Salt of the Earth

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

In the time period of the Old Testament, salt was a precious commodity for life in an arid climate. It was often used for trade and its preserving nature was used as a symbol to seal covenants. Jesus would refer to his followers as the “salt of the earth.” They would become the precious life giving commodity for the world.

“It is to be noted that Jesus calls not himself, but his disciples the salt of the earth, for he entrusts his work on earth to them. His own work rests with the people of Israel, but the whole earth is committed to the disciples …. Jesus calls them the salt of the earth—salt, the most indispensable necessity of life. The disciples, that is to say, are the highest good.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For salt to be of any good it must come in close contact. Salt’s life giving properties can’t be realized from a far off. For us to be the salt of the earth we must be in close contact with those who do not know Jesus. We must be willing to get messy in the dark places of our neighborhoods.  No longer can the church focus on creating an outside community that is far removed from its neighbors. The church must be immersed in the community that surrounds it. No we should not condone or indulge in sin but we need to have strong relationships outside the church.  

As we live our lives in our communities we must remember it is salt that is the influencer. It is the salt that preserves and changes the taste. We are called to be the influencers of this world. I get the point of being relevant but it must be clear that we live our lives for Jesus and for Him alone. If we lose our influence, we have lost our saltiness.

To be Salt:

• Speak the positive – Let the Word of God be your confession. Declare the glory of God
• Love all we come in contact with. There will be times when we need to confront sin but we are not called to protest. We are called to share the love of Jesus with all – that really does mean ALL!

I wonder if we spent more time being the light instead of cursing the darkness, what might happen? – Glen Burris, President International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

• Live a life of both word and actions that are a witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He is the only way.
• Be actively involved in activities that will keep you in contact with those who don’t know Jesus.

“The grandest motive a person can have is that his or her manner of life will lead others to glorify God.” –  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Our life matters. Our good works speak loudly. Some will condemn us; however, others will be drawn to salvation in Jesus. We are the influencers and the salvation of others just may well depend on us.

We are called to be a precious life giving commodity

to our community.

The call of Jesus makes the disciple community not only the salt but also the light of the world; their activity is visible, as well as imperceptible. “Ye are the light.” Once again it is not: “You are to be the light,” they are already the light because Christ has called them, they are a light which is seen of men, they cannot be otherwise, and if they were it would be a sign that they had not been called…. They are the salt that sustains the earth, for their sake the world exists, yes, for the sake of these, the poor, ignoble and weak, whom the world rejects. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How will you live a life that influences others for Jesus (Salt of the earth)?

photo credit: Salt and pepper via photopin (license)

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About the Author: Jon Stallings

I am enthusiastic about helping others discover their purpose and grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is great to see their eyes light up at their “Ah Ha!” moment when they discover they were created for something more. My hope is that this blog will help encourage and inspire you along your way. Join the conversation and take the time to share with me your own story. I have been married to my beautiful wife Janice for over 30 years. We currently live in McDonough Georgia with our daughter. Our two boys have left the nest and we have two wonderful grand kids. Of course we cannot forget about our dog Bear.