Salt-Life: Living a Life Well Seasoned, Part Two

We continue our discussion on what it means to be “the salt of the earth” that Jesus said His disciples are.  In our last blog, we talked about why Jesus compared us to salt, what salt is, and how as followers of Jesus, we can be the salt of the earth.  Today we continue with 7 uses for salt and the warning from Jesus.

Did you know all creatures, including people, need salt to survive?  Even in nature, animals are drawn to natural salt sources to get essential minerals their bodies need.  Have you ever heard of a salt lick? For the human body, Salt maintains our fluid balance.  It is essential to our nerve and muscle function.  It controls our blood pressure and volume.  It’s a component of our tears.  It’s a component of our sweat.

One of my favorite quotes is from the author Isak Dinesen who said: “The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea.”

God made us bearers of His image and essential to this world He made.  Here are 7 of the many uses for salt and how they translate to us as His disciples.

1. Salt preserves. It preserves color in fabrics and clothing.  It preserves food by preventing decay.  Before refrigeration, salting was a primary source for preserving meats like pork and beef.  Vegetables were preserved by being pickled with salt.  As a believer, the work of the Holy Spirit in us allows us to stop the decay or corruption of others.  We have the truth that saves or preserves lives.  Jesus has given us His Holy Spirit, His power and authority to live in this world and make disciples.  We have the ability to keep the bread of life fresh in our lives, preserving it in all its richness and vibrant color to be able to share it with those around us.

 

2. Another use for salt, is that if used in the right amount can act as a fertilizer for the ground. Used in heavy amounts and applied carefully, it can be used as a weed killer and to kill slugs.  But if that heavy, concentrated amount is spread on a section of ground, it will kill the vegetation and make the ground infertile.

I remember when the “sea salt” food craze started.  15 years ago, we’d never heard of sea salt caramels, but that “just right” amount of sea salt added to caramel or to dark chocolate enhances the flavor.  Who knew?  I have a funny memory of when my son was around 14 or 15.  He had a buddy over for the night, and they wanted to make sea salt caramel popsicles.  I had all the ingredients they needed, and although I wasn’t home to assist, they assured me they could handle it.  I got home as they were putting the popsicles in the freezer to wait for them to freeze.  They were a lovely color of cotton candy blue.  They kept checking the popsicles until they were set.  The look of anticipation was priceless.  They each took a popsicle and tasted it at the same time.  The look on their face went from excitement to disgust!  They had put in too much salt on them and they were literally uneatable.  They had thought when reading the recipe that if a little salt was good, a little more would be even better – wrong!

How does this translate to us?  We can stand for and speak truth to those around us.  But if we are pouring out God’s truth without the fruits of the Spirit in our lives and without love, we can have the opposite effect.  Instead of fertilizing, we can kill the soil, and the ability to grow anything in the life of that person. Here are a couple of scriptures.

Ephesians 4:15 NLT “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

And I like how the Message Translation says it:

“God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything.  We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.”

1 Corinthians 13:1 TPT “If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal.”

You might argue that you sharing the Truth in a strong way with others is because of your love for them.  I would agree, but make sure you know what the bible says the love of Christ looks like.  We can find that in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 TPT:

“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.”

3. This ties in with another thing salt does, it burns open wounds. Have you ever had a cut on your finger and got salt in it while cooking?  Ouch!  Salt is a natural antiseptic.  Diluted to the right strength, it can disinfect and treat inflammation and irritation.  I’m sure all of us have gargled with warm salt water at one time or another to treat a sore throat or to prevent an infection after having a tooth pulled.  But have you ever heard the phrase, “To rub salt in an open wound”?  That translates to making a bad situation worse.  And it comes from a time when England’s navy disciplined its men with lashes of a whip.  To prevent infection, they would pour rock salt directly to the open wounds, and in a twist of cruelty they would rub the salt into the raw flesh to make a point.  The salt would still have healing properties, but it would be damaging and painful.  Speaking the truth in love can sting and cause momentary pain to the person we are talking to and even lead to the Holy Spirit convicting that person of their sin.  But speaking the truth without love and without the Holy Spirit’s direction and presence in our own lives would be like rubbing salt into an open wound.  We are to heal and not harm.  Always let the Holy Spirit be your guide.

 

4. Here’s another use for salt: it cuts through corrosion and built-up grime; like tarnish on copper or brass or the hard baked residue on iron skillets.  Using salt cuts through the gunk and polishes discoloration.  As the salt of the earth, we have the ability to cut through the lies of the enemy with the Truth.  We can restore the original shine of a person with the truth of who God says they are.  We can transform others by the good news of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  When the world lies, we show truth.  When the world hates, we love.  When the world judges, we don’t.  When the world is unjust, we strive for justice.  When the world is crazy, we bring peace.  We do all this, for the glory and honor of our God!

 

5. One of my favorite uses for salt is to season food to make it more palatable. Salt enhances taste.  Have you ever been hungry and looking forward to a delicious meal, only to take a bite and its totally bland, devoid of seasoning?  A well-seasoned meal leaves you feeling full, happy, and satisfied.  It can shift a mood and give comfort.  I bet most of us have a favorite comfort food, and its probably a well-seasoned dish our mothers used to cook for us.  As the salt of the earth, Jesus is calling us to bring out the different and amazing flavors of life to the world around us.  We are to give unique flavor to places that have none.  This is where our uniqueness is on display.  Some flavors hit your tastebuds immediately with a strong spiciness, some are more subtle.  Some are savory, some are sweet.  They are different flavors, but God uses them all to make the world a better place.  We are to be different – to love differently.  We are to improve another persons’ situation and enhance their lives by bringing that unique God seasoning.

