Could you please pass the salt?

Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salt again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

To conclude His section on the “Beatitudes” and before He gets into the main body of His sermon, Jesus gives two analogies as to how a Christian should relate to the world. He moves from speaking in the third person to the second person by saying, “you are the salt of the earth.” Our purpose statement is clearly laid out for us by Almighty God, we are to be salt!

There are many modern day uses of salt, some have numbered over 14,000, but the primary use in the context of our Scripture was that of preserving food. The other noted Biblical uses are: seasoning food (Job 6:6), seasoning sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13), ratifying covenants (Numbers 18:19), and strengthening new-born babies (Ezekiel 16:4). Without any source of refrigeration, salt was the primary means of preserving meat from decaying. Wars were fought over this precious substance; wages were paid with it, and often times it was the difference between life and death when fresh food was unavailable. Salt was and still is a valuable commodity.

Jesus says that we are to help keep the world from decaying by the life that we live and by the message that we share. R.K. Hughes says, “This matter of being a preservative has a positive and a negative side. On the negative side, the presence of a salty Christian will retard decay simply because his or her life is a reproach to the sin of those they are around. We all know there are certain people in whose presence a filthy story is naturally told, and there are others before whom no one would think of telling such a story. The salty Christian is not self-righteous or condemning, but his or her life makes ungodly conversation seem shabby and inappropriate. I believe such Christians exert an incalculable influence on society! Their mere presence reduces crime, restrains ethical corruption, promotes honesty, quickens the conscience, and elevates the general moral atmosphere. The presence of such people in the military, in business, in education, in a fraternity or sorority will amazingly elevate the level.”

Is their enough preserving salt in our culture? Despite what many idealists would have us believe, the world isn’t getting any better, America in particular. One does not have to be a pessimist in order to see this clearly. Without going into how ugly much of our culture is getting, I will rely on your agreeing with me at this point. History is replete with the rising and falling of great civilizations. The once heralded nations have passed into oblivion and only remnants of their former grandeur remain. The main reason, in my opinion, is because there weren’t enough people passing the salt!

We are warned by Jesus, that if we aren’t being salt, then we are missing out on His intentions for our life. Not only are we missing our purpose and losing our identity, but the world is missing out on the one thing that can save it from certain death. The Christian message of grace, forgiveness, abundant life, hope, and eternal salvation is the only ingredient that will keep this life from becoming bland and meaningless and the one message that makes victory over death possible. (1 Cor. 15:22-22) America and the world are relying on us to pass the salt!

It is said that “pure” salt will never lose its flavor. The salt commonly used in the ancient world was rock salt and it generally contained various impurities. As the true salt was removed, the so-called “salt” could indeed lose its savor and become useless. When those who profess Christ, cease to be different from the world, we cease to be useful as retardants of decay. Our ability to positively impact the world will be in direct proportion to how salty we really are. Our words will avail very little if our conduct is not true to our calling. Without saltiness, salt is worthless. Without Christian character, Christians are worthless to the society in which God has placed them.

When we are living with this type of character, Vance Havner reminds us that, “we must be willing to be rubbed in to the decaying carcass of an unregenerate society.” You must not be content on remaining in the salt shaker, but must be willing to be shaken out on and influence all of society. The influence of Christian character can halt the downward spiral of the world and help stem the natural degeneration that occurs due to the world’s rebellion against God.

Consider the impact of the First Great Awakening (revival) on England at a time when the rest of Europe was embroiled in political upheavals. Even secular writers acknowledge that it was because of the impact of salty Christians like John Wesley and George Whitefield that England was spared the effects of the horrible and bloody revolution that swept through France in the late 1700’s. Salty believers really do prevent corruption and decay! They were willing to pass the salt, will you?

John Stott points out, “When society does go bad, many Christians tend to throw up their hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should they not rather reproach themselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Could you please pass the salt?”