what does it mean to be of the world

About 2,000 years agone, Jesus Christ likened Christians to a common salt, merely why? What does it really mean to be a salt of the earth? What is in the salt that teaches u.s.a. valuable lessons about our Christian walk? In this mail service, let usa take a deeper look at Matthew five:13 and find why nosotros are to be a salt of the earth and how to achieve this in our lives.

Imagine life without salt? The truth is, you can't even practise that because no human would be alive today without this of import chemical compound.

Sodium Chloride or better known equally salt in one case regarded as more precious than gilt. Living in this time and age, it would exist difficult for us to imagine how of import common salt is to the aboriginal world.

In the olden times, salt was a valued article that it is one time used equally a currency. Our modern English word, "salary" came from the give-and-take common salt. Not only that just today, salt is so important that it seems nosotros tin can't imagine cooking our food without this tasty seasoning.

However, did you know that around ii,000 years ago, our Messiah and Savior likened His followers to the common salt?

We read in Matthew 5:13:

" You lot are the table salt of the earth ; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? Information technology is and so good for nothing but to exist thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

How many times have you read this verse without actually stopping and thinking well-nigh its deep and profound meaning? You might be surprised, but this single verse is packed with thought-provoking lessons for all of us to acquire.

In this postal service, permit usa respond the question, "What does it mean to be a table salt of the earth?"

Do you want to know the answer? Read on!

Exercise you know what information technology ways to be a salt of the globe?

The dissimilar characteristics of salt

Information technology is interesting how Christ used the common salt to represent Christians. It gets more interesting when you expect at the physical and chemical properties of table salt and how it relates to our lives. Indeed, salt is among the best analogies Christ have used to teach us valuable lessons today.

Here are some of the characteristics of salt and how it teaches us to be Christians.

Common salt makes nutrient flavorful

The virtually common utilise of salt is to make our food tasty.

Take y'all ever sip a soup with no salt? I know, it's terrible, bland, and boring. Everyone has their preference, simply a lot of people would concur, that food is ameliorate with a sprinkle of common salt.

In the same manner, as the salt of the earth, Christians should exist the ones who give a flavor to this distasteful globe.

In a globe filled with bitterness, it is kind of refreshing that nosotros accept Christians who strive to make a change by doing God's work.

Our way of life should be pleasant to the "taste buds" of those people whom we came in contact with. When they see or think most the states, they couldn't say any evil toward us, just instead, praise our Heavenly Father.

Salt is valuable

In the ancient times, common salt is used as a currency. Its production at that time was legally restricted. Merely a few people tin accept them. Since salt isn't that mutual, it is used as bacon to laborers and currency for trading.

In the by, if you accept salt in your home, yous are considered to exist wealthy. Eating succulent food was amidst the luxuries rich people enjoy.

In the same manner, Christians are valuable to God. In Psalms 116:15, we read:

Precious in the sight of the Lord  is the expiry of his saints.

All throughout the Bible, nosotros run into how much God values us. We are so important to our Heavenly Begetter that He sacrificed His only begotten Son for our redemption (John 3:xvi).

Today, most people don't value common salt anymore since it has become a common household detail. In the same manner that Christians today are deemed often to be worthless past the gild. Thankfully, our worth isn't based on how people meet us but based on how God loves u.s.a. .

Salt heals

At that place's no hugger-mugger that going to the embankment and taking a dip to the water speed up healing of wounds. Salt has been seen to heal a lot of skin problems. A lot of bacteria are sensitive to salt and therefore, could hands be killed past it.

An interesting story can be read well-nigh how Elisha used salt to heal the water of one of the cities during his mean solar day. We read in II Kings ii:19-22:

So the men of the city said to Elisha, "Please detect, the situation of this city is pleasant, equally my lord sees; simply the water is bad, and the ground barren."

And he said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." So they brought information technology to him. And so he went out to the source of the water, and bandage in the common salt there, and said, "Thus says the Lord: 'I have healed this h2o; from it there shall be no more than expiry or barrenness.' " And then the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

This is a classic instance of how salt is used in healing, not just the body, simply also other inanimate objects such every bit water.

