The Fragrance of Christ
Orientation
We often mistake Christian ministry for the transmission of doctrine or the enforcement of rules, which cannot impart life.
- This external, letter-based approach is the 'old covenant' way that 'killeth'.
- It leaves us with a ministry that cannot save, transform, or endure.
- This creates a false burden, trading the Spirit's work for human effort and conformity.
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
— 2 Corinthians 3:6
Clarification
The true New Testament ministry is not about our function or effort, but the Spirit-led impartation of Christ Himself.
- This ministry is described as the 'Fragrance of Christ,' a sweet savour to God.
- It brings 'life unto life' to those being saved, imparting Christ directly.
- It makes believers 'epistles of Christ,' written by the Spirit on hearts of flesh, not stone.
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: (2 Corinthians 2:15)
— 2 Corinthians 2:15
Structure
God's method is a heavenly writing, creating a living testimony that excels in eternal glory.
- The Spirit of the living God writes Christ onto the 'fleshy tables of the heart.'
- This creates living epistles—believers who are God's own expression and Word.
- This glory, produced by the Spirit's ministry, remains forever, surpassing the old covenant.
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3)
— 2 Corinthians 3:3
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core theological assertion is the absolute distinction between two ministries: the ministry of the letter (the old covenant) and the ministry of the Spirit (the new testament). The letter kills; it is the external code that can only expose sin and pronounce death. The Spirit gives life; this is the only ministry that counts before God. This life is the impartation of Christ Himself—He is the Fragrance, the sweet savour. Believers are not improved moral agents but are fundamentally rewritten as epistles of Christ. This is not a metaphor for personal growth but a declaration of a new creation wrought by the Spirit’s writing. The resulting testimony is eternal, a glory that remains. Any framework that reduces Christianity to law, human resolve, or outward conformity embraces the ministry that kills and forfeits the life of God. Paul’s categories are definitive: life versus death, spirit versus letter, enduring glory versus condemnation.
Integration
Your assurance and rest are not in your ability to perform or conform to a letter. They are anchored in Christ, who is imparted to you by the Spirit. You are a living epistle, written by God Himself. This is His work, not your achievement. The fragrance is Christ, not your effort. The writing is by the Spirit, not your will. The eternal glory is His doing, not your earning. There is no pressure to advance or produce this yourself. Christ is your life, your sanctification, your reward. The ministry that gives life operates from this settled reality: you are in Christ, and Christ is in you, by the Spirit. This is your eternal portion, secure and shining.