Spiritual Sense of Taste
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town.
Quotes about spiritual senses from church fathers of the faith in history.
Spiritual palettes to develop your spiritual sense of taste.

1. Savor some historic experiences and writings.
• Augustine: Distinguished between “outer sense” (bodily) and “inner sense” (the soul’s perception of truth, beauty, and divine illumination).
O God, what do I love in loving you? Not the sweet melody of harmony and song; not the fragrance of flowers, perfumes, and spices; not manna or honey; not limbs such as the body delights to embrace. It is not these that I love when I love my God. And yet, when I love Him, it is true that I love a light of a certain kind, a voice, a perfume, a food, an embrace that I love when I love my God. It is the light, the voice, the perfume, the embrace of the inner man in me, where there shines in my soul a light that is not bound by space; where melodies are heard that time does not drive away; where it breathes fragrance that is not scattered by the wind; where one tastes a food that is never consumed by the eating; where one clings to an embrace from which it is not severed by fulfillment of desire. This is what I love when I love my God. (St. Augustine, Confessions) — St. Augustine, Confessions

• Origen continues:
Christ becomes the object of each sense of the soul. He calls himself the true light, to enlighten the eyes of the soul; the Word, to be heard; the bread of life, to be tasted; he is also called oil of anointing and nard because the soul is delighted by the perfume of the Logos. He became the Word made flesh, tangible, substantial, so that the inner man would be able to grasp the Word of life…the eye, if it reaches the contemplation of the glory of the Word, the glory of the only Son coming from the Father, will not want to see anything else; and the ear will not want to hear anything but the Word of life that saves; and he whose hand has touched the Word of life will not want to touch anything fragile and perishable; and he whose taste has savored the Word of life, his flesh and the bread come down from heaven, will thereafter be incapable of tasting anything else. (Origen, In Canticum Canticorum)

2. Taste greater dimensions of God’s goodness
Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him And delivers them.
Psa 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psa 34:9 Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
Psa 34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing

3. Taste a change in direction.
It follows therefore, that if we taste and see the Lord is good, His goodness will also lead us repentance.
4. Align your taste with nutrition that causes growth.
1Pe 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
1Pe 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
1Pe 2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

5. Taste the powers of the world to come and relish the power responsibly.
Taste His power to transform secures us but also makes us responsible
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
Heb 6:6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Tasted G1089 geuomai Thayer Definition:
to taste, to try the flavour of
i.e. perceive the flavour of, partake of, enjoy
to feel, make trial of, experience
to take food, eat, to take nourishment, eat
Part of Speech: verb

6. Jesus tasted death so that we can taste life
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
Rev_2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
Gen 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Pro 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
Wisdom
Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

Application: Develop a taste for God’s word and allow it to realign your spiritual appetites to change and grow. Repent of wrong tastes and ask for deliverance in prayer, so that we can taste and see that the Lord is good. Testify of His goodness to share the taste of the life with your circles of influence.