Articles

Salt of the Earth

Written by Myles MacMillan.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (NIV) Matthew 5:13

As followers of Jesus, we are the salt of the earth. So, what is salt good for? Sometimes salt gets a bad reputation in our modern society where everything seems to be laced with it but in ancient times, salt was an incredibly valuable substance. Salt had many uses when Jesus walked the earth and, in a time where no refrigerators were available, one of those uses was as a food preservative. As we know, food goes bad over time when bacteria collect and grow causing it to break down and rot. Salt slows down the bacteria growth and causes the food to last longer without spoiling.

As Christians, Jesus tells us that we are the salt in our society. One important thing to catch is that He doesn’t say that we should be the salt but that we are the salt. This means that we need to see ourselves as the “moral preservative” of our time. God has chosen His Church to be the people who keep the world around us from heading towards decay and rottenness.

As Christians, we need to take this role seriously. Hebrews 1:1-2 says “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”. There was a time in the past that God used prophets to tell people when they were sinning against Him but we are now living in the time when we have the words of Jesus Himself, as recorded in the scriptures, to be our guide between right and wrong, morality and decay. God has offered this better way to live to all people but who will be able to see what it looks like unless someone sets the example? Who will understand how to live according to God’s Word unless someone tells them about it? Unless we are adding saltiness to the world, decay will inevitably take place. Romans 10:13-14 says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

The message is clear, we have been blessed with the responsibility of being the source of the truth to a world that does not know God or His ways (1 Timothy 3:15). So, what are we going to do about it? I believe that a good place to start is with the words of Jesus from Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” May God bless us as we do our best to set good examples, stand for the truth and spread the news of the Gospel to the lost.

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