Why Are Christians Called the Salt and Light of the Earth?
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- Updated Mar 10, 2023
Matthew 5 is a powerful chapter of Scripture where Jesus is describing the beatitudes. Then, Jesus goes into an incredible message to His followers. He tells them in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are salt and light. These are two very specific descriptions, and we should pay attention because they do not only apply to the disciples in that moment, but to every believer.
Why are Christians called the salt and light of the earth?
Why Salt?
Matthew 5:13 says, “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.”
Andrew Wilson from the Gospel Coalition teaches on salt. He shares about how salt is a very common item, and besides food usage, salt is part of the process of creating many goods, clothes, and products. Wilson shares that the exact meaning of “salt of the earth” is up for debate, since at that time there were five main uses in the ancient world: flavoring, preserving, sacrificing, destroying, and fertilizing. He says that the beauty of the salt illustration of Christ is that it can have all of these meanings.
1. Flavor
As believers, we are called to share the flavor of Jesus with the world. We desire to give them a taste of heaven and what forgiveness is through our words and actions.
Psalm 34:8 - “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
2. Preserve
We are called to preserve the message of the gospel and share it from generation to generation.
Luke 1:50 - “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
3. Sacrifice
We are invited to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the gospel to the world.
Matthew 16:24 - “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’”
4. Destroy
We are called to destroy the strongholds of the enemy by the power of the Holy Spirit and put on the full armor of God.
2 Corinthians 10:5 - “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
5. Fertilizing
As believers, we are invited into the work of God and called to join in the harvest of welcoming others to Christ. This means that we go with the message of hope to all kinds of people in all types of circumstances, trusting in the Spirit to work.
Matthew 5:37-38 - “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
Why Light?
Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Why light? Why would Jesus compare His followers to light?
We see so many places in Scripture that talk about the darkness of this world (Acts 26:18, Psalm 139:12, Ephesians 5:8). The enemy is working and there is darkness. Sin has infiltrated a once perfect world designed by God. Humanity fell in the garden and our sin separates us from the Lord. But praise be to our great Savior Jesus who came to rescue us. John 8:12 says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
What a beautiful picture that Jesus is the Light of the world and He calls us to shine His light like a city on a hill or a lamp shining bright in a dark room. The purpose of light is to expose the unseen by helping us to see clearly the truth and to help us move forward. Christ in us shines through His Holy Spirit and believers shine for Him in the darkness of this world. We reveal a small glimpse of the great Light, Jesus. When others see our actions and our good deeds, it helps them to know that the Savior exists, loves them, and He is One who deserves all of the glory.
Genesis 1:3 says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” When God created the world, the very first thing that He made was light in the darkness. This is significant. It foreshadows that once again God would come to us and recreate life in Him, the Light of the world. Those who believe in Him have full access to this Light and model Him wherever they go.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.” We are told by the Lord through His Word to imitate God and walk in love like Jesus. When we make daily choices to live by the Spirit, we show something special and different to those around us. We show them how Jesus would respond, not in our own strength, but with the help of the Holy Spirit. When people are used to being in the dark, a glimmer of light stands out immensely to them. Christ is calling us to be set apart so much so that we look different, we shine for Him.
It is an honor and a joy to be salt and light to the earth. We do this not in our own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. To God be the glory in our lives. May the world see Jesus today and every day through us.
More from this author
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Why Is Genesis 1:1 So Significant in Our Understanding of God?
3 Powerful Lessons from the Book of Jeremiah
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