Salt of the Earth

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus describes the Church as salt, light, a city on a hill, and a lamp on a stand. It is my conviction that if the Church of Jesus Christ will simply be who Jesus, the Head of the Church, says we are in these verses, we will fulfill the Great Commission and usher in the return of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

Knowing Who We Are

I want to remind you of a simple truth that we all know – what we do is the child of who we are. That is why the foundation for a church, a people, an individual doing the will and works of God is knowing who we are. That is the beginning place. There is no other foundation that can be laid. Trying to train a people to do the works of God without first laying this foundation in their lives is like building a house on sand. It can go up quickly, but it will fall just as quick.

The Church as Salt

There is a wealth of wisdom regarding who the Church is in this statement from the Son of God. There is a lot more than I can unpack in this post, but I want us to look for a moment at his first description of who the Church is – salt of the earth. The Church is the salt of the earth. Salt gives flavor. If you take a bite of something that is bland and rather tasteless, a dash of salt immediately adds flavor. The Church adds flavor to the world – the flavor of God. No other entity on earth has that ability; nothing else can add the flavor of its Creator to earth. Creation groans in agony for the flavor of God – the taste of God. Oh glory! Does that touch something deep within you? The taste of God. That is exactly what the Church gives to the earth and those who dwell within it… the taste of God. Without the Church the world is tasteless, therefore the people search in vain trying to find something to give flavor to their lives. The enemy, Satan, stands ready to serve his delights which taste sweet in the mouth, but turn bitter in their stomachs, binding them in sins, addictions, and bondages. He blinds them to the truth and sears their tongues, so they no longer notice the bitter aftertaste of all he offers. There is nothing that can satisfy the gnawing hunger deep within their empty soul but the taste of God. They desperately need to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” But how can they taste of the Lord? Only by the Church being salt. The Church alone has the taste of the Lord… but she must be that.

Impact of the Church Being Salt

The Church is the only thing that makes this world acceptable to God. Where a healthy, life-giving church is planted and growing that field is pleasing to the Lord. Blessing begins to flow out into everything around that church. It does not affect only those inside, but the community around it, because that church is being salt – not just inside the building, but in the community. Think of a church as a saltshaker, not a salt container! A church has a redeeming nature that affects the world around it. It releases the aroma of Heaven into the community where it is planted… if that church is being its purpose.

Salt’s Preservation

Salt preserves. The Church holds back the forces of evil and corruption in the world. Where the Church is absent, darkness is free to enslave and manipulate the people. Without the Church, the enemy would wreak havoc upon the earth transforming it into his twisted, distorted, perverted image. God would destroy mankind if there were no Church. The Church is the only thing standing between God’s judgement and His mercy for the earth.

The Church’s Role as Salt

So what does the Church look like when it is being the salt of the earth? I cannot express to you how happy I am you asked that vital question! Said simply, it looks just like Jesus did when he walked and ministered here on earth. He was the Church on earth. He was the Salt of the earth. Let’s take a very brief look at one chapter in Matthew’s gospel and watch the Son of God as he demonstrates what it means when we are the salt of the earth. Let’s look at a few verses in Matthew chapter 8:

1-4: Jesus heals a leper who came to him for healing.
5-13: Jesus speaks a word and the Centurion’s servant is instantly healed.
14-15: Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law.
16: Jesus heals a number of demon-possessed people.
18-22: Jesus teaches a crowd about the cost of following him.
23-27: Jesus calms a storm at sea.
28-34: Jesus sets free the two Gadarene demoniacs.

In that one chapter, we see Jesus being the salt of the earth. He added the flavor of God everywhere he went and in every situation. Where there was sickness, he healed. Where there was bondage, he set free. Where there was confusion, he brought understanding. He brought the flavor of God. The people tasted the Lord and discovered he is good. This was no organized, preplanned, formal outreach by Jesus Ministries Inc. It was the natural (supernatural) results of Jesus being the salt of the earth. He was simply doing life. Every morning, he prepared by having communion with his Father, through prayer. Then he went about his day. As he did, he salted the earth. This resulted in changed lives and the will of God being done on earth, as it is in Heaven. That is who the Church is, and how we are to be as we move among our world. Where we find sorrow, give joy; where we find pain, give healing; where we find hatred, give love; where we find division, give peace; where we find bondage, give liberty; where we find hopelessness, give hope; where we find discouragement and fear, give courage.

The Challenge for the Church

We know, preach, and hear these things from the pulpits of churches across our nation, yet America has become a non-Christian nation in my lifetime. Churches are declining across our land. The average church in America has less than 65 people. In the 1950’s, over 50% of Americans attended church regularly. Today, that number is 31% and declining. The Church is viewed as irrelevant by much of America, and to a great degree it is. We are not being the salt of the earth. This may seem obvious, but sometimes the obvious goes unnoticed: We are not the salt of the Church; we are the salt of the earth. We are salt to the world around us, otherwise we have lost our saltiness. Jesus warned us about this. Listen carefully to his warning: “But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Salt that has lost its saltiness (its purpose) is good for nothing. Churches that have lost their purpose (saltiness) are, in the words of Jesus, “good for nothing.” God uses the lost of the world to trample underfoot a useless church. They have no use for it. A church that has lost it’s purpose has a form of godliness, without the power, the life of God present in it and through it to the world around it. Their altars are empty; lost souls no longer find a Savior at their altars; the sick find no healer; the bound find no deliverer. They are a hospital without any sick, only doctors, nurses and staff. What’s the use? They exist for themselves. They have forgotten the words of the Apostle Paul: “those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

Conclusion

So what should we do? Look again, and again, and again at the gospels account of Jesus’ ministry. Walk the dusty roads with him; watch as he heals the sick, casts out devils, and teaches the multitudes. But don’t just look at what he does, see why he does it. Being the salt of the earth means bringing the will of God to earth. And that is who we are and why we are as long as we are here. Forgive me for being so longwinded, but I actually only scratched the surface. Until the next time… may God overwhelm your life with not only the desires of your heart, but His.

Steve

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.