YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
(Part 2)
Matthew 5:13
In the Sermon on the Mount, just after the Beatitudes, the Lord Jesus says to His followers: “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. (Matthew 5:13)
In part one of this message we began to examine Jesus’ declaration to His followers that they are ‘the salt of the earth”. We discussed the fact that salt has many important and beneficial uses. Obviously, salt serves as a flavor enhancer and we use it to season our food but it is also a preservative and can be used as a cleaning and healing agent and much more. It seems that the preserving aspect of salt is what Jesus primarily has in mind in this specific verse.
Before we move further into this study, let’s take a moment and review what we have seen thus far. First of all, Jesus speaks of:
I. AN INESCAPABLE REALITY
“You are the salt of the earth”
Though multitudes may be identified with Jesus, many do not truly belong to Him. Those who are “the salt of the earth” are those who have a personal, genuine and eternal relationship with the Lord Jesus. When Jesus says “you”, He is speaking to the one who has been transformed by His mighty power and lives a Kingdom focused life. If you are a truly born-again follower of Jesus Christ, then “you are the salt of the earth”; this statement of fact is presented in the present tense.
- We also considered:
II. AN IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY
Salt describes an important responsibility that we possess as followers of Jesus Christ. There are three important truths that we must comprehend concerning this important responsibility, beginning with:
A. THE EXCLUSIVENESS OF THIS RESPONSIBILITY
When Jesus says, “You are”, He is speaking to His followers, this shows us that the responsibility and ability to be “the salt of the earth” belongs to Christians and Christians alone.
- In part one of this message we also examined:
B. THE EXPLANATION OF THIS RESPONSIBILITY
“the salt of the earth”
As the salt of the earth, Christians are able to have a very powerful and preserving influence on the world around them. When we live in the manner that Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount, we have the amazing privilege of holding back the spread of evil in this world.
- After examining the exclusiveness of the responsibility to be the salt of the earth, and the explanation of it, we saw:
C. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS RESPONSIBILITY
When we live in the way that Jesus commands us to live, our lives have the ability to hold back the spread of evil in this world. This is not to say that we have the power to conquer the evil world system, but we can retard its progression. If we will do our part, we can have a positive impact on the God’s Kingdom while having a preserving impact on our current society. When we live as salt and light our lives can affect the way that others act and think. Of course the greatest impact that we can have is to introduce lost people to the Savior and then He will do the transforming work that only He can.
Thus far we have seen An Inescapable Reality and An Important Responsibility. As we move further into this verse we receive a sobering warning from our Savior, here He describes:
III. AN INEXCUSABLE REGRESSION.
“but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”
Understanding our responsibility to be salt in this world, we must guard against being influenced by the things and people of this world. If we slip back into the world system that we have been delivered from, we will become “tasteless” Christians and useless for the work that God has called us to accomplish.
The Greek word for “tasteless” literally means “to play the fool”. It speaks of being foolish or moronic”. Christians who are influenced by the world instead of influencing the world for Christ are foolish! This happens when the members of Christ’s Church tolerate, accept, and participate in the things of this world. Salt that has lost its taste is a metaphor for the Believer whose mind and life has become contaminated by worldly influences and secular thinking. Far too many Christians in our day have bought into secular values and become influenced by worldly values and ways of thinking about life. As a result, even though they are the salt of the earth, they have become tasteless, that is, they have lost their effectiveness.
Writing about this verse, MacArthur says, “the salt that is common in the Dead Sea area is contaminated with gypsum and other minerals and may have a flat taste or be ineffective as a preservative. Such mineral salts were useful for little more than keeping footpaths free of vegetation”.
It is important to point out that salt can never cease being salt. However, when other minerals mix with the salt it is contaminated and no longer fit to be used as a seasoning or a preservative; it loses its pungency and has no real value. Jesus says that all it is good for it to be cast out and trodden under the feet of man. Christians who have become influenced by the world are of no use to the world. Furthermore, they will not have a preserving impact on this world or positive impact for Christ and His Kingdom.
While I don’t believe that Jesus had eternal security in mind when He presented this metaphor, it is encouraging for us to know that just as salt will always be salt, a true Christian will always be a Christian. However, not all true Christians are effective Christians. Though we will never lose our salvation, if we allow the world around us to affect how we think, act and live, we will become tasteless. That is, our testimony will become useless.
Salt that has become tasteless is no longer good for anything. The Christian who has become contaminated by the world is no longer having a positive impact on the world and they are certainly not advancing God’s Kingdom. Even worse is the reality that those who should be honoring and glorifying God by being salt of the earth are actually having the opposite effect; instead of helping the cause of Christ, they are causing great harm.
Such compromised Christians no longer restrain evil, instead they invite, condone, and participate in it. They do not witness or evangelize, and if they did they would have not impact because their actions do not match their professed beliefs. Such tasteless Believers do not pray, and if they do they are not getting through because there is a barrier of sin that is preventing them from true communion with God. It is also likely that they are not spending time in God’s Word because if they were they would be constantly convicted by their compromise. Such a person is no longer useful in the church or the Kingdom. They cannot be affective preachers, pastors, leaders, teachers or servants of any kind. The only thing that a Christian who has “lost their saltiness” is good at is being destructive. Jesus says such a one is only fit to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
When you consider all that the Lord has done for us, it is absolutely inexcusable for a Christian to regress in any way. To “regress” means to “return to a former or less developed state”. Before our conversion, we were not the salt of the earth. Once we turned to Jesus we became the salt of the earth. Jesus wrought a great change in our lives and we became “salty saints”. As such, we are able to have a positive impact on Christ’s Kingdom and a preserving impact on the world around us.
Tragically, many Christians have returned to their former manner of life. They have returned to the things of this world and as a result they have become like salt that has lost its flavor. When a Christian becomes “tasteless”, he or she is no longer effective in the world around them. This type of regression (though common) is inexcusable. Especially when we consider all of the many things that the Lord has done for us.
The blessings experienced in the Christian life are immeasurable. However, the preceding verses give us ample reasons why we should guard against losing our “saltiness” as followers of Christ. In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that those who belong to Him are part of His eternal Kingdom (v3). He has provided us with comfort (v4). We will inherit the earth (v5). We have been filled with righteousness (v6). We have received mercy (v7). We are allowed to see God (v8). We are called children of God (v9). We have also been promised an eternal reward (v12).
With all of these blessings comes the responsibility of being “the salt of the earth”. Our Lord is worthy of our obedience and devotion. Anything less is an inexcusable regression. If you are a part of Christ’s Kingdom, there is AN INESCAPABLE REALITY; you are the salt of the earth. As such, there is AN IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY, you must live in such a way that glorifies God, impacts the world for Christ, and retards the corruption of this world. And you must not ignore the sobering warning that Jesus provides in this verse concerning AN INEXCUSABLE REGRESSION. I pray that you will grasp what a tremendous honor and responsibility it is to be “the salt of the earth”.
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