Matthew 5:13 – ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Luke 14:34 – Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
We have been called to be true salt in this world. This concept, to some, doesn’t make full sense, because today when we have pure salt, it does not lose its flavor. For us to understand this idea fully we need to understand that salt during the time of Jesus was not as pure as ours now, because the refinement done today was not available then. During Biblical times, salt was relatively inpure and it contained a wide range of other minerals mixed in it, besides what we know today as sodium chloride which is salt. This salt also had different chlorides of sodium, which where potassium, sulfate, and magnesium. These minerals would dissolve faster than others. Depending on the strength or purity of the salt, it had more value and could also be used for preserving for it lasted longer than the impure salt.
On top of this, salt which was weaker could also be used for fertilizing the ground because of these other compounds mixed in them – sodium chloride was good and improved the fertility of the soil. When it was diluted with water and rain, this strong salt would become weak and turn into a powder-like compound which lost its flavor and preserving power. Since salt was used for so many things, it also was considered very valuable and even traded in place of money.
Now we can better understand what Jesus meant here with this metaphor. We need to preserve all, give flavor to all, and make the ground fertile.
Salt is good, as we see in Luke 14:34. In Matthew 5, it tells us that we are the salt of the earth: this is showing us that we must salt and fertilize the ground, that we must make the earth thirsty for God. We are here to salt, to give flavor to all, and to make sure we preserve what God has given to us. We need to realize that if salt loses its flavor it is no longer good for fertilizing, preserving what God has said to preserve, and to give flavor to what it needs to. Jesus said that it will no longer be good for anything, and it will be cast out and it will be trodden by the feet of men.
Matthew 8:1 – When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
We see here that when Jesus came down from the mountain that a great multitude followed Him, this is showing us that Jesus Christ was salt that made people desire and be thirsty for what He was saying. They laid an ear to every single word that He said. We to need to start being this salt for others to follow the word of God. We need to fertilize the Earth so that people will see there is a God. When we fertilize the Earth we expect and know there is a growth that will follow, for when we apply fertilizer it feeds the ground for the seeds to grow and be stronger. We see in Jesus’ ministry that more and more followed Him, apart from His disciples.
We see when Jesus was in His ministry that He never changed His ways; what I am saying is that His flavor never changed, for anyone, for all of them tasted the same thing from Him. We need to understand that the word of God is truth and stay true to it. The word of God has power to transform all.
Colossians 4:6 – Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye outh to answer every man.
We need to learn how to speak with salt, this means a flavor that makes others thirst for what we are saying. This will help us answer all men. We have all experienced many people that tell us to change one thing or another in our life, but they do it not from a loving place but with judgment and possible hatred towards us. In a way as if they are better or more holy than you. When we speak with grace and seasoned salt it will no longer be like that.
When we speak with this grace and seasoned salt it will show others that even when we let them know that something is wrong in their life, that it doesn’t come from hatred or with a judgmental attitude as if we are better. But they will see that it comes with loving judgment of discernment from what is visible in their lives. When we discern what is wrong in someone’s life based off the Word of God, we have judge that action as being wrong, but this type of judgment is a righteous judgment for it comes from the Word of God. We must speak that shows that you do care, that the Lord wants them to change for the word of God speaks against it. We speak with love and grace towards them, this is what a seasoned salt in our speech will show.
Philippians 1:21 – For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
One way you and I can show our salt is the way we believe in Christ, and what I mean by this is that if we understand that for us to truly live is living in Christ and to die is gain. This will show others a salt of preserving what we believe in and fertilizing the ground to produce more fruit. When others see that no matter what we go through that we are willing to live for Christ, and even possibly dying or actually dying, it will show others a hope in Christ that is not explainable for we will show that no matter what, we will follow Him. This will encourage others to live stronger for Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 – Abstain from all appearance of evil.
We need to preserve ourselves from this world. We should not join or be partakers of this world in anything. In this passage it tells us to abstain from appearance of evil. This is not just saying to stay away from evil, but also anything that appears to be evil in any way or sense. Anything that seems wrong or that can lead to us doing wrong, we must stay away from. Above, I was speaking about how salt can be diluted, by water or rain. This water or rain is indicating the world, that this world can make you dilute your salt.
When we start joining or becoming part of what this world does, then we will start slowly start diluting the salt to a point of not having any flavor or preservation power. When we start smoking or drinking with friends. When we start going to clubs or parties that are made for unbelievers, or speak and act and dress as they do, we start diluting our salt more and more into this world.
If we start diluting, at a point, we will no longer be someone that can fertilize the ground or preserve what God has given us because we are already twisting the truth with the world and the devil is pulling you down in a deeper hole. When this happens, the flavor of the salt will also be diluted and before you know it you will no longer give salt to anyone or anything and be further away from your God.
Conclusion
We have a warning in Matthew 5:13 that we must heed. It tells us that if we lose our salt that we are good for nothing and we will be cast out and be trodden under the foot of men. This is the same just as in Revelation 3:16, where it says to the church of Laodicea that because you are not cold or hot and because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Another is Matthew 7:19, where it says that a tree which does not produce fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire. We need to understand that a true faith will produce fruits and the salt will salt the world, it will preserve what God has put forth and give flavor to all. If we do not, it will bring us to a point of us being cast out of the body of Christ and men will crush over us for we have lost the salt that we should have been.
Remember this and become more like Christ through the Holy Spirit.
God Bless You