God’s perfume

The Old Testament uses word pictures to describe how it will be when Jesus Christ comes and the Holy Spirit changes everything. One of His blessings is giving His people a love for good and a hatred for evil, resulting in great joy. It also makes God’s people smell good . . .

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad . . .” (Psalm 45:6–8)

In the New Testament, when Holy Spirit anointed God’s people His ‘fragrance’ was immediately evident in them. In the beginning, He changed their speech, their sense of His presence, and their power to bless others:

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

“But he (Stephen), full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55)

“While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God . . .” (Acts 10:44–46)

Today, some Christians stop there and believe that the fragrance of the Holy Spirit or the evidence of His presence includes only speaking in tongues and boldly declaring the Word of God. Many will include miracles and healings as proof of Him in their lives. This is one extreme view.

Others counter this view. While those changes can happen, they can be artificial. For instance, some cults speak in tongues. This suggests that those ‘signs’ can be imitated, much like Pharaoh’s magicians copied several of the signs done by Moses. Those who suspect signs and wonders say they were that NT time only to convince people that Jesus changed lives, but these signs do not happen today. If they do, they are not genuine. This is the other extreme but what about many instances of miraculous healing, or genuine believers speaking boldly, even speaking in tongues?

For me, whatever anyone thinks about these NT ‘fragrances’ we can agree on another list of sweet smelling results of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Efforts to fake them are unsuccessful for this ‘perfume’ belongs only to the Spirit of God . . .

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22–26)

Fake perfumes have an undernote that gives them away. So does a false imitation of spiritual fruit. It will have an odor of pride, feistiness, and jealousy and other evidences of resistance to God and of interference to the power and anointing of His Spirit.

Lord Jesus, You cannot be imitated. I’ve known people who tried, who even fooled some. However, the real deal is never copied or faked because there is no one like You. Besides, when You are given first place in our lives, we don’t have to make an effort to smell good — it just happens!