The Captives Who Conquered: How God Parades You as the Sweet Smell of Victory
Imagine the scene: Thunderous cheers echo through the streets of ancient Rome. A conquering general rides in a golden chariot, crowned with laurel. Behind him march defeated kings in chains, their faces etched with humiliation. Spoils of war gleam in the sun. And rising above it all—thick clouds of burning incense, sweet spices filling the air.
To the victors, that fragrance meant triumph—life, glory, celebration.
But to the chained prisoners marching toward execution? The same scent screamed doom and death.
Now hear Paul drop this atomic bomb in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV):
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.”
Stop. Breathe that in.
Paul doesn’t say we’re the conquering generals. No—we’re the captives. Surrendered. Chained to Christ. Yet in His victory parade over sin, death, and Satan, God Himself marches us through the world… and uses ordinary, broken you and me to diffuse the fragrance of knowing Him everywhere.
And get this: To God the Father, this scent rising from our lives is always, eternally pleasing—the sweet aroma of His Son’s perfect sacrifice and victory. Just like the Old Testament offerings that were a “soothing aroma” to the Lord.
But to the world? One fragrance, two responses.
To those being saved, we smell like life—drawing them to the Savior.
To those perishing, the same gospel fragrance is a reminder of judgment, a scent of death. (Not because we’re harsh, but because light exposes darkness.)
This is beyond our natural understanding of worth and beauty in Christ! We feel like failures, weaklings, barely holding on. Yet heaven sees us as the triumphant perfume of the King of Kings. Every prayer, every act of obedience, every quiet stand for truth—God spreads it like incense across nations.
You don’t manufacture this aroma. You don’t have to be eloquent, successful, or Instagram-perfect. Christ in you is the fragrance. Your surrendered life is the censer He swings.
So why do we live smelling like defeat when we’re the aroma of victory?
Church, wake up! The world doesn’t need more self-help gurus or polished performers. It needs captives joyfully marching in Christ’s triumph—lives that release the knowledge of Him like perfume in a stuffy room.
One day soon, the parade ends at the throne. No more mixed responses. Only glory. Until then, let Him lead you in triumph. Let the fragrance spread.
Because you, believer, are the sweet smell of Christ’s conquest to a dying world—and the delight of God Himself.
What a jaw-dropping identity. What unspeakable grace.