I don't often go super-spiritual on my blog, because I don't believe in shoving my faith down anyone's throat, and I respect that my readers represent a wide variety of religious denominations. But I think you all know who I am and what I stand for by now, so I'm going to pose an interesting question and would LOVE your feedback! :)
Do you think sin stinks? As in, literally? As in, it has an aroma?
I'm starting to wonder.
Years ago, I realized that when I walked past certain stores in the mall that sold mostly crude or "bad" stuff, they all smelled the same. Spencer's Gifts. Hot Topic, etc. I've been in them before, mostly because while they carried nasty stuff they also carried cute stuff like Hello Kitty notebooks, etc. But I've since learned to stay away and you can only avert your eyes in there for so long.
Well, the other day in Barnes & Noble, when I walked past the secular YA racks, where nearly every cover promoted teen sex or vampires or magic or cult-like themes...there it was. Same aroma. Completely different store.
I know this is sort of odd, but I don't think its a coincidence. After all, the Bible is clear there are unseen battles raging around us every day, everywhere - the battle between angels and demons, good and evil. I believe the Bible. I believe that battle is real and daily. What if it has an aroma?
I'm not one to speculate wild myths or theories, or promote sensationalism. I don't believe Christians should investigate the depths of spiritual warfare, or research too heavily into demonic or cult-ridden religions in an effort to understand them or fight them. I have strong feelings about that, and they're backed up by my trusted church pastor. So please don't think I'm going there. Just curious if I'm the only one whose ever smelled this?
What do you think?
4 comments:
I totally know what you're talking about! I heard (and believe) that just like our bodies have senses, so does our spirit - meaning we can hear God, "feel" His touch, talk to Him, etc. I've felt this smell around places, like you said, and even people - like this girl in college who claimed to be the best Christian ever AND the most sexual person ever (like, she loved to showcase her knowledge of God/the Bible while wearing nothing and bragging about her sensuality/making dirty jokes about everything in between). Confusing, right - to this day I honestly think she has mental problems, though she was pretty smart. But man, she STUNK!! :) I thought so even before she opened her mouth, so I totally get you!
I just realized I must have sounded so judgmental in my previous comment - what I meant is that, just like we're supposed to have the sweet aroma of Christ, we can also become a little stinky if we don't keep ourselves clean in Him... Not saying I always smell wonderful, but that's the goal! :)
Sin does stink! We can't stand up as believers in Christ if we rub shoulders with it. We need to stay far, far away from the filthyness of sin. We shouldn't be reading anything on the occult or dabble in trying to understand it! We should run, run, run away from all ungodliness. I can't believe my relatives on FB who quote scriptures, talk about God in a good way, but yet live like there is no HELL. What comes out of their mouths does not add up to the way they live. People! We can't ride the fence! Now is the time to stand up and be heard! We will not tolerate the stench of Sin!
There's a repeating theme I've noticed in the Bible (I am a new Christian, admittedly brought to this state reluctantly but glad I am here). Being DEAD in sin. I've been a longtime practitioner of Eastern practices, and the whole theme of meditation and other occult practices is basically the practice of spiritual death. Why someone would want to die spiritually is quite beyond me now, seeing as how I've been to that horrible place... but anyway, there is most definitely a stench involved. All five senses of mine were exposed to it at one point, as if the very fabric of the material world were a rotten corpse. At one point, I could not eat or be near anyone because they looked and smelled like walking death, and so did I. It was terrible. I apologize for the disturbing imagery, but as I've come full circle and now reside in the trust and care of Christ as Redeemer, I have a deep sense of appreciation for what being "dead in sin" actually means, coming from a spiritual philosophy of moral ambiguity. Sin is not just a moral quality, but an innate and inherited state of the soul. Like a rotten apple, the world may look fresh and clean on the outside, but at its core lies the very incarnation of Death Itself. It is a very serious matter, and the average practicing Christian, while their intentions are the best of their kind, can be very misled because of their lack of understanding of the meaning of "being DEAD in sin."
Death does not smell good. Consider Death to be the underlying condition of all material existence, and you will come to appreciate the immensity of the predicament.
Can the dead resurrect themselves out of the labyrinth of decay? No. Which is why Christ is SUCH a crucial Person. As the eternal embodiment of God the Son, and renewer of all, Christ liberates us from the consequences of Original Sin... that being of the Deception of Satan. Knowledge of Good and Evil was also the knowledge of, and possession by DEATH ITSELF, who is Satan... the fallen Angel, who chose to eternally die and devour those he deceived in his death rather than be obedient to God's simple discipline of Love.
Satan being the lord of this world due to man's fall, it shall be assumed that more pleasure and blessings of this world than not are inspired not by God, but by Satan.
WARNING:
Biblical Truth may be detrimental to your traditional worldview.
It is not for the faint of Heart.
Don't worry too much, though. We are forgiven in our sins by our faith in Christ as Lord.
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