Matthew 5:13 ESV
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”
Salt adds flavor to our food. Without it, food can taste
bland or be tasteless. Salt is also used as a preservative for food to make it
last longer. Metaphorically speaking, it signifies purification. And, in a figurative
sense, it can mean wisdom or prudence (good sense). And figuratively speaking, bread
is used to speak of Jesus Christ and his word, the gospel (John 6). So, if we preserve the word of God (the bread), we
maintain, uphold, obey, continue in, protect (safeguard) and defend it.
Thus, if we are preserving the word of God, that means we
are also preserving what it teaches, i.e. dying with Christ to sin and living
to Christ and to his righteousness, and in holiness, godliness, godly wisdom,
moral purity, faithfulness, and the truth. Thus, we are also preventing the
growth of corruption, godlessness, deception, wickedness and moral depravity. And
we do this by upholding God’s word, by living what it teaches us who follow
Jesus Christ with our lives, and by sharing the gospel with others.
So, if we have lost our saltiness that would mean that we
are no longer preserving and defending God’s word and moral purity, righteousness,
holiness, uprightness, honesty, faithfulness and obedience to our Lord. And
that would suggest that we have caved to the ways of this sinful world and that
we are now compromising truth and righteousness in order to be liked by other
people. And that makes us not much different from those who make no profession
of faith in Jesus Christ.
And, sadly enough, this is where many people are who profess
faith in Jesus Christ. And then they wonder why things are as they are in our
present world. It is because those who are supposed to be the salt of the earth
have lost their saltiness via becoming like the world, and therefore they don’t
stand out as holy and righteous, and they are not teaching others to be holy,
either. And then they are no longer good for anything. For they are useless for
preserving righteousness and moral purity and godliness on the earth.
And this is evident in the gatherings of the church and in
the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ in person with friends and
family, and on the internet, particularly on social media, and this includes many
pastors, too. How many, when they get together with their friends, family,
neighbors, and fellow Christians, whether at home or out in public or at a neighbor’s
house or in the gatherings of the church or on the internet and on social media
are being the salt of the earth in upholding the word of God by sharing it?
And how many are still teaching (sharing) the truth of the
gospel compared to how many, if they share anything, are sharing the cheap
grace gospel? Most are sharing the cheap grace gospel, whether or not they are
aware of it, because that is what is mostly being taught in the gatherings of
the church (or what is falsely called church) here in America. And this is
because it does not offend the people of the world and worldly Christians who
are wanting to continue living in their sins.
And then we have an outcry among Christians on social media
over various moral issues which are prevalent in our society, as they are
brought to the forefront, and then they wonder how we got where we are in this
nation. But then so many look to politicians to solve the moral dilemmas of our
society rather than look to God and then to their own selves to see how they
are living and what they are doing to spread and to preserve and to uphold the
gospel of our salvation and holiness and righteousness.
Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Light is Jesus Christ. Light is truth, righteousness, and the
revelation of God’s Holy Word. It is also moral purity, uprightness, and
godliness. It is all that is holy and good. And it is the gospel of our
salvation, which is Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. And it
is us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, and buried with Christ, and
raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness. And if we walk in that light then we are the
light of the world.
Light is the opposite of darkness, and darkness is sin,
wickedness, evil, and all that is opposed to God and to his holiness and
righteousness. And light is opposed to the darkness, and the darkness is
opposed to the light. Light not only exposes the darkness for what it is but it
shines a light on what is truth. It reveals truth. So, if we are the light of
the world, one of the things we are doing is sharing the truth in opposition to
the darkness and we are exposing the darkness for what it is in contrast to the
light.
Yet, if we are to be the light, and not just shine the light
for others to see, then we need to be the embodiment of that light. We need to
be holy people who are living righteous lives who are not deliberately and
habitually sinning against the Lord. We need to be those who are daily by the
Spirit putting the deeds of the flesh to death and who are walking according to
the Spirit in obedient walks of faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We
are not to be those who just talk the walk, but we are to walk the walk.
We can’t be like those who still walk in darkness. We have
to stand out from the world as different from the world because we are becoming
like Jesus. This is what holiness is. We can’t just blend in with the world and
share all the same stuff the world does, but we need to be those who are
listening to the Lord, to his Word, and to the Holy Spirit speaking truth to
our hearts. And we should be sharing the word of God and the gospel of our
salvation with our friends, family, neighbors and our fellow Christians, too.
And right now, in America, the internet is still pretty open
for us to share the gospel on various sites, particularly on blogs and on
social media. So, if we are really concerned about things like abortion and
marriage and morality, then we need to be sharing the Scriptures and the
message of the gospel with people on the internet because it is the truth of
the gospel, if people submit to it, that will turn their hearts away from evil
and to God. No politician has the power to conquer evil.
[1 Pet 2:9; Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Acts
1:8; Acts 26:18; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Col
3:16; Heb 3:13]
Oh,
to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics
by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music
by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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