Never too much salt: Matthew 5:13

What an incredible truth for Christians: "You are the salt of the earth". It does not say you are commanded, not you should be, but you are. Also notice that it says that we are the salt of the earth not our food, like we use it for. In our common usage of salt we have it as an ingredient or a seasoning. However, in Jesus' context He was referring to it as a preservative. So with that in view, let's consider how we fulfill that role.


Going back to Jesus' sermon introduction with the Beatitudes, we see the realities of what a Christian looks like, one who is a citizen of God's Kingdom. This list of eight characteristics show us one who is counter cultural and counter religious. So from His introduction, He says naturally of the "Blessed ones" that they are the "salt of the earth". You who are: poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger in thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and the persecuted, you are the preservatives of the earth. Not you in and of yourself, but you who have been changed by the Gospel. You are the change agents in your culture, the ones who change the climate of the situation that you find yourself in. Because you realize the power of the Gospel. The power of the Gospel is that you who were full of guilt brought by your sin, were at enmity against God, so for you to have any hope of surviving a price had to be paid. This price that you could not afford because of your sin, was righteousness, God showed us grace and paid that price for us through Jesus.


So for us to be these preservatives we must remember what the Gospel has done for us and instead of making it a religious outreach leading with condemnation, we need to show through the same grace in which we have received how they can be preserved to.