Salt & LIGHT of the World - Part 2 of 2

Light

• "You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.
• People don't light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
• In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good actions and glorify your Father in heaven." (Mat 5:14-16)

If you haven't read Part 1 of this two part series on Salt & Light, please take the time to do so. I had never given much thought about this subject until one day, a couple of months ago, I was re-reading the Sermon on the Mount, and these four short verses were illuminated in my mind. When that happens, I start to ask questions like: OK! Why did Jesus use the terms "Salt" & "Light"? Why not just say "Be My examples?"

One concept that I have learned about the Bible is when the Holy Spirit inspired the authors of these sixty six books, that everything written was purposeful and there was no gloss and no filler. Everything was 'on purpose'. Additionally, the placement of words, ideas and spiritual concepts are always in context with the surrounding text, and in context with all sixty six books of our Holy Bible. If you read the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis along with the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation, God gives us a glimpse of what God the Creator originally desired for creation and mankind and his relationship with God. The last two chapters of Revelation reveals that those who place their faith in Jesus Christ will once again live in a sinless world, in perfect harmony with Almighty God. Those four chapters should and must remain the focus of every believer because that is God's plan.

All chapters in between those four describe how sin (disobedience to God's instructions) has corrupted all of nature and the minds of men, and they show the Grace of God in two distinct ways: 1- He was willing to send His Son to become a mere man, albeit a perfect sinless man, to be the only possible [perfect] sacrifice that atones for our sins and allows us to be brought back into fellowship with Him. 2- God gave us complete instructions in His Word, along with plenty of illustrations and examples, so that we would have no excuse for not becoming what He has planned for our lives. Praise God for His Grace and Mercy.

We can totally miss the importance of this passage on Salt & Light if we do not see and understand the placement of these four verses within the context of the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon was not just a series of random thoughts but the foundation for the New Covenant and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The concept of light can be quickly passed by because our understanding of light is that light comes from some external source, such as the sunlight or artificial light which we can turn-on when it is dark. But that is not the kind of light Jesus is talking about here. Reread those verses above, and listen to what Jesus is saying to you within your spirit. He is saying that 'you' are to be a light to the world. That is a huge request, a request that is impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit residing within our hearts through belief in Jesus Christ. Well the questions are; What does He mean by light and how do we get to be that light? This light is not something that we can turn-on or turn-off whenever we want.

What is Light?

Light is an amazing phenomenon that is taken for granted today because it is so 'available' to us in modernized societies. In the past, the light of the sun was worshiped as a god because it was so valuable to humankind. Think for a moment how your life would change if, all of a sudden there was no light source, no batteries, no electricity, and no sun. Those who have gone spelunking can identify with the utter darkness of a cave that is devoid of all light. In the environment of a cave, even a lit match gives the sense of warmth and security. Without light, one would become disoriented and our health would deteriorate rapidly. There would be no colors, we would not know what each other looked like, and food would not grow.

Light is energy. It takes energy to produce light. Light in turn provides many benefits to humanity. Additionally, light produces more energy in the form of heat, and science is learning to capitalize on the solar energy of the sun by collecting the energy in solar panels, and then further producing other useful benefits after the sun sets. The light that we have in this physical world should not be taken for granted, nor should it be worshipped. Light is to be used for the benefit of all men, but we have only begun to understand it, or to harness its energy.

Why we Need Light

Jesus was not talking about the physical light in this world. He was talking about the spiritual light that is available to all people, a light that is in a different dimension, which, by the way, all people are connected to but very rarely talk or think about. Man is made up of body, soul and spirit. Science tells us that we live in a four-dimension universe, width, depth, height and time. However, there is one more dimension that science does not want to mention, because at that point they would have to recognize the existence of God. The fifth dimension is the spiritual dimension, and we all participate in that dimension 24/7, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. Moreover, we must understand that there are two gods that exist, the "god of this world" [2Co 4:4 NLT] who is the default god that people serve until they purposefully [choose] to believe in the God of creation and serve Him through Jesus Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit. Almighty God gives His Holy Spirit to each believer for the express purpose of overcoming the deceptions of satan and the world's system;

For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the spiritual darkness around us, and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. (Eph 6:12 ISV)

The god of this world, satan and his dominions, represent [spiritual] darkness. All men who have not accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ, are filled with darkness, and the whole goal of this evil presence is to blind the minds of all unbelieving men so that they might not see the [light] of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the express image of Almighty God [2Co 4:4 NASB]. This satan is a liar and a deceiver whose goal is to seek whomever he may devour and destroy [1Pe 5:8 NLT].

We, as men, cannot overcome the wiles of the devil and the deceptions of this world's system in our own strength. Anyone who thinks that he can outsmart that evil fox, satan, is filled with pride and has been blinded by him just as scripture tells us.

