Salt & Light of the World 

Salt

"You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It's good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people.
"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 5:13-16 ISV)

The Problem

But Jesus said "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn't come to destroy them, but to fulfill them, because I tell you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished. (Mat 5:17-18 ISV)

The 'Law' was the Law of Moses, not the added, or re-interpretation of the Law that was prevalent when Jesus taught this sermon. The Prophets Jesus mentioned were the Prophets who had warned them repeatedly about their continual 'drifting away from God'. The author of the Book to the Hebrews had this to say; "See to it that you do not ignore the one who is speaking. For if the hearers did not escape when they ignored the one [the prophets] who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we turn away from the one who is from heaven!" (Heb 12:25 ISV)

Today, this same Sermon Jesus spoke two thousand years ago, is directed to the crowds which gather every week to worship God, but more specifically to the teachers, preachers and other church leaders. This sermon is just as important to understand today, and can be argued as 'more important' as we draw near to the end of the church age [Luk 21:24; Rom 11:25]. The mandate on the church is to represent Jesus Christ and to be salt & light to the world and to fulfill all that Christ commanded us [Mat 28:19-20], but we have to bear in mind that the rewards of obedience and the consequences of disobedience mentioned in this Sermon still remain in effect. The Rewards mentioned: [Mat 5:3-7; 5.8-12; 6.4; 6.33; 7.24-25]. The Consequences mentioned: [Mat 5.13 b; 5.19; 5.20; 6.15; 7.14; 7.19; 7.21-23; 7.26-27]

An illustration would be like a person applying for a job with a large company, getting hired for a specific job, and then spending his working hours with the problems of his personal home life and social life to the point that he is non-productive for his employer, but yet claiming to be an employee of the company he fully expects full pay on payday. This illustration is what Jesus was referring to when He said, "Many are called but few are chosen." [Mat 22.14]

The prophet Jeremiah had to deal with the same issues of false teachers saying, "This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Don't listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you; they're giving you false hopes. They declare visions from their own minds—they don't come from the LORD! They keep on saying to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You will have peace."' To all who stubbornly follow their own desires they say, 'Disaster won't come upon you.'" (Jer. 23:17 ISV) The phrase “those who despise Me” refers to those who know the ways of God, but choose to ignore or to disregard God’s instructions as not important, and choose to follow the dictates of their own heart instead.

Securing our Salvation-

God's Grace has given to us both the ability and the written instructions on how we can 'know' that we are saved and safe in the arms of Jesus Christ. Our salvation is not hard to determine. The Holy Spirit inspired John to write this to us:
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1Jn 5:13 NKJV)
But because there is so much false teaching today, I along with Paul beg each reader to, "Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don't you, that Jesus the Messiah lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test? (2Co 13:5) As Paul taught throughout his writings, falling from grace is gradual and very deceptive. Peter added this for our security in Christ:
So then, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election certain, for if you keep on doing this you will never fail. (2Pe 1:10)

The Solution: WE ARE TO BE SALT

When Jesus said that [we] are to be salt and light, He was not inferring that [we] are able to produce the salt and light needed, but that we are to be transmitters of salt & light from Jesus to others. It is the salt and light of Jesus Christ that will have an impact on the world

"You are the salt of the earth" suggests at least three different applications: purity, preservation, and flavor. Additionally, salt is used in the winter to keep people and vehicles from slipping, and to melt the dangerous ice.

But there is even more meaning to our call to be salt. In Lev 2:13 "Also, be sure to rub every offering from your grain offering with salt. You are not to ever remove the salt of the covenant of your God from your grain offering. Present all your offerings with salt." "The salt of the covenant of your God" is an interesting instruction, one which the LORD said to 'never remove'. What does He mean by this? First, we have to put salt in context with the function of salt, purification, preservation and flavor. Additionally, we have to keep in context of this instruction, "our sacrifices" and the "covenant" which God has made with man.

