Salt of the earth

[Brother Mark]

A few thoughts on what it means to be the salt of the earth...

Matt 5:13-14

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
NASB

Mark 9:50
50 "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
NASB

Luke 14:33-34
34 "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?
NASB

I have often heard salt referred to as a preservative. But no where in this scripture does Jesus ever refer to the preserving quality of salt or to the purifying nature of salt! However, he does refer to the taste of salt or it's seasoning power. What could he mean?

In Colossians we have an answer.

Col 4:5-6
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt , so that you may know how you should respond to each person.
NASB

Salt is grace! Should we ever lose sight of grace, how then can then can we be used to show the world about God and his provision? Let our speech be seasoned with grace to encourage one another. It takes grace to be at peace with one another. "Have salt (grace) in yourselves and be at peace with one another". We cannot purify the world nor can we cleanse it. But we can show the grace of One who can!

How about some old testament examples...

Lev 2:13
13'Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt , so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt .
NASB

Any grain offering that is offered must have grace! We are wheat, and if we offer ourselves to God, then it must be through his grace. Without the grace of God, our grain offerings are no better than Cain's. (PS. For a very interesting study, check into the "covenant of salt".)

As our brother Job said...

Job 6:6
6 "Can something tasteless be eaten without salt ,
NASB

The Psalmist said "Taste and see that the Lord is good". If we are to encourage others to taste of the Lord, then they must see his grace (salt), else He will not be tasty! It is the mercy and kindness of God that leads us to repentance. Of course, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

And finally, if we reject the grace of God, what awaits us?

Ps 107:33-34

33 He changes rivers into a wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;
34 A fruitful land into a salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
NASB

Zeph 2:9
9 "Therefore, as I live," declares the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel,
"Surely Moab will be like Sodom,
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah —
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them,
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them."
NASB

If we reject the grace (salt) that is given to us through Christ Jesus, then like Lot's wife, we will be judged and turned into a pillar of salt.

Grace and judgment go together. They are two sides of the same coin. Either we will be salt to the earth as grace, or if we reject Christ and his grace, we will become a salt pit to be trampled upon without any taste.

Praise God that all who are in Christ, are in his grace. May our speech be seasoned with grace like salt. May the world see the grace of God in us so that they will never experience the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah and be trampled underfoot in judgment.

Blessings,

Mark

[walked]

Hi Bother Mark
here we are to disagree again.
God bless you brother!

Mark 9:50
50 "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

I see this as salt preserving peace between you and another
.................................................. ....................................

Col 4:5-6
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt , so that you may know how you should respond to each person.

I can see this as also preserving peace
.................................................. ....................................

Lev 2:13
13'Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt , so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

I see this as salt preserving the covenant (with all your offerings you shall offer salt) offerings sustain/preserve the covenant

[Brother Mark]

It is OK that we disagree my brother. For now we know in part and see in part. But one day, we will see in full and know even as we are known. Until that time, let us rejoice that we are brothers.

Blessings

Mark

[walked]

It is OK that we disagree my brother. For now we know in part and see in part. But one day, we will see in full and know even as we are known. Until that time, let us rejoice that we are brothers.

Blessings

Mark

Amen !

But, if you have time could you shed some more light on why you think the way about salt the way you do

[walked]

I can also see that Gods word telling christian to be the salt to the world would make the world more palatable for God to bear the taste of a wicked world.

So i would except a dual meaning since both jive with scripture

[Brother Mark]

I am more than happy to brother Walked. For me, there are several reasons. When Jesus states we are the salt of the earth, he often refers to flavor. Salt is only mentioned a few times in the new testament. Each time, he also mentions it's saltiness or flavor or seasoning. While it could be said that saltiness refers to something else, the first mention of it in Matthew says...

Matt 5:13

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?
NASB

This verse ties together the taste of salt with saltiness. Each verse indicates taste in some way.

Luke 14:33-35
34 "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?
NASB

It seems to me that our Savior was focusing on the savory or seasoning value of salt and not all the other scientific things that we know of salt.

I do think that the key though is found in the verse in Colossians.

Col 4:6
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt , so that you may know how you should respond to each person.
NASB

Here, Paul says that our speech should be seasoned with salt/grace. He compares salt to grace. With this verse, I think the idea of salt being grace is unlocked. Salt gives us a picture of what grace looks like to the world. Life is hard but grace makes life taste better.

Again, the verse in Mark to me, suggest grace.

Mark 9:50
50 "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
NASB

We see grace and peace tied together over and over in the scriptures. Paul wrote many letters and said "Grace and peace be to you...".

And finally, how can we have peace without grace?

Have grace in yourselves and be at peace with one another.

I hope this better explains my position. But having said all that, I have no problem with salt as a preservative as it is grace that saved me and grace that keeps me! It can make my life tasty to the world and if they see the grace of God in me, then perhaps they will accept Father God and all his gifts.

Blessings to you my brother!!!

