Matthew 5:13 KJVS
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has 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.
The context of this verse in Matthew 5 sits within the sermon on the mount, where Jesus pulls his disciples aside and teaches them about the ways of the Messiah. About being blessed for being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, hungering for righteousness, being merciful and pure in heart, and being peacemakers. Then, in verses 10-12, Jesus spoke of the disciples being blessed for being reviled, persecuted, and lied about. And he compared them to the prophets which were before them. The prophets before them [Elijah, Jeremiah, & Isaiah, to name a few] were offensive and salty. Their very message (and life) attracted persecution, and Jesus was preparing his disciples for the same treatment.
You Are The Salt
Jesus told his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” And, as disciples of His disciples, we, too, are the salt of the earth and should anticipate persecution. No, we should not seek it. But as Jesus mentioned, even while demonstrating the love of God, taking a stand for righteousness will earn us the wrath of mankind. Paul reinforced this thought when writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Jesus even warned about persecution within your own family in Matthew 10:35.
We obviously are not actual salt, so this begs the question: Why did Jesus use salt as an analogy? Salt is known to preserve, give flavor, hydrate, provide salt baths, and heal wounds. It can melt ice, make one thirsty, provide hydration, attract deer, and was considered a valuable commodity back in Jesus’s time. It is obvious Jesus covered the attributes of salt in his sermon from verses 1–13. But I believe this verse primarily focuses on the loss of its savour more so than us being the salt of the earth.
Saltlessness
Savour, in Greek, is moraine = to become insipid or without flavor. Latin = “not.” Tasteless, flavorless, bland, weak, watery, dull, lifeless.
Jesus warned against losing our savour, which implies that it is entirely possible for us to lose our saltiness, vigor, or life. But how is this possible? Isn’t salt, salt, regardless of what happens? How can it become anything different? After all, salt is primarily an influencer and is not easily influenced. However, outside factors can impact salt’s savour.
Pseudo Salt
Salt is also known as sodium chloride, NaCI. But, if you add oxygen atoms to it, it becomes sodium chlorite (NaCI02). It looks and tastes like table salt, but it is toxic and is nearly the opposite of table salt. Adding just one molecule changes it from a hydrant to a dehydrator, from helping digestion to causing nausea, lethargy, and intestinal irritation; it changes it from aiding in regulating blood pressure to reducing it to an unhealthy level. This reminds me of adding false teaching to orthodox teaching. For example, if you add baptismal regeneration, you have a works-based religion. Or, if you add easy-believism, universalism, or if you abuse God’s grace, you have an entirely different religion.
Entire cults have been created by adding this or that. Whether its Mormonism adding their super underwear, the book of Mormon, or teaching that Jesus and satan are brothers. Or the JW’s adding their own perverted version of the Bible, or redefining hell. Or the Roman Catholic church adding the Apocrypha, praying the rosary, Mariology, or abusing the eucharist. All of these are examples of adding an element to a mineral; it changes the dynamics of the mineral altogether. It perverts a grace-filled gospel to a works-based, cultish religion.
For this reason, the Bible repeatedly admonishes us to check and see if we are in the faith. Luke 11:35 encourages us to check whether our light within is darkness. And in 2 Corinthians 13:5, examine whether you are in the faith. It is entirely possible for someone to prophesy, cast out devils, heal the sick, do many wonderful works, and on judgement day, hear, “depart from me you worker of iniquity; I never knew you.” Matthew 7:21-23
Another way for salt to lose its savour is through dilution. Given enough outside influence, salt will lose its saltiness, succumbing to the sway. Water, for example, will quickly overtake the salt’s vigor by separating it from the other grains. After all, one grain of salt is worthless; it requires a united effort. Simply being around agitating influences will bring attenuation.
Salty Scriptures
1 John 2:15-17 KJVS
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Ephesians 5:11 KJVS
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
James 4:4 KJVS
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
1 Corinthians 15:33 NET
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 KJVS
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? [15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? [16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
We are called to be separate, holy, and peculiar people. Set apart from the world. Intermingling with the unfruitful works of darkness will eventually corrupt our minds and hearts. Worldliness deceptively creeps in through the TV, movies, advertisements, carnal music, sports, entertainment, or anything entertaining to our flesh. I have witnessed my grandchildren take after their grandpa, becoming dopamine addicts. It is idolatry! It is diluting our salt. It is restraining us from being used as the Lord intended us to be used!
Used Less Salt is Useless
If you don’t use it, nothing will be seasoned. After all, leveraging the salt within requires effort. You must open your mouth to offer the Lord’s biblical solution. Sharing the gospel necessitates communication, and according to 1 Corinthians 1:21, God chose the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Preaching is to be done by all, not just a pastor, evangelist, prophet, or teacher. If you are a disciple, you are called to share the gospel.
We don’t obey the great commission for several reasons, mostly pride. Pride prohibits us from making a fool of ourselves; after all, we all like to be liked. None of us enjoys feeling like an outcast. When we cannot adequately answer questions from unbelievers, it hurts our pride. When we encounter a person with a higher IQ, we proudly try to counter their arguments with more “intelligent” arguments (or, if you’re like me, you’ll attempt to make them look silly). Friend, the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. So go down as a fool! It’s better to be a fool for Christ than to be fooled by the devil, robbing you of the joy of spreading the gospel.
Discouraged Salt
Perhaps the most common reason salt loses its savour is due to discouragement. Matthew just finished writing the words of Jesus where he was speaking of persecution, where men revile you, persecute you, and lie about you. This type of discouragement can hinder the savour. It can bring in isolation, which inevitably invites false teaching or O2. It can drive us to hopelessness, which sends us to entertain the flesh, seeking some way to satiate our pain. It can hinder us from using the salt within out of hurt and depression.
The Solution
Jesus said in verse 12 to rejoice (be of cheer)! Be exceeding glad! There is a place where we can be so glad and overflowing with joy that the elation exceeds happiness. How can someone be utterly delighted about being reproached, persecuted, and slandered? By believing what Jesus said, “For great is your reward in heaven.” If we are focused on the earthly and worldly, yes, it will hurt. Our “kingdom” will come to ruin. But, if we focus, as Jesus was teaching, on the Kingdom of God, we can have the assurance that any loss or suffering we endure here will yield a great reward.
Resetting your purpose brings life back into perspective. It enables us to look beyond the unpleasant times we experience while maintaining our saltiness. Our rewards for maintaining holiness and righteousness are greater. Our prize for maintaining humility, empathy, mercy, purity, and love in the midst of the lost is not comparable to the worldly respect we may attain on earth.
Be encouraged and stay salty, my friend.
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