YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (Also see Mark 9:50, Luke 14:34-35)

Salt has many useful, well-known qualities. Here are a few. It enhances the taste of foods, and it is a preservative allowing certain foods to be kept for long periods of time without spoiling and decaying. Ezekiel 16:4 indicates that it was also had medicinal qualities as an antiseptic. As far as we have records going back in time, salt has had great value in all households for these purposes. During the Mosaic era of the Jewish nation, God required salt for most sacrificial offerings, that they might bring forth a sweet savor. (E)very oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt (See Lev. 2:12-13). Luckily for the Jewish nation, salt was immediately available in large quantities. The Dead Sea, and the mountains and valleys surrounding it, offered a seemingly inexhaustible source of salt. The supply was so extensive that salt was mined or manufactured by evaporation processes, and sold abroad; it was a very profitable commodity that was often traded for other needed goods.

In the lesson text, Jesus tells us that there are two kinds of salt. There is good salt that can be used for seasoning and preserving foods, and there is bad salt that has lost all of its valued qualities - that is, it was good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Bad salt has no greater value than gravel laid upon the ground to inhibit the growth of weeds and mark a pathway over which men and women travel.

These types of salt were used by Jesus, metaphorically, to describe His followers. They described His disciples during His ministry on earth, and by inference, described all Christians today. Jesus' followers were characterized as the salt of the earth. The world in which they lived suffered from religious and moral decay. In a sense, most people of the world are in spiritual decay, and the only possible cure is the "salt" of Christians. Godly Christian conduct, whether in the things said or done, is the salt needed by the world to cure and prevent moral corruption. This same conduct can bring Jesus Christ into the lives of sinners, and, through obedience to the will of God, give all people of the world a hope of eternal salvation.

The apostle Paul used the example of salt in a similar fashion in his letter to the Christians at Colosse. His instructions to them were to walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man (Col. 4:5-6). For preaching and teaching the gospel plan of salvation through Jesus Christ to be accepted by those outside His body, it must be presented in a "tasteful" manner. For the mind of mankind to "ingest" the word of God, it must be savory - it must "taste" good to them. Unless it is presented in this manner, God's holy word will "smell and taste unsavory" and will be completely rejected by those to whom it is presented - it will have no appeal to their spiritual appetites.

Yes it is possible for Christians to lose their godly influence on the world! Yes it is possible for Christians to lose their saltiness! The lesson text confirms that fact. Indeed, a concerted effort must be maintained to guard against it taking place. Although it is necessary for children of God to conduct their lives in the world, their conduct should never become worldly. Christians must never allow themselves to be influenced by the majority of the people in their surroundings that are given over to worldliness. The sinners of the world constantly surrounded Jesus during His missionary years. Most persecuted Him, and at times He became weary (John 4:6). Yet, He remained a refuge for all sinners; He never lost His saltiness. Jesus is the Christian's example. As His followers, we too will be surrounded by the sinners of the world; we too will be persecuted; we too will become weary; we too must never lose our saltiness by giving in to the ways of the world.

Salt, even though it has lost its savor, still remains in its crystallized state and glistens in the sunlight like good salt - but it has lost its power to save. Such is the child of God that becomes worldly. Christian, beware! Remain faithful to God and the cause of Christ. Save the lost! Ye are the salt of the earth!