 

6. If you add salt to ice, it melts it and creates safe passage on a roadway or path. The Spirit of Truth in your life and our ability to love like Jesus can melt the iciest of personalities.  And sharing your salt, can lead them to a path of safety and help them to walk the road of life with sure footed security.

 

7. Salt increases thirst. It’s no secret if you eat something salty, you are going to get thirsty!  One of those spiritual markers Jesus talked about earlier in Matthew 5 was “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied”.  He is our source for living water (John 7:38), the only water that will satisfy.  The more you know Jesus, the hungrier and thirstier you get to know Him more and He always satisfies.  When we share the Truth with others, they will get hungry and thirsty for what we have, and then we can lead them to the One who alone can satisfy.  As I was doing research for this message, I read a book about the history of salt.  On the back cover was the tag line: “Salt, the only rock we eat.”  Let that sink in.  Jesus is our rock, the chief cornerstone (Acts 4:11), and He is the bread of life we eat (John 6:35).  I thought it was such a powerful statement.

 

Let me take you back to the words of Jesus in our key scripture, Matthew 5:13.  He made a statement: “You are the salt of the earth.”  And then He gave a warning.  Let’s read it again.

“You are the salt of the earth. If salt loses its taste, how can it be made to taste like salt again? It is no good. It is thrown away and people walk on it.” 

 Or again in the Message Version:

“. . . If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.”

Can salt really lose its saltiness?  Pure salt has no expiration date.  If stored correctly, it will maintain its chemical make up for a long time, that’s why it was a symbol of endurance.  But if it is exposed to elements that alter its chemical makeup, things like moisture or other contaminants, the sodium chloride in salt can be leeched out or take on the properties of the contaminant, leaving behind something that still looks like salt, but does not act or taste like salt.  I read that in Jesus’ day, much of the salt the people had access to was not chemically pure.  It was usually piled up on the shore of the Dead Sea and other coastal areas where it was exposed to the atmosphere.  You had to make sure that the salt you got came from beneath the outer layers of those piles to make sure the salt was not contaminated.  You could end up with something that looked like salt but was useless and had to be thrown out. 

Likewise, as a pure disciple of Jesus, our ability to be salty does not expire.  But if we don’t protect the purity of our faith and our exposure to the things of this world that can water down or dilute the truth, or worse yet, allow sin to contaminate our salt, we might look the same on the outside but be utterly useless to the Kingdom of God.

To preserve our saltiness, we have to protect ourselves from being contaminated by the culture and atmosphere around us by constantly renewing our minds in the Word of God.  Romans 12:2 NLT reads:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Another way to preserve our saltiness is found in Jude 1:20-22 NLT which says:

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.  Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.”

James 1:27 AMP  “Pure and unblemished religion . . in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit and look after the fatherless and the widows in their distress, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the . . . world.”

We can help each other stay salty by building each other up in our faith and encouraging one another.  My friend Cheryl posted this on her Facebook page (I’m not sure wrote it):

“. . . if we are the salt of the earth and we lose our flavor, then we become useless.  We cannot improve anyone’s situation.  We can’t properly minister to others because we have nothing to say, nothing to offer.  We aren’t fulfilling our purpose.  We must strive to ensure we don’t lose our saltiness.  We must read and study God’s word and spend time in prayer so when the time comes when someone needs our salt, we will be ready.”

Colossians 4:6 NASB says:

“Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

I Peter 3:15 AMPC “But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.”

This is exactly why we are salt.

One more layer of the salt-life is found in Mark 9:50. Jesus makes a similar statement here to the one He makes in Matthew 5, with one addition.

Mark 9:50 NLT:  “Salt is good for seasoning.  But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?  You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves, and live in peace with each other.”

I like how The Passion Translation says it:

“Salt is excellent for seasoning.  But if salt becomes tasteless, how can its flavor ever be restored?  Your lives, like salt, are to season and preserve.  So don’t lose your flavor, and preserve the peace in your union with one another.” 

Peace and unity, this is an important part of the salt-life and one that the body of Christ can struggle with.

2 Corinthians 13:11:  “Finally, brothers, rejoice! Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

There’s an old Greek saying that “to have eaten a bushel of salt together” meant that you were old friends, bound by ties of hospitality, sharing something of value.

Even the philosopher Aristotle once said, “men cannot know each other until they have eaten salt together.”

Just as salt has symbolized enduring covenants throughout history, it also symbolized ties of hospitality, loyalty and friendship.  It is an old custom in many cultures to greet an honored guest with gifts of bread and salt.  Or to offer a gift of bread and salt to bless someone’s new home. In some cultures, sharing a meal of bread and salt between host and guest cemented a bond of loyalty and protection.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  There is one Lord, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.”

Ephesians 4:2-6 NLT

God’s call for unity in the Church is in verse after verse of the Bible.  Just like in any family, we can have our disagreements, but we are called to have peace.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, be joyful! Work to make things right with one another. Help one another and agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you.”

2 Corinthians 13:11 NIRV

We have to work at making things right, work for peace with our brothers and sisters.  All the qualities of salt that we have for the unsaved world are the same qualities we are to be to each other.  Jesus made it clear that the way we treat each other, speaks volumes to the world.  He said in John 13:34-35 TPT:

“So, I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”

 All this is what it looks like to live the spiritual salt-life.