"Salt of the covenant of the LORD"
As we read scripture, we will find that all of God's instructions are for our good and not our harm. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11) God's covenant with us is for the express purpose of preserving us, His chosen people, to provide and protect us against the evil one. Only the LORD can outwit the evil powers and principalities of this world's system. Only His covenants are pure, righteous and just [salt]. Only His covenants are steadfast, unmovable, unchangeable and everlasting. For us to realize the benefits of His covenants we must choose to follow His instructions through obedience. We remove "the salt of His covenant" when we ignore, or modify His instructions to suit our own desires. We do this when we allow false teachers to sway us with words that appeal to our fleshly appetite. This is exactly what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 7.14-15;

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Mat 7:14-15)

"Present all your offerings with salt."

As we learn the trustworthiness of God's covenant, we can then understand why God tells us to "Present all your offerings with salt." The offerings and sacrifices that the LORD accepts are when we present our body as a living sacrifice and our spirits as broken and contrite, ready to be of service to Him.

One of the things that we have a problem with in this day and age, is that the common person is not involved with the preserving power of salt. The general use of salt in America is used only for seasoning our food with the exception of food processing plants. Prior to the 20th century, almost every household was using salt to preserve meat and other foods. So today, the idea of being salt does not carry much meaning for us. Our personal lack of knowledge does not remove the command of our Lord and Savior Jesus when he said to be the salt of the world. In the book of Romans, Paul spent 11 chapters in referring to how bad our sinful nature is against a Holy God, and how great a salvation we have through Jesus Christ. Then in the 12th chapter Paul said; "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." [Rom 12:1] What Paul is saying is that while the practice of animal sacrifice came to an end with the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., and while Jesus became the final sacrifice of blood and death, once for all men, it is only reasonable that we in turn give our all back to Him, as a [living sacrifice] through obedience to His instructions.

Mark had this insight in Mark 9:49-50; Because everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how can you restore its flavor? Keep on having salt among yourselves, and live in peace with one another."

Salt, for the believer, is then defined as:
1- Our primary function is towards other believers, to live in such a way that we are pro-active in our fellowship with other believers. We are to encourage and build each other up in the Lord in such a way that we 'preserve and purify' each other' in the faith. As we learn this key function of the body of Christ, then we become a 'sweet aroma' of worship to God and then we are made ready to be a 'flavorful salt' to the world.
2- As we become 'flavorful salt' then the world desires what we have in Christ, which is opposite of how governments and the world views Christianity today.

Albert Barnes in his commentary "Notes on the Bible" put it this way; "The word “fire,” here, therefore denotes self-denials, sacrifices, trials, in keeping ourselves from the gratification of the flesh. As if he had said, “Look at the sacrifice on the altar. It is an offering to God, about to be presented to him. It is sprinkled with “salt, emblematic of purity, of preservation and of fitting it, therefore, for a sacrifice.” So “you” are devoted to God. You are sacrifices, victims, offerings to him in his service. To make you “acceptable” offerings, everything must be done to “preserve” you from sin and to “purify” you. Self-denials, subduing the lusts, enduring trials, removing offences, are the proper “preservatives” in the service of God. Doing this, you will be acceptable offerings and be saved; without this, you will be “unfit” for his eternal service and will be lost.”

In carrying on this this same idea, Paul instructed us this way; "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone." (Col 4:6)

Where does this 'salt' come from?

A word of caution here, because it would be easy to think that we can become sprinkled with salt and become a 'whole and acceptable sacrifice' under our own power. That is impossible. Paul instructed us very clearly in Romans 8 that the carnal mind cannot please God, but "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God". So our preservation comes from the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to be obedient to all of God's instructions. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us in our weakness and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us to the Father.

It is the Holy Spirit that is the [salt] that preserves us and teaches us to 'present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God through obedience to His instructions. As we submit ourselves to God and listen to the Spirit that dwells in us, we learn how to "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt [the Holy Spirit], so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone." (Col 4:6), and "to live in peace with one another." [Mark 9:50]

Let me remind you of the daunting words of Jesus as He began to talk about ‘salt & light”:
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Mat 5:13) Does it feel like Christians are being trampled on today?

As the old saying goes “Are you worth your salt?” What we usually take for granted is actually very valuable.

“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied”. (1Pe 1:2)

CLICK HERE for 'LIGHT - Part 2' of this series on “Salt & Light”

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√ 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.