You are the salt of the earth.
Summary: This saying requires some thought. In our modern culture, we take salt for granted. Yet, intuitively we understand that salt is necessary for physical life just as Jesus is necessary for eternal life.
When we pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying a mouthful.
If God’s kingdom is to come on earth, then the people of the earth who serve the King have to obey their King.
If God’s will is to be done, then the people of God have to love God above all else, and their neighbors as themselves.
If we have accepted Jesus as our king, then we obey him. If we obey Jesus, we love God above all else. If we love God, we love others as ourselves. If we do all this, we are the salt of the earth.
On the other hand, if we claim to obey Jesus and love God, but don’t love our neighbor, what kind of “salt” are we?
Jesus warns us against taking his kingship for granted. He says:
“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.” (Matthew 5:13)
So what does it mean to be “salty” to the earth and what does it mean to lose our “saltiness?”
The essence of salt, sodium chloride, is in everything. Our body needs sodium chloride to function. Without it, we die. Of course, too much of it is not a good thing either. It has been almost a year since my wife and I went on a low-sodium diet. We did it for health reasons, mainly because too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure. What we have found is that food without salt tastes like cardboard and unsalted tortilla chips are the cardboardiest of them all.
Salt is essential to life and tasty food! We need salt for life to exist and we need flavor if we want to enjoy our food. Salt that has lost its saltiness no longer supports life and when people taste it, they want to spit it out.
When it comes to doing God’s will on earth, we are “salt” if we obey Jesus because we love God above all else and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22: 37-40). Loving God above all else is essential for life, just like salt is.
But wait! What kind of life are we talking about?
When we love God, we are loving a Spirit (John 4: 24). We recognize that spiritual life is a big part of who we are. As we come to know God’s Word better, we understand that spiritual life is the only life that survives into eternity (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12: 25).
Just like physical salt is necessary for physical life, spiritual salt, knowledge of the Living God, is essential for spiritual life (aka, eternal life). To be spiritual salt in a world full of unsalted tortilla chips is a game changer. God help us if we lose our salt.
Application: Like the pleasing aroma of Christ, (2 Corinthians 2: 14-16), our relationship with our Lord and King, Jesus, brings life and flavor to a dead world.
Food for Thought: As “salt of the earth” how should we divide our time between preaching to people about Jesus and living as Jesus teaches us to live?
Always practice what you preach. Don’t stop preaching just because you’re practicing.
Angela,
Nice! The two sort of go hand in glove, don’t they?
As “salt of the earth” how should we divide our time between preaching to people about Jesus and living as Jesus teaches us to live?
Jesus should be involved in all aspects of your life. You should try to reflect Jesus and honor God with all your actions and thoughts. ………….
Now that I’ve thought about it more what’s the difference? Wouldn’t living as Jesus teaches us to live include preaching ( sharing the gospel )?
Tim,
There comes a point in each believer’s life where they transition from looking to God for help and realize that God has helped them. When we accept God’s help and salvation through Jesus Christ, we are walking with him. Like a child who finds they can suddenly ride a bike on their own or spell their name, we want to share the Good News with others.
12-17-2022, As “salt of the earth” how should we divide our time between preaching to people about Jesus and living as Jesus teaches us to live?
If we live as Jesus teaches, our lives will be preaching to people about Jesus.
Thank you, Ron.
You are a good example of that. 🙂
I agree with previous comments. If we are seeking to live for God and seeking to do His will, then we will be proclaiming the gospel when He wants us to and living the gospel when He wants us to. I can’t imagine there is a time when we are not supposed to live out the gospel. Colossians 4: 5 – 6.
Great Scripture reference, Rich! Thank you. 🙂
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6)
I am going to say that the two go hand in hand,..I shouldn’t be dividing time with what I have been commissioned to do, God is the One who has allotted me this time here on His great creation called earth, I would think if I am living as Christ has taught me then preaching would become automatic with whoever I speak with on a daily basis.
It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit works when someone needs to hear something about the gospel, there is opportunity all around us for that to happen, when a customer wants me to refurbish the fence onto the existing fence posts that have been there for ten years and haven’t snapped yet, I tell them the principle about putting new wine into old wine skins and how they would burst, I get some of the craziest looks, essentially it’s the same thing, when I explain it then they get the picture I was painting with my words, a bit of the gospel get’s preached and Christ is glorified because I say His name when I refer to the gospel, I say stuff like Jesus say’s or Jesus used this parable and so on but Jesus is in the picture I am painting for the customer. I love it when times like that happen,
Brother John,
Your stories are an encouragement to all of us! I love how you find ways to share Jesus ‘over the back fence.’ 🙂