In last Thursday’s post, we mentioned the “sweet savour” of preaching and how it points to the beauty of preaching. As a preacher, Paul diffused the sweet smell of salvation in Christ! As God’s preachers today, we are to do the same. But it is interesting that Paul went on to say, “To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life…” (2 Corinthians 2:16). In this statement, he refers to the two different groups he mentioned in verse 15—the saved and those who are perishing.

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul said, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). For one group it points the way they are following to salvation. To the other, it points out that they are lost. These refuse to believe the message, they become offended at it and end up rejecting the life that it sought to bring them.

Is it not strange that the same message has opposite effects on different people? Some hear and gladly receive it. Others hear and openly despise it. Then again, the same sun melts butter but hardens clay. The Gospel can either make people better or bitter. Whether one’s hearers accept and obey or ignore and disobey lies, not in the words spoken but in the heart of the hearer.

For the preacher, the reactions of the two groups point out both the sacredness and solemnity of his work. It is sacred in that it brings joy and life to those who are willing to hear and believe. It is solemn in that it reveals the sorrow and dread that awaits those who reject it. We rejoice with those who listen and weep for those who stop their ears. But, no matter the reaction, we must keep spreading the sweet smell of Christ!