Mark

[walked]

I think all that you said jives with scripture but, consider this is grace a preservative too...keeping us from wrath?

grace preserving us until He returns

grace preserving us from our sinful nature

also when salt loses its saltiness it cant be used as a preservative again either. The same go's for seasoning

Also salt was used as a preservative more so than a seasoning in the time of Christ and, in the old testament era.
Roman soldiers were paid in salt, do you think it was used by the soldiers to season their meat or to preserve it for long journeys or long stays at camps where provisions were not so available.
The soldiers also used it to barter for other goods to be used as a preservative or a seasoning by the merchants who would except their barter.

Ill concede that your points jive with scripture but mine also jive with scripture and mine also jives with history.

So maybe salt has a dual nature as used in Gods word?

[Brother Mark]

I think all that you said jives with scripture but, consider this is grace a preservative too...keeping us from wrath?

grace preserving us until He returns

grace preserving us from our sinful nature

also when salt loses its saltiness it cant be used as a preservative again either. The same go's for seasoning

Also salt was used as a preservative more so than a seasoning in the time of Christ and, in the old testament era.
Roman soldiers were paid in salt, do you think it was used by the soldiers to season their meat or to preserve it for long journeys or long stays at camps where provisions were not so available.
The soldiers also used it to barter for other goods to be used as a preservative or a seasoning by the merchants who would except that barter.

Ill concede that your points jive with scripture but mine also jive with scripture and mine also jives with history.

So maybe salt has a dual nature as used in Gods word?

Amen! Grace preserves us! Yes it does and for that, I am very grateful.

I think where I would disagree, is that salt does not preserve the world. For they have to have to receive grace from God for that to happen. Then they too can be preserved.

What really put fear into me about all of this was how judgment is the other side of grace. But what gave me joy was realizing that my grain offers (self sacrifice) must be sprinkled with grace! For all things are from him, through him, and unto him. It is only through grace that I can even offer a sacrifice unto him. "By the mercies of God I beseech you brethren to offer you bodies a living sacrifice...". Only by the grace of God.

Thanks for the discussion Brother Walked. I have enjoyed our interaction.

Blessings,

Mark

[walked]

Amen! Grace preserves us! Yes it does and for that, I am very grateful.

I think where I would disagree, is that salt does not preserve the world. For they have to have to receive grace from God for that to happen. Then they too can be preserved.

What really put fear into me about all of this was how judgment is the other side of grace. But what gave me joy was realizing that my grain offers (self sacrifice) must be sprinkled with grace! For all things are from him, through him, and unto him. It is only through grace that I can even offer a sacrifice unto him. "By the mercies of God I beseech you brethren to offer you bodies a living sacrifice...". Only by the grace of God.

Thanks for the discussion Brother Walked. I have enjoyed our interaction.

Blessings,

Mark

Ok i can agree to what you say here....

But,
When I said salt preserving the world...I meant it to mean (it is preserving the world from Gods wrath at the moment) because of the salt in His children on earth its delaying Gods judgement on earth. ...I hope that may have helped explain what I meant.

Peace to you also Brother Mark

[Brother Mark]

Ok i can agree to what you say here....

But,
When I said salt preserving the world...I meant it to mean (it is preserving the world from Gods wrath at the moment) because of the salt in His children on earth its delaying Gods judgement on earth. ...I hope that may have helped explain what I meant.

Peace to you also Brother Mark

OK. I like that way of thinking better. God delays wrath for 10 righteous people. He delayed the flood until the ark was built. I'm feeling ya!

Blessings,

Mark

[justsurfing]

A few thoughts on what it means to be the salt of the earth...

Matt 5:13-14

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
NASB

Mark 9:50
50 "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
NASB

Luke 14:33-34
34 "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?
NASB

I have often heard salt referred to as a preservative. But no where in this scripture does Jesus ever refer to the preserving quality of salt or to the purifying nature of salt! However, he does refer to the taste of salt or it's seasoning power. What could he mean?

In Colossians we have an answer.

Col 4:5-6
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt , so that you may know how you should respond to each person.
NASB

Salt is grace! Should we ever lose sight of grace, how then can then can we be used to show the world about God and his provision? Let our speech be seasoned with grace to encourage one another. It takes grace to be at peace with one another. "Have salt (grace) in yourselves and be at peace with one another". We cannot purify the world nor can we cleanse it. But we can show the grace of One who can!

How about some old testament examples...

Lev 2:13
13'Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt , so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt .
NASB

Any grain offering that is offered must have grace! We are wheat, and if we offer ourselves to God, then it must be through his grace. Without the grace of God, our grain offerings are no better than Cain's. (PS. For a very interesting study, check into the "covenant of salt".)

As our brother Job said...

Job 6:6
6 "Can something tasteless be eaten without salt ,
NASB

The Psalmist said "Taste and see that the Lord is good". If we are to encourage others to taste of the Lord, then they must see his grace (salt), else He will not be tasty! It is the mercy and kindness of God that leads us to repentance. Of course, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

And finally, if we reject the grace of God, what awaits us?

