和華所喜悅的（出埃及記 29:18、25、41；利未記 1:9、13、17、2:2、9）。對於我們這些活在十字架這邊的人來說，相當於我們承認我們的罪，基督赦免並將我們的罪洗淨時，悔改的香氣即達至神。
此外，新約聖經還提到了基督徒可以做的其他三件事，也會發出令神喜悅的香氣。第一是禱告。在啟示錄中，使徒約翰記載了神在天上寶座的一個異象（啟示錄第5章）。約翰和其他人都在哭泣，因為無人能打開那用七印密封的書卷。這時，一位長老叫約翰不要哭，並安慰他說，猶大的獅子（也就是耶穌），被殺的羔羊，是配得展開這書卷。經文告訴我們，當耶穌拿起書卷時，二十四位長老每人都拿著豎琴俯伏在羔羊面前，他們 “拿著盛滿了香的金爐，這香就是眾聖徒的祈禱。(啟 5:8)” 聖徒是耶穌用他的血買來的，成為祭司的國度，事奉神。當我們禱告時，我們的禱告像香煙升起，成為主所喜悅的香氣。
我們的見證是神喜悅的第二種香氣。在哥林多後書第二章中，使徒保羅使用勝利凱旋遊行的將軍，進入城市展示他征服的戰利品為意象。他感謝神，“常率領我們在基督裡誇勝，並藉著我們在各處顯揚那因認識基督而有的香氣。因為我們在 神面前，無論在得救的人身上或滅亡的人身上，都有基督馨香之氣。 在這等人，就作了死的香氣叫他死；在那等人，就作了活的香氣叫他活。（14-16 節）”
基督徒的見證對基督來說是一種芬芳，儘管對迫害我們的人來說是一種死亡的氣味。後者指的是有可能他們為基督的信仰成為殉道者，早期教會許多人都因為他們的見證而經歷此情況。因此，當我們以見證人的身份生活或積極地分享福音時，我們就會散發出討神喜悅的香氣。
最後，在保羅寫給以弗所教會的信中，最後一次提到香氣：我們要效法基督犧牲的愛，當作“馨香的供物和祭物獻與神”（以弗所書 5:2）。我們當如何彼此相愛，而這香氣是神所悅納的。有可能在接受我們犧牲之愛的人 ，也會聞到這馨香之氣。因此，當我們一起敬拜、事奉和見證主時，請記住，這些都是主所喜悅的香氣。
How Do You Smell to God: Odor or Aroma?
The sense of smell is a great gift from God. With it we can tell if there is a fire, when a fruit is ripe (or rotten), what mom is cooking for dinner, or whether a diaper needs changing. Did you know that God also has a great sense of smell? That how we live our lives can be described as being either an aroma (pleasing to God) or an odor (not pleasing to God)?
The first mention of God's sense of smell appears when He "smelled the pleasing aroma" of Noah's sacrifices (Genesis 8:18-22). God had flooded the world to wipe out every living creature save Noah's family and the pairs of each animal. When the earth dried up, Noah exited from the ark, built an altar to the Lord, and sacrificed some of the clean animals as burnt offerings. The text goes on to tell us that "The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma" of the sacrifices and vowed to never destroy the earth again with a flood. Like Noah, when we praise God for His mercy, we are offering up something that is a pleasing aroma to God.
In Exodus and Leviticus, Moses gives instructions on the various sacrifices ranging from intentional and unintentional sins, corporate and personal sins, mandatory and voluntary offerings, to the ordination and consecration of the priest(s) and Tabernacle. Again, the Bible tells us that the aroma of the sacrifices was pleasing to the Lord (Exodus 29:18, 25, 41; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17, 2:2, 9). For us who live on this side of the Cross, the equivalent would be the confession of our sins as Christ forgives us and washes us clean. The aroma of repentance is a pleasing aroma to God.
In addition, the New Testament mentions three other activities Christians can do that create a pleasing aroma to God. The first is prayer. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John records a vision of God's throne in Heaven (Revelation 5). John and the others are weeping because no one was able to open the scroll that was sealed with seven seals. Then one of the elders instructs John to stop weeping and comforts him with the news that the Lion of Judah (a.k.a. Jesus), the Lamb that was slain, is worthy to open the scroll. The text tells us that when Jesus takes the scroll, the twenty-four elders each with a harp bow down before the Lamb and that they were "holding bowls full of incense, which are the prayer of the saints. (v.8)" The saints whose Jesus purchased with his blood to be a kingdom of priests to serve God. When we pray, our prayers rise like incense as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
Our witness is the second aroma that pleases God. In 2 Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul uses the imagery of a triumphal procession of a victorious general who enters the city parading his conquered spoils of war. He thanks God "who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. (vv.14-15)." Our Christian witness is a fragrance to Christ even though it is an odor of death to those persecuting us. The latter points to the possibility of becoming a martyr for their faith in Christ which many of the early church experienced for their witness. So when we live as witnesses or actively share the gospel, we are lifting up an aroma pleasing to God.
Finally, the last mention of an aroma is found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians: we are to imitate Christ's sacrificial love as a "fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2). How we love each other is a pleasing aroma to God. Chances are, the recipients of our sacrificial love will also smell its fragrance, too.
So as we worship, serve, and share the Lord together, remember that these are an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
-Pastor Philip Gee
