“Salt of the Earth:” the Good…and the Bad! (Part 1 of 2)
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” Matthew 5:13.
Having come to faith as an adult without a Bible background, everything was new in my early years. Discipleship in a conservative evangelical church included the doctrine of eternal security for those who placed their trust in the Messiah.
As with anything we’re taught, reality hits when our beliefs are challenged. I became friends with a coworker, a strong believer from a different theological background. We had many fascinating conversations about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and other subjects. He did not believe in the security of the believer and challenged me with many verses while seeking to validate his view.
The verses about salt losing its saltiness and becoming worthless were the only ones that completely stumped me. And in more than thirty years, I did not find a really good explanation. Taken at face value, the passage does appear believers could fall to the point of worthlessness and be thrown out of the Kingdom.
God didn’t reveal the answer until one year we visited Israel. During one part of our visit, our guide was talking about the Dead Sea. He made the point the water in the Dead Sea comes from the Sea of Galilee. Now, the interesting thing is, the Sea of Galilee is actually fresh water. The only difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is that the Dead Sea has no outlet, and so as the sun evaporates the water, the minerals are left behind making the Dead Sea salty.
It was an “aha” moment. None of the Bible verses say salt cannot be made salty again. They ask HOW can salt be made salty again. The same salt that is in the Dead Sea is also in the Sea of Galilee, but it so diluted it is tasteless. In the same way, we don’t lose our saltiness. We simply become so diluted by the things of this world, we become tasteless and therefore “worthless salt.”
It is true my usefulness for God diminishes as I’m drawn into the things of this world. I may become “tasteless” and thus not give others a thirst to know God. But thankfully our salvation is not based on personal performance but faith in Messiah’s atoning sacrifice.
But as grateful believers, we want to be useful; for that we must regain our “saltiness.”
How does that happen? Just as the sun evaporates the water in the Dead Sea, so too must the Son of God evaporate the world from us. We never lose our intrinsic value, but our practical value is only brought out by the Son (Messiah Jesus) continually “evaporating” the things of this world from our lives.
A recent YouVersion devotional study used the salt metaphor to illustrate influence. I’m not sure why, but my salt interest was piqued anew and I reviewed every concordance reference with the word salt. In doing so, I encountered the usual, and familiar oft-taught, precepts. What was intriguing is I encountered an aspect I don’t remember ever being taught, nor personally considered….
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the blog to read what I encountered!
Written by Steve, LIFE Administration Staff