Sunday, July 17, 2011

Salt

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. Matthew 5:12-14

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6


Lately, I have heard the idea of "being salt" to the world thrown around by Christians. Without exception, it is in the context of disapproving of something. Abortion. Girls in short skirts. Homosexuality. Voting Democrat. When it is suggested that perhaps the person doing the opposing is wrong, the defense is always the same: We're supposed to be salt in this world.

So I got to thinking about it. What is salt? What does salt do?

Salt is a preservative. Salt keeps things usable; keeps things like meat from rotting.

Salt is valuable. It was even used as money in the ancient world. In the Old Testament, there are references about salt's symbolism to the Covenant with God.

Salt is flavorful. It makes the food of bad cooks palatable. It adds a good flavor and aids in chemical reactions to make delicious dishes.

When a Christian is concerned with being salt in his or her world, they should be concerned about preserving relationships, not destroying them. They should recognize that their words are valuable and not cheapen them with any sort of falsity or vanity or stupidity. And most of all, they need to remember that salt is used to make our food taste better; to be more enjoyable. Words intended as "salt" should taste good. They should draw the hearer to the Truth, not push him away.

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