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Articles
Salt of the Earth
“You are the Salt of the earth; 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.” Matthew 5:13
Saying that people are “the salt of the earth” has come to just mean they are good and honest people. When Jesus coined the phrase, however, He had a much higher ideal in mind. He just finished going through the beginning part of the sermon on the mount, which we often refer to as the beatitudes. The beatitudes describe an upside-down way of looking at life. By embracing these teachings of Jesus and becoming “the salt of the earth,” we become a distinct and powerful influence on the people around us.
You are the salt of the earth if you remain humble (Matthew 5:3-5). In a society that promotes individualism and self-reliance, Jesus teaches us to rely on Him. Humility does not mean you have low self-esteem. On the contrary, Christians should be the most confident people on earth, because our strength is found in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10)! Humility means we acknowledge our need for God because of our personal shortcomings.
You are the salt of the earth if you pursue righteousness (Matthew 5:6-10). Life as a citizen in the kingdom of God means your goals in life are completely different than the goals of an unbeliever. While children of God still pursue things of this life - degrees, careers, promotions, etc. - how you pursue your goals matters. The ends do not justify the means. At the end of the day, your greatest pursuit must be the pursuit of righteousness, which is to say the pursuit of heaven (Matthew 6:33). When your pursuit of something else runs contrary to your pursuit of righteousness, you yield to righteousness.
You are the salt of the earth if you stay committed (Matthew 5:10-13). Make no mistake, citizens in God’s kingdom often have a bad reputation from those of the world. We are called “hateful.” As it turns out, Satan does not like it when you humbly pursue righteousness, so he smacks your hand and says “don’t do that” by way of persecution. However, you are the salt of the earth, which means you are committed to serving God no matter the cost. If you are being persecuted for righteousness sake, that just means you are being righteous! Keep it up! Commitment to righteousness, even in the face of persecution, distinguishes you from those around you.
The world needs your influence. Satan wants you to believe you cannot make a difference. If he can get you to believe that lie, then he has rendered you useless. If you allow your salt to lose its saltiness, Jesus said in Matthew 5:13 it is “no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” Stay humble, stay righteous, and stay committed. As a Christian, you have a divine purpose to be the salt of the earth.