And then how does this chronicle to our Christian life?

Yahshua or Jesus Christ told us that we are the common salt of the earth. This means that nosotros are to serve equally a healing amanuensis to this pain, ill, and dying globe. Equally a matter of fact, nosotros are called to be peacemakers and aid heal broken relationships.

Through our deportment and words, we are to help others to recover from spiritual wounds.

Table salt preserves

Another property of common salt that it serves as a preserving agent. Throughout the history, we have seen how salt is used to keep food from spoiling.

The Bible reveals that we, equally Christians, like salt, must help in keeping this world from corruption and spiritual disuse. While of form it has already been prophesied that human will go more and more corrupt equally we approach the terminal days, we are still admonished to do our office in preserving moral standards and keeping God's ways relevant in today's lodge.

Virtually importantly, nosotros are to keep ourselves from spiritual rottenness. It is true that we tin can't change the world as it is now heading to destruction, but we can surely control ourselves. We must preserve ourselves and persevere as we become a salt to the earth.

Salt makes you thirsty

You might have eaten a bag full of chips. With the saltiness of that food, I'm sure you would look for h2o. Salt can dehydrate us. That's why it is non recommended for u.s. to potable table salt h2o. Instead of rehydrating us, it volition deplete the fluids in our torso and make united states of america thirsty.

As a salt, we must make people thirst for the spiritual water.  Jesus Christ exclaimed during the last mean solar day of the keen day of the Banquet:

"If anyone thirsts, permit him come to Me and potable. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).

We must thirst afterwards Christ as the deer pants for the water (Psalm 42:1). And it is non only u.s. who should exist thirsty, simply we must also cause a thirst in other people through our examples and influence.

Salt helps in biological function

Salt is vital for life. In fact, life won't exist without salt. Our torso tin't produce salt by itself and we must obtain information technology from an external source.

Salt plays a major role in our body's overall fluid rest and muscle contraction. Table salt also indirectly helps in the transportation of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

As Christians, our role in the globe is crucial. Without united states of america, no one volition perform the greatest piece of work on the face of the planet – the preaching of the Gospel (Be certain to read 10 Almost Effective Means to Preach the Gospel Today). Christians are called to deliver the life-giving bulletin of our Savior.

Salt tin can kill

Every bit a petty kid, I tried to kill slugs and snails with common salt. Indeed, common salt can kill these little creatures. I know it'south a harsh experiment, but it's an example of how salt can kill. Now, I'yard not advocating that you lot get out in that location and utilise common salt to kill slugs. I only want to use that an example.

Though table salt can requite life, it tin also take life. If y'all swallow too much salt, it tin lead to aridity and eventually death.

As Christians, we must kill our carnal self. Romans viii:13 tells us:

"For if yous live according to the mankind you volition die; just if by the Spirit you put to decease the deeds of the body , you will alive."

The Apostle Paul is but telling united states of america hither that if we are to live by the Spirit, we must deny the urge to sin and perform the deeds of the flesh.

When we starve our homo nature, we nurture the spirit in us.

During our baptism, we should accept already buried our old self and put the new man. Paul explains this betoken very well in Ephesians 4:22-24:

That you put off, apropos your old deport, the erstwhile man which grows decadent according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in truthful righteousness and holiness .

As the salt of the earth, we must kill our human nature and destroy all kinds of evil in our lives.

Nosotros are considered to be a salted cede

In the Old Attestation, as office of the sacrificial system of the Israelites, priests must flavour their offering with salt. We read:

And every offering of your grain offering you lot shall season with table salt ; y'all shall not permit the common salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offer. With all your offerings yous shall offering salt (Leviticus ii:13).

In the New Attestation, God, through the Apostle Paul, admonishes us to be a living a sacrifice. We read:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you lot nowadays your bodies a living sacrifice , holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Christ became the sacrifice once and for all by giving up His life for us (Hebrews nine:28). We are not to offering grain, lamb, balderdash, or any other animals. However, nosotros are commanded to offer our bodies to be a living sacrifice and part of that is to flavour ourselves with common salt.