When we have pride, we are at our weakest point because "God opposes us" [1Pe 5:8] and we are in opposition to God's instructions, which then opens our minds to satan's deceptions.

God has promised, however, that we can, and must, overcome the powers of our archenemy, satan, as we will discover next.

Overcoming Darkness through the Source of Light!

Spiritual darkness can only be overcome by Spiritual Light. Light suggests exposure and guidance and light causes darkness to retreat. It also illuminates problems and flaws that ordinarily would not be seen. This can be scary to the unbeliever because we all have hidden sins, which are embarrassing, and we do not want others to know about. Nevertheless, God knows the details and there is no sense in trying to hide, or deny our sinful condition. All He wants is for us to confess our sins, no matter how bad, and He will forgive and forget those sins and declare that those sins are taken care of spiritually.

Jesus has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and has transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom [with His blood] and forgave our sins. (Colossians 1:13)

Jesus said: "I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Jesus replied to the crowd, "The light is among you only for a short time. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The person who walks in the darkness is in the darkness and does not know where he is going. (John 12.35)

The problem so many in the Body of Christ [the Church] have today is that they are taught [or made to believe] that sin no longer separates us from God. When we accept Christ as Savior, our sinful condition is forgiven, and we are made a new creation in Christ [spiritually], but we, in this life, retain our flesh, and it is our flesh that we must overcome. John addressed this clearly in 1 John 2.16:

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

John continues: "The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the devil has been doing." (1 John 3.8)

But God has given us Everything we need to Overcome!

God in His Grace, at the point that we accept Christ as Lord says that, "By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. (2Pe 1:3-4 NLT)

Paul said: "Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5.16)

Do you hear the heart cry from God? He says "I have given you everything you need to live a godly life, and to be My light to the nations. Being a Light for God is extremely important to Him and He inspired Peter to write:

"So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.
Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2Pe 1:10-11)

Becoming a Light to the world -

Earlier I mentioned that this call from Jesus was in context with the surrounding verses. Just prior to the call for us to be Salt & Light, Jesus quoted nine laws that we call the 'Beatitudes'. The Beatitudes are nine attributes, which are to be manifest in each believer, and what makes each of the Beatitudes a law is the specificity and clarity of each one. Each has a specific trait [Fruit of the Spirit], or distinguishing feature which develops in the new nature of the believer, and only the person who has this trait is blessed with a specific reward. Those rewards go to no one else. It is very important to understand that it is these traits (all combined) which both allow, and cause us to be Salt & Light to the world. (Just for clarity, it is not the person who brags about having these traits, but the person whose life exhibits these traits.)

Additionally, these nine distinguishing feature cannot be 'self-developed'. They become mature as we "Hunger & Thirst after Righteousness", then "we will be filled". It is the Holy Spirit that develops these traits in us, and it is these traits, which belong to every believer, that gives us the strength, the power, and the authority to overcome the flesh and the powers of spiritual darkness.

In the two verses right after the [call] to be Salt & Light Jesus said: "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. (Mat 5:17-18)

What Jesus is saying in context to the previous thirteen verses is that [in the Beatitudes] as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have been given nine distinguishing features which are required Fruit, or manifestations of the Spirit which works mightily in each one of us, to become the "Salt and Light of the world". These nine gifts are given for the express purpose to; "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Mat 5:16) Jesus goes on to say; "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets." The Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets prophesied about the coming Messiah who would die for the sins of man, and that He would carry His message to the lost world through the lives and actions of those who believe on His name. Jesus went on to say in verse 5:16: "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Do you think that Jesus was serious in His call to be Salt & Light, or is it just an option to be neglected and ignored?

In His Grace, God gave us His Holy Spirit and His written Word, so that we have the power to overcome this world and the sinfulness of our flesh, and it is very grievous to God when we neglect and treat the call of Almighty God as optional. The writer of the book of Hebrews says; "So what makes us think we can escape [God's wrath] if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus Himself and then delivered to us by those who heard Him speak? (Heb 2:3)

This call to be Salt & Light is very dear to God’s heart. This call is made possible only by the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ on a humiliating cross where He shed His blood for us. We will only become Salt & Light as we hunger & thirst for the righteousness of Jesus Christ and our obedience to His Word. John, in his Gospel tells us that Jesus is the Light [John 1:1-6; 1:7-13;], and it is that Light that we are to reflect in our life through our good works in service to Christ the King, so that we can glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Jesus says that the harvest of souls for the kingdom of God is ready but the workers are few [Mat. 9:37-38], many are called, but few are chosen [Mat. 22.14] because they chose to ignore the call of God.

Please visit us at

Comments are welcome

√ Unbelief is when God has spoken and you do nothing.
√ Presumption is when you act when God has not spoken.
√ Faith is when you act upon God’s instructions.
√ Truth Demands a response.