2 Corinthians 2:15-16 

15 For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things?

A good smelling aroma is symbolic of righteousness by being born again [having faith in Jesus], doing God’s will [spreading the Gospel], and living a life according to God’s Word.

Imagine a homeless man who hasn’t showered for months. Now, he came across a good amount of money from a generous person. The homeless man wanted to eat at his favorite restaurant that he used to go to before he became destitute. 

He got some clean clothes but there were no showers available in his immediate area. He thought to himself if I purchase a bottle of cologne from the dealer in the corner, I can put it on and no one can smell me and tell the difference. 

Before the homeless man sat down, his odor that had a rotten smell to it, mixed with the pleasant smelling aroma of the cologne permeated the whole dining room where people were beginning to gag. 

That’s a picture of what it looks like to the Lord Jesus Christ when a person rejects Him and wants to be righteous by his own merit. 

A person’s sin cannot be hidden from the Lord, just like a foul smell cannot be masked.