What is it to be Salt of the Earth?

Daily Devotional November 24th

“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)

As I read this familiar passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I was struck by a number of questions, “Can salt really lose its saltiness? If so, how? And if it does lose its saltiness, is it still by definition salt?” So this morning I’ve been doing a little research and have discovered that salt in its solid form is a very stable substance. As a chemical compound, NaCl–better known as table salt–happily shares an electron. Even when mixed with water, many of the salt molecules remain suspended in the liquid rather than mixing with it. If electricity is introduced to the ionic components it can be used to separate the sodium from the chloride atoms, but it would then no longer be salt.

So how can this deepen our understanding of what Jesus meant when He said that we are to be the ‘salt of the earth.’ Salt can flavour food; it is used to draw out the water in foods which allows it to cure food for longevity; it is used to create traction on icy roads; it is has also been used to draw out infection. As Christ-followers, we too are to bring a different and pleasant flavour to the world around us; our saltiness can entice others to eliminate unwanted elements from their lives and can point friends and neighbours to eternal longevity; we can assist others over dangerous patches of life; our shared faith can help to bring healing to those sick with sin.

But there is a danger; our saltiness can be diluted when we allow beliefs that do not line up with God’s Word to become a part of our thinking, which then influences our actions. This can in fact leave us susceptible to an even greater danger, separation from the One we follow. Sodium plus chloride atoms equal a table salt molecule; a believer plus Jesus equal a Christian. When sodium and chloride atoms are forced a part, they no longer share an electron, and are no longer by definition ‘salt.’ Today, I would contend that an individual separated from Christ, without the Holy Spirit’s connection, is by definition not a ‘Christian.’ If there was no ability for believers to reject their unity with Christ through the Spirit, why would Jesus warn us against losing our saltiness. Salt that has no flavour is good for nothing but to be thrown out. Jesus did not mean for this to serve as a hypothetical possibility, but as a real life danger that His followers are to pay careful attention to. Salt cannot ‘accidentally’ lose its saltiness, but the possibility still exists.
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We are to take seriously our responsibility to be the salt of the earth...not just in helping to bring God’s flavour to a world in serious need of a touch of His salt, but also in our union with the One without Whom we would not possess the flavour of His salty godliness at all. We are to be and bring the flavour that exposes others to the goodness and love of God. Stay connected with your Saviour...provide the irresistibility of God to all you meet.
~ Pastor Jane