Photo by Francesco Alberti on Unsplash
By Mike Chaffin
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Matthew 5:13
Is Jesus asking one the deepest theological questions Christians have pondered or is this question more about our character and Christian witness? For centuries there has been debate in the church between those who believe we can lose our salvation and those who believe the Bible teaches that once saved we are always saved. Both camps can claim the Bible backs up their beliefs. Jesus’ question here isn’t about this issue but borders on it deeply.
In this passage Jesus compares Christians to salt and light.
Salt, being an enormously powerful seasoning, has the power to preserve, enhance flavor and bring health and healing. It only takes a little bit to make a dramatic difference. Jesus tells us we are the salt the lost world needs. However, if we lose our saltiness what good are we?
There are several ways we lose our saltiness, our influence for Christ.
- We forget the two great commandments. Loving God more than anything else and loving others as ourselves.
- Apathy – we don’t represent our Christian faith to others. We don’t share because we don’t care.
- Arrogance and Pride – we don’t share because it is beneath us.
- Hypocrisy – we live like a sinner six days out of the week.
- Fear – we don’t have the faith to face rejection or ridicule.
- Lack of knowledge – we don’t know how to share.
When we are our saltiness is when we show others Christ’s righteousness in our lives in how we treat others and react to different situations, good or bad. Two aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are goodness and kindness. When we direct goodness and kindness in every interaction, people take notice. They see love in us. They might even wonder how we continue to be this way through thick and thin. The Apostle John wrote,
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
Many godly people have stumbled in their walk with Christ and committed sins that disqualified them for ministry. Likewise, if we lash out in rashness, anger, or with a bitter or profane tongue we will lose our ability to salt those who see or hear about our foible.
However, God is there to forgive and restore. When we come to Him seeking forgiveness, He hears our cry and forgives us. The consequences of sin will still be in our lives, but we will be able to rebuild our Christian witness.
The best way to remain salty is to live our lives with the fruit of the Spirit on full display in all we do.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
Contemplation: Am I seasoning those whom I encounter the love of Christ living through me?
