Salt and Light

Being a Christian is not just a free ticket to heaven; there are real responsibilities that come with the privilege. Jesus left the future of the world in the hands of His chosen people. He said:

13 Ye are the salt of the earth:  but if the salt have 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.   14 Ye are the light of the world.   A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.   15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;  and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.   16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  (Matt. 5:13-16)

Christians are to be both salt and light. As salt, they are told to preserve what is good and prevent moral decay. When left to itself, the world does not get better, nor does it stay the same; it putrefies, as does meat without salt or refrigeration. When Christians lose their saltiness, the world grows more and more wicked as time passes. Eventually it turns on them and seeks to eradicate the faith altogether. We are seeing this taking place before our eyes today.

As light, Christians are to display the truth so that the world can see what is real and discern between good and evil. Salt preserves while light gives direction. Salt corrects while light instructs. Salt is negative while light is positive (mostly). This twofold action of salt and light to retard evil and promote godliness works to bring this world from the chaos it was in Christ’s day and is today to what it must become before He returns (see John 3:17 with Acts 2:34-35).

Christians being salt and light is not just about making this world a little bit better place to live; nor can it be limited to evangelism; it’s about fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission and restoring this world to what it was before sin entered and made it the corrupted mess it is today. As Christians work to bring the environment closer to God’s standards, the Gospel message becomes more effective and the process accelerates. The long-term goal is a Christian world (Matt. 28:18-20). This cannot be realized in a single generation but Jesus asks each believer in each generation to contribute to its eventual realization.