Paul writes that Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us to God as an offering and sacrifice for a sweetsmelling savour.
This harkens back to the repeated description of burnt offerings in the Levitical system as "sweet savours" to God.
The phrase "sweet savour" was meant to convey the fact that God was pleased with the judgment and sacrifice that was made. He was satisfied with the sacrifice, and the sin was forgiven.
Hebrews tells us that those animal sacrifices only pointed toward God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus, whose sacrifice would actually take away our sin!
Thus, Paul is conveying, not only that Christ offered Himself a sin offering for us, but that God is pleased by it - it is a sweet savour to God on our behalf.
God is satisfied with Christ's Sacrifice! That was promised in Isaiah 53, when we are told "yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him!" We are also told that God would "see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied."
By that satisfactory sacrifice of the Savior, many persons were justified, because Jesus bore their iniquities.
But if we are to be conformed to Christ's image, and if we "put on Christ" by faith, then the sweet savour of Jesus rests upon us before God!
He has clothed us in Christ's righteousness and obedience! He has adopted us as younger brethren to Christ. He has filled us with Christ's spirit whereby we cry Abba Father!
Indeed, the "smell" of Jesus is upon His people! Paul says (2 Cor 2:14-15) that we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ!
The sweetness of Christ's sacrifice to God becomes our sweetness before God! At the Lord's Table, we are reminded of that sweetness, and of God's delight in that sweetness!
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John Pittman Hey was born in 1961 in Jackson, Mississippi, to Godly parents who from the beginning raised him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. With child-like faith he came to Christ on his fourth birthday at his mother's knee. He received his education at church...
#13 - Top Played Sermon (48-Hours) on 10/27/2014
