Matthew 13 – Salt of the Earth
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
Matthew 5:13
Are you the preservative, the flavor, the distinction of the Church of Christ?
Salt is basically good for two things: enhancing the flavor of food and preservation. If Jesus considers his disciples to be “the salt of the earth,” that basically means that we make the world flavorful for God, and thus preserve it (keep it in existence longer.)
Think about this, Christian. Your obedience to the gospel helps make this world more tasteful to God. He has delayed ending the world in order to give you and everyone else around you time to repent (2 Pet. 3:9-10). That’s how much he loves you.
There’s something else to consider, however. What do we do with food that has a taste of which we don’t approve? We first spit it out of our mouths, and then we throw it out. Do we want God to do that with us? If you are “lukewarm,” that is, a Christian-In-Name-Only, a so-called “disciple” who shows up at church on Sunday and lives a sinful, worldly life throughout the rest of the week, God will do exactly that: “spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). That’s why Jesus gives us that warning about being “thrown out” (Matt. 5:13b).
What kind of salt are you? The kind that makes this world tasteful to God and thus preserves it…or the kind that has lost its taste and is about to be thrown out? The choice is yours (Josh. 24:15).