Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-15

If you have been a Christian for very long at all, you have probably heard the term “salt and light” used to describe Christians. But so often, we take the simple, condensed statement and bandy it about, not taking time to think deeply about what Jesus actually said, and what it means for our daily lives.

So, what about salt? And what does it actually mean to be “salty” for Jesus? (Spoiler alert: it’s pretty much the opposite of what the world means when it describes someone as “salty”) Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 5:

“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.”(v.13)

In a sense, this statement is less a description of how to be “salt” as it is a warning not to lose our flavor. Think about this for a moment: what does salt taste like? If the only adjective you could come up with is “salty,” you’re not wrong. But what would you do with a batch of salt that didn’t taste salty? Would you add it to your food? Probably not. In fact, salt minus its salty taste would be just as Jesus describes it: useless, good for nothing but treading under foot. (That last phrase always makes me think of the salt people put on icy sidewalks to make them thaw.)

So, what is Jesus’ point here? As the saved in Christ, you and I are salt. We aren’t being told to become salt, or take on more salty flavor—we already are the salt of the earth. What we need to do is stay salty, to keep our flavor. To illustrate this further, Jesus likens us to light:

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on an candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (vv.15-16)

Just as light is seen—and is there for the purpose of being seen, or perhaps more accurately, for people to see by, even so, the saved in Christ are to be seen by the world around them, and to be the means by which others see God.

Of course, it’s not just how we look on the outside—although that is the most obvious part of what people see. 1 Samuel 16:7 highlights the truth that people see the outside, and God sees our hearts. In terms of being light, it is crucial for our outside to reflect the inner light of Christ that should be changing us day by day to be more and more like Him—inside and out!

When I think of light, this passage from 1 John always comes to mind:

“This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1:5-7)

Dear Reader, are you saved? Do you have fellowship with God? If so, then your life should be characterized by His light. It’s not just about putting on an outfit, or doing some ritual good deeds—it’s about being Christlike, from the heart outwards. That is what Jesus is talking about here in Matthew 5: good deeds, yes, but good deeds that point to God and cause others to glorify Him.

So, how’s that going? What is the Holy Spirit convicting you about or calling you to do today so that the light of God can shine brighter through you?

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:15