Seasoning the culture

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:14

Salt is important for it seasons the food. It makes the food taste better. The Lord Jesus Christ from the text is commanding His followers to live out their lives as seasoning in their culture. In this way, they would influence those around them to desire the relationship they have with God. Jesus wants His disciples to exert a powerful influence for good wherever we are. Since we are already influential, He challenges us to be a positive, and not a negative, force. Before refrigeration, salt also serves as preservative. In dry Palestine, meat could not have been kept without salt. Fishermen salt their catches; housewives salt their pickles. Its penetrating quality makes it ideal for use on icy roads and sidewalks. Its purifying quality is good medicine, as its use in salt-water gargles proves. Christians can influence others by preserving the best traditions and morality of their society. Their motive is to preserve lives by drawing people to the gospel. This is why they can never be contented with superficial living. Christ does not take the taste out of living. He makes it even more enjoyable. He does not encourage a gloomy, miserable existence. He inspires joy and challenges His followers to become infectiously joyful. There is radiance in Christian living that stands out in bold relief against the pessimism of the world that displays hope and encourages wherever it exists. If you have said “yes” to God when you surrendered your life to Him, then it follows that you also had said “yes” to Him to whatever constitutes abundant life. Our Christian lives should offer an exciting alternative to this world’s monotonous existence. This is possible because we have an example that we can follow, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings,