Becoming Salt

Jesus to the World!
Terry R. Baughman

“Your lives are like salt among the people. But if you, like salt, become bland, how can your ‘saltiness’ be restored? Flavorless salt is good for nothing and will be thrown out and trampled on by others” (Matthew 5:13 TPT).

The effectiveness of salt as a seasoning is unmatched. Just the right amount of this basic staple in cooking brings a bland dish to life. With just a dash of salt, flavors bloom like flowers in springtime. Jesus taught, “Your lives are like salt among the people.” We are to affect our surroundings with an awareness of life previously unnoticed. The impact of Christianity should be a positive revelation of new possibilities. 

While many seasonings grow less effective over time, salt is a stable seasoning that does not support microbial life and therefore does not lose effectiveness. There is no expiration date to salt. When Jesus spoke about salt losing its saltiness, it was really a warning to the Christian that ceases to be salt any longer. If salt is not salt, it’s just sand, or an abrasive element! Christians who cease to be like Christ, have ceased to have a positive effect on those around. They become abrasive and will be discarded from relevance like so much sand or dust. 

The saltiness of a Christian is to bring an awareness of life and flavor to others’ existence. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJ). We are to be agents of change in our culture. There must be a different taste when the Christian appears. If we fail to make a difference in our world, we have lost our effectiveness. We are no longer salt.

In the context of the Beatitudes, Jesus warned His followers of persecution. However, He pronounced blessings on those who suffer for His sake. The unexpected result of opposition is that we can be joyful in adversity, even rejoicing in times of persecution. The Passion Translation said, “How ecstatic you can be when people insult and persecute you and speak all kinds of cruel lies about you because of your love for me! So leap for joy—since your heavenly reward is great. For you are being rejected the same way the prophets were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12 TPT). Rather than experiencing despair over adversity, we are encouraged to “leap for joy” because of our identity with the prophets who suffered persecution before us. 

Jesus immediately identifies His followers as salt among the people. While this metaphor is often taken in isolation, in the context it is associated with the persecution and adversity we will experience as a Christian in the world. Maybe our saltiness should be measured by the amount of adversity we have experienced. Can we be salt if no one notices we are different? How will they know the Savior if they have not tasted the savory salty seasoning?

There is a difference in being salt and being abrasive. Although salt is an abrasive when used in cleaning, it can also be healing to the wounds and a prevention of infection. Some seem to believe their Christianity is proven by their abrasion, however, Jesus emphasized the flavor of the seasoning rather than abrasive properties. If our salt causes unbelievers to ridicule us because of our Christlikeness, we can rejoice in that. True joy comes in an indistinguishable identity with Jesus! 

Theme passage:
“We are ambassadors of the Anointed One who carry the message of Christ to the world, as though God were tenderly pleading with them directly through our lips. So we tenderly plead with you on Christ’s behalf, ‘Turn back to God and be reconciled to him’” (2 Corinthians 5:20 TPT).