Ready to Offend

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, ¹⁶ to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷ For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.  

2 Corinthians 2:14-17

My wife is kind of a perfectionist. In some things she has a certain way she wants it done, and, through 38 years together, I’ve pretty much learned how to roll with it. Still, there are the occasional missteps where I’ll do something to annoy her. Most married people know the drill.

But again – 38 years. We’ve survived the worst of them (both the missteps and the years). She’s learned by now that I’m not gonna get it right every time, and I’ve learned that I don’t always have to, so we’ve managed.

God, on the other hand…well, he’s a perfectionist too. But in a different way. He hasn’t stumbled upon something that needed a little work, then cleaned it up only to have some oaf like me wrecking it again. He created everything, and it ended up “very good.” A regular garden of glorious beauty. A place where its inhabitants’ every need was met, and where he walked with them in the cool of the day.

And yet, our first parents decided not to take God at his word, but rather, to seek their own way of wisdom and life. “Ah, so here is some fruit. Sure, he said ‘don’t eat it,’ but maybe there’s something to what this serpent is telling me. Maybe God doesn’t want me to be master of my own destiny. Maybe he just wants me to stay ignorant.”

We know how that ended. The truth was, he wanted what was best for them and all of us – himself, along with an eternal lifetime of love and peace in a beautiful garden. One would think, given the choice, the garden deal would be a slam-dunk.

But here we are. Living in a messed up world on borrowed time. Condemned to a veneer of conflict and strife lain over a lifetime of thinking “hey, this isn’t so bad.” But it is. I don’t want to pour a bucket of cold water over anyone’s notions, but ultimately, there’s payment to be made. At the end of that lifetime there’s a point of decision, not made by us, but by God. He must decide whether we are guilty or not, and he must mete out the sentence he has promised. To those who have lived the perfect life, then life eternal with him. And to those who have strayed from that perfection and gone their own way, eternal condemnation. Here’s the bad news: none of us has lived the perfect life.

Hey, this isn’t me talking. This is God himself. He’s warned us: “The wages of sin is death…” But he gives us the good news too: “…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And this is why I quoted 2 Corinthians at the beginning of this piece. Because some people might hear these words and say “what a beautiful aroma,” turn from their sins to receive the free gift of God in Jesus, and be saved. And yet others – far too many others – will believe it’s just a bunch of hogwash. A stench. Offensive. Disgusting.

There is nothing to be done for that, but still, I’m reminded of what Peter wrote: “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” What I say may be offensive, but I still must say it (as gently and respectfully as I can). The bottom line of it is this: “Receive God’s gift of life, offered freely in Christ Jesus, or spend an eternity separated from his love in hell.”

Again, it is not me who is saying this, it is God. It is not for me to decide, it is for him. And yet I must be ready to offend, that some may hear that message, turn, and be saved; and this not through my efforts, but simply by my being the instrument God uses to speak those words.