Salting the World

Our nation needs us. Jesus said that His disciples are the only preservative agent (salt) on earth. Our country is spoiling and wasting away. Actually, the stench of our land has been getting stronger for some time. May the life of Christ in us revive and our salt restore a decaying world.

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

In the ancient world, salt was used for three purposes – seasoning, fertilizing, and preserving. Jesus may have had all three of these purposes in mind when He said, “You are the salt of the earth.” Whatever the specific analogies may entail, the overall point is clear. Jesus pronounced an endowment of global, cultural influence on a random group of uneducated, working-class, rural Galileans. If the Romans would have overheard our Savior’s words, they would have laughed for days.  Yet Jesus doesn’t seem to hesitate in His confident assertion that His disciples are the world’s sole source of blessing.  We remember that Jesus’ declaration was not only for the Twelve disciples, but for everyone who chooses to follow the Master. We, as Christians today, are the only hope for a needy world.

As we watch our society divide and scatter in disarray, we must not stand by idly. We must pray. We must give divine perspective. We must make peace. We must speak truth. We are the salt. Let’s step into this moment in whatever ways the Spirit leads us. Have you asked Him how He wants you to assert yourself in Christ?

But before we act boldly, Jesus reminds us to check ourselves before we seek to help others. Is our salt salty? Are we still poor in spirit, meek, pure in heart, peacemakers, and so on (Matthew 5:3-12)? Have we ceased to be the distinct people of God empowered by the Holy Spirit? 

Apparently, salt cannot lose its saltiness. It’s not chemically possible. So Jesus seems to be saying that we as His disciples can’t really lose our identity in Him, but the effectiveness of our lives can short-circuit. Our salt can lose its saltiness, not in reality, but in practice. This is why we need revival, everyday and across the nation.

Lord Jesus, You are the only perfect one. We are weak. We lose focus. We get weary. But You have appointed us and empowered us to be the salt of this earth in Your name, so fulfill Your promise. Make us salty. Make us effective. Revive us, again. Please Lord, come to us in all Your mighty power and do not delay. For Your glory and honor we pray, amen.

Agreeing with you in prayer,
Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D.
Director, Christian Union Day and Night