Nosotros must exhibit the unlike backdrop and characteristics of salt mentioned above. As a living sacrifice, we must give flavor to this earth. We must exist a healing and preserving amanuensis. We must assistance other people seek out God and destroy spiritual rottenness in our lives.

This is what it means to be a salted sacrifice.

Our speech is seasoned with salt

Words are powerful. It can either break or build people upwardly. Paul recognizes the power in our words and thus, he implores us in Colossians 4:six:

"Let your speech always exist with grace, seasoned with common salt , that you may know how yous ought to answer each one."

Paul is telling us here that our speech communication should be seasoned with table salt – meaning, our voice communication should exist palatable and wholesome. When people hear the words that come out of our mouth, it should bring grace to the hearer and betterment to the spirit.

Knowing exactly what to say in every situation can be tough and catchy. In fact, communication skills, which is a vital component of human being interaction, is difficult to principal. Merely as long as we practice our best, inquire God for wisdom, and accept the correct motivation behind every give-and-take we utter, I'1000 sure that we volition be more than effective in seasoning our speech communication with salt.

Existence salted can be painful

Have y'all tried pouring salt on your open wound? Information technology hurts, doesn't it?

In the same manner, we must too be salted and experience hurting to ensure that we grow in the cognition and faith.

We read in Mark 9:49:

"For anybody will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice volition be seasoned with salt."

We will exist seasoned with burn down. Salt is produced past exposing 'solution-mined' brine nether the sun. The heating from the dominicus evaporates the solution and leaves the table salt behind.

No one says that the life of a Christian would exist easy. In fact, Christ, Himself, mentioned that we must go through a lot of hardships before we can make information technology to the Kingdom (Marking 8:34).

When salt is mined or gathered together, they come with impurities and other elements that aren't needful. In the same manner, we need to be purified to become rid of impurities .

Yes, the procedure can be painful, but it will be worth it. Once nosotros go a pure salt, we can become a better table salt to the earth.

Salt must penetrate to exercise its job

To preserve meat, pouring salt is not enough. In near cases, table salt is rubbed repeatedly to the meat to make sure it gets deeper.

As Christians, nosotros are chosen to be common salt. Christ prayed that we are to remain in the world to serve every bit salts and light. We are not to hide in the mountains and alive a secluded life.

When y'all cook food, you lot don't simply sprinkle salt in i place. Every bit much as possible, yous desire salt to exist evenly distributed. We can only make an impact in other people's lives by establishing a deeper and personal connectedness with them.

Don't lose your flavor

Jesus Christ gave a solemn alarm to Christians to never lose their saltiness. Nosotros read in the latter part of Matthew 5:13:

"You are the common salt of the world; but if the table salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? Information technology is then skillful for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men ."

If y'all lose your flavor as a common salt – significant, you lost the characteristics of salt mentioned above – and so, you will have lost the ability to serve your principal purpose.

In the olden times, when salt is deemed to be useless, it is scattered in the field to kill vegetation. It is also a mutual substance that is used to harden pathways and roads.

When Christ said that if the table salt has lost its flavour and should be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men, His audition knew very well what He exactly mean by that statement.

As Christians, we must take this warning seriously. For Christ, "Salt is good" (Mark ix:l). Even so, if you lose your flavour, you lot have lost your healing and preserving property, you won't practise any good.

Christ even indicates that you can't restore your saltiness past yourself. Information technology is by coming dorsum to Christ and restoring your relationship with Him that you lot will over again produce the salt in your life.

Become and be a common salt to the globe

Now that you take a deeper agreement of what Matthew five:13 means, then you lot should at present be more constructive in becoming a common salt to the world. While the job is difficult and nosotros will exist confronted with a lot of hardships along the way, we know that information technology will all exist worth it.

Let'southward go out there and become the salt of the world!

(How near you? How do you explain Matthew 5:thirteen? Do you have anything to add to this weblog? If yes, experience free to drop a comment below!)

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Source: https://becomingchristians.com/2018/08/01/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-salt-of-the-earth/

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