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
6:35-58). So, if we preserve the word of
God (the bread), we maintain, uphold, obey, continue in, protect (safeguard)
and defend it.
So, with that understanding, if we are the salt of the earth,
and the salt has lost its taste, what would that look like today? Would it not
mean that we, the salt, are no longer preserving, maintaining, upholding,
obeying, continuing in, and safeguarding and defending the word of God? And we
personally are not growing in our walks of faith, and we are not loving the
Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? And perhaps we have lost all
discernment and spiritual awareness and sensitivity, too.
This is definitely a serious issue in the church today. So
many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ are not living holy, godly, and
upright lives to the glory and praise of God. But they are living just like the
world, or not much different from the world. So they have lost their saltiness,
if they were ever salt to begin with. And many of them never were salt because
their salvation was based in the teachings of man and not in the gospel of
Jesus Christ, in truth. And many who were salt have since lost their saltiness.
For it appears that the majority of those professing faith
in Jesus Christ in America are living worldly lives and their lives are not
sold out to Jesus Christ, but they are convinced that Jesus’ sacrifice for our
sins was merely to forgive them their sins and to promise them heaven when they
die, but that how they live will not impact their eternal security. And so many
of them are just not serious about following Jesus wholeheartedly and so there
is not much of a distinction anymore between the world and the church.
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.
Nonetheless, as mentioned in the previous section, many who
profess faith in Jesus Christ, at least here in America, are not the salt of
the earth. And they are not the light of the world, because their faith in
Jesus Christ is based in the teachings of man, and not in the teachings of the
Scriptures. Or if they were light, they have since hidden that light and they
have compromised with the world to be liked by the people of the world and to
avoid persecution, and/or so that they can continue in deliberate and habitual
sin without conscience, without remorse, and with the false hope of loss of
punishment, too, and heaven still guaranteed them when they die.
But we, the body of Christ, his church (not the
institutional church) are to be the light of the world. But we can’t be the
light of the world if we are not actively following the true light, Jesus
Christ, and his word, and his righteousness and holiness. If we are not obeying
the true light we cannot be the light of the world. And especially if we are
still walking in darkness (sin, wickedness), we cannot be that light, for the
light in us is darkness.
But if we are that light, and if we are letting that light
shine before others, that means we are walking according to the Spirit and not
according to the flesh. We are dying with Christ daily to sin and to self, and
we are following him in obedience to his commands. And we are saying, “No!”, to
ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and we are living self-controlled, upright, and
godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return, in his power and strength (Romans
6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-26; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:17-24).
But it should also mean that we are sharing the truth of the
gospel of our salvation with the people of the world, and with worldly
professers of faith in Jesus Christ, and with the church, as a whole, for not everyone
is being taught the truth or all the truth of the gospel, but many people are
only hearing half-truths and diluted and altered gospel messages. And so we
need to be those who are teaching the truth and who are exposing the lies for
what they are, for many people are being deceived by charlatans.
The Truth is
(Speaking of Jesus Christ): “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24 ESV).
And he (Jesus Christ) said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:23-26; cf. Matthew 7:21-23).
Pray,
Pray, Pray
An
Original Work / September 6, 2012
Based
off Various Scriptures
Pray that eyes may enlightened be,
So they may know Christ.
Pray that they may Him better know,
Strengthened by His pow’r.
Pray that they may grasp
How wide and long
And high and deep
Is Christ’s love.
Pray that they may be filled
To the fullness of God’s love.
Pray with thanksgiving.
Pray for an open door for me,
So I may share Christ.
Pray when the gospel is proclaimed –
Shared with clarity.
Pray words are given me so
I declare the gospel fearlessly.
I pray for you to be active
Sharing your faith, too.
Pray continually.
We oft not know for what to pray,
So we ask for help.
The Spirit intercedes for us –
Words cannot express.
Just keep on praying for the saints
With all kinds of requests to God.
Pray they may have faith to
Please their God in ev’ry way.
Pray with joyfulness.
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