Ps 107:33-34

33 He changes rivers into a wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;
34 A fruitful land into a salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
NASB

Zeph 2:9
9 "Therefore, as I live," declares the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel,
"Surely Moab will be like Sodom,
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah —
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them,
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them."
NASB

If we reject the grace (salt) that is given to us through Christ Jesus, then like Lot's wife, we will be judged and turned into a pillar of salt.

Grace and judgment go together. They are two sides of the same coin. Either we will be salt to the earth as grace, or if we reject Christ and his grace, we will become a salt pit to be trampled upon without any taste.

Praise God that all who are in Christ, are in his grace. May our speech be seasoned with grace like salt. May the world see the grace of God in us so that they will never experience the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah and be trampled underfoot in judgment.

Blessings,

Mark

It's a good word, Mark.

There are many ways that the Lord quickens scripture...

I was thinking about our words being full of grace.

The Bible says that even we, as Christians, can be motivated by flesh to speak in ways that are not of grace (don't we all err, there? ).

Then, we bite and devour one another... and the Bible says to be careful lest we destroy one another.

Now, no way would I ever believe we can lose a real salvation - and don't even want to talk to someone who says we can. Just don't want to go around with that attack from the enemy on a sure salvation and eternal life.

But anyway, we really can destroy people by not salting our words with grace.



It's probably "easier" to say things in reaction to people "in the flesh" on a less personal basis... than it would be in person.

Anyway, it's a good word and a good reminder.

God bless you!

Love in Christ,

js

[Brother Mark]

Thanks JS. I am often reminded that we can speak words of life or words of death. Jeremiah says that by God's power he created the earth. We know he spoke the earth into being so his power must be in his word. We are in his image. Our words have power! It is very, very important that we speak words of grace to each other. Thanks for the kind remarks.

Blessings,

Mark

It's a good word, Mark.

There are many ways that the Lord quickens scripture...

I was thinking about our words being full of grace.

The Bible says that even we, as Christians, can be motivated by flesh to speak in ways that are not of grace (don't we all err, there? ).

Then, we bite and devour one another... and the Bible says to be careful lest we destroy one another.

Now, no way would I ever believe we can lose a real salvation - and don't even want to talk to someone who says we can. Just don't want to go around with that attack from the enemy on a sure salvation and eternal life.

But anyway, we really can destroy people by not salting our words with grace.



It's probably "easier" to say things in reaction to people "in the flesh" on a less personal basis... than it would be in person.

Anyway, it's a good word and a good reminder.

God bless you!

Love in Christ,

js

[Teke]

There was an old custom of eating salt together, which meant loyalty.

Salt has a religious and sacrificial meaning. Every sacrifice to God was to be salted. And salt made the sacrifice burn better.

[Brother Mark]

There was an old custom of eating salt together, which meant loyalty.

Salt has a religious and sacrificial meaning. Every sacrifice to God was to be salted. And salt made the sacrifice burn better.

Yep! I think part of the significance of that is that sacrifice to God has to be salted with grace!

I have studied a little on the covenant of salt and that is an interesting study in grace. Perhaps it goes with the custom of eating salt together but I am unsure.

Thanks for the comments.

Blessings,

Mark

[ComeLordJesus]

It's a good word, Mark.

There are many ways that the Lord quickens scripture...

I was thinking about our words being full of grace.

The Bible says that even we, as Christians, can be motivated by flesh to speak in ways that are not of grace (don't we all err, there? ).

Then, we bite and devour one another... and the Bible says to be careful lest we destroy one another.

Now, no way would I ever believe we can lose a real salvation - and don't even want to talk to someone who says we can. Just don't want to go around with that attack from the enemy on a sure salvation and eternal life.

But anyway, we really can destroy people by not salting our words with grace.



It's probably "easier" to say things in reaction to people "in the flesh" on a less personal basis... than it would be in person.

Anyway, it's a good word and a good reminder.

God bless you!

Love in Christ,

js

After reading all these posts and the previous posts I am under conviction.

I spoke very sternly with my daughter(age 26) last Friday. I haven't seen her since. But she is always gone unfortunately with some friends that aren't good. She is living with us but hasn't been looking for a job for months. She hasn't been working at a job and leaves her doggie here for us to care for day after day without returning for days. She has her room a mess and just is using us as a hotel. We feel like doormats and fools. She is a Christian but not living as one I am afraid. ....so I told her so.

Her brothers know her friends and say they are drunks and do drugs. They are angry because she is taking advantage of us.

I hurt her by my words. My frustration and pride took over. I blew it big.

When should a Christian speak out??? We have been patient and slow to speak. We have been waiting for months for her get a job and straighten up. We dropped hints, given her money, encouraged her, etc. until I lost it verbally. I actually called her a bum and a mooch.

This thread must have been written for me to read today. I feel guilty.