The Real Salt Of The Earth

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“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 by men.” — Matthew 5:13

I don’t know about you but when I sit down to eat I usually always look for the salt shaker. I just like the taste of salt on food—even when there’s probably enough in it already. Salt reminds me also of the way Jesus taught. I love the way He often used natural objects as illustrations of truth like birds of the air, flowers of the field, mountains, wheat fields, etc., One of the figures of speech that Jesus used talks about our role in the world as “salt of the earth.”   We all know what salt is, but what does it have to do with our Christian life? Jesus forces us to do a little research to get the full meaning behind the words—especially since we’re not living in the culture of the first Century.

Dick Eastman, director of Every Home For Christ, helps us here when he observes that “in this statement Christ likens the Christian’s existence on earth to common salt. What do we know about salt? For one thing, salt is made from two vastly different elements: the active metal, sodium, and the deadly gas, chlorine. These unique forces combine to make a substance common to every household. Why did Jesus use salt as an example of our work on earth? Perhaps because salt adds flavor, making otherwise unacceptable food acceptable. Thus, the believer’s function on earth is to add flavor. Our presence on the earth, then, makes the earth acceptable to God. If believers were removed, God would have no choice but to destroy it.”

Eastman continues, “There is, perhaps, a greater function of salt. It restrains the process of spoiling. Years ago, before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat on long voyages across the ocean and over land. Here we discover another reason Christ has positioned Christians on this planet. We not only make earth acceptable to God, but we preserve the work of God around the world. And not only do we preserve it, we spread it. Our mission as Christians, then, is vital. We are to spread the message of God’s love to every person on earth, thus increasing the earth’s supply of spiritual ‘salt.’ We are, in a sense, salt manufacturers.”*

Well, let me ask us all a question. How are we doing at manufacturing salt? Let’s share Jesus Christ with someone today and bring some flavor into their lives. Good resolution for 2015, wouldn’t you say?

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. — Colossians 4:6

*Dick Eastman, Changing the World School of Prayer, p. 146

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