It Needs More Salt

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.
-- Matthew 5:13 KJV

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
-- Luke 14:34-35 KJV

Jesus said that we (Christians) are the “salt of the earth.” Over the years this phrase has become somewhat cliché, but have you ever really thought about what He meant by this?
Salt has played an important role throughout the history of man. It serves many purposes, including:

1. Adding Flavor – This is the most common use today. Job 6:6a says, “Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?” To a lost world, the Christian lifestyle is considered unsavoury. Who wants to give up all the things they enjoy? As Christians, we add flavor by being examples of how enjoyable the Christian life can be. If we lose that flavor, or the joy in our Christian walk, the world sees this as proof that their assessment of Christianity was right and “cast it out.”

2. Preserving – Before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat. As Christians, we preserve the world because while we are still in it, the Holy Ghost is in it too, dwelling inside us. Once that presence is gone, then there will be tribulation unlike anything the world has ever seen. As 2 Thessalonians 2:7 says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” According to the 1828 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, the word “let” in this passage is defined as “To retard; to hinder; to impede; to interpose obstructions.”

3. Cleansing – A common home remedy for a sore or scratchy throat is to gargle with salt water. There are many other remedies and cleaning tips involving salt that I won’t go into here, but a search on Google for “salt cleansing” produces a wide variety of results. As Christians, we cleanse the world by taking a stand against wickedness and working to overcome it. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”

4. Irritant – Salt can also irritate when it is in contact with a wound. As Christians, we tend to irritate those who are caught up in sin. You can see a good example of that by clicking here. Luke 6:22-23 says, “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” As Kent Hovind has said, “If you’re not irritating somebody, you’re not doing it right.”

One final thought: Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. Does the Bible have anything else to say about salt? Leviticus 2:13 says, “And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.” All the tithes and offerings you can give in your whole life will not amount to anything if you do not give of yourself.