Matthew 5:13 - You Are The Salt Of The Earth.
Matthew 5:13 (NIV) You are the salt of the
earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can
it be made salty again? It is no longer good
for anything, except to be thrown out and
trampled by men.
Mat 5:13 (CWB) If you hold on to these
values (the beatitudes just discussed), you will be
the salt of the world. But if you let go of
these values, youll be like tasteless salt.
What good is tasteless salt? The only thing to
do with it is to throw it out onto the road for
people to walk on.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Salty in a Good Way
Salt is good for seasoning. But if it
loses its flavor, how do you make it salty
again? (Luke 14:34 NLT).
In the Roman culture, salt was extremely
valuable. It was so valuable, in fact, that salt was a
form of payment - hence the expression, Hes
not worth his salt.
Jesus said, Salt is good for
seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make
it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither
for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is
thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen
and understand! (Luke 14:34-35 NLT).
Jesus was saying that youre valuable,
and your life makes a difference. On the other
hand, what good is salt that isnt salty? Its
like Christians who arent making an impact on
their culture.
Obviously, salt makes a difference. A
little pinch of salt in something can help enhance
its flavor. Among other things, salt stimulates
thirst. When youre eating popcorn during a movie,
for instance, you realize that youre really
thirsty.
In the same way, when youre living a
godly life, you should stimulate in others a
thirst for Jesus Christ. People should be able to
look at your life as a believer and know what you
stand for and what your convictions are. It also
should cause them to want what you have.
So when Jesus said that we are the salt
of the earth, He was saying that our lives
should make a difference wherever we are.
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth,
Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the
result of our ministry among you. This letter
is written not with pen and ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on
tablets of stone, but on human hearts (2
Corinthians 3:3 NLT).
We are the only Bible that some people
ever will read. I hope that were pointing them
to Jesus. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
All who would present themselves "a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Rom. 12:1), must
receive the saving salt, the righteousness of our
Saviour. Then they become "the salt of the earth,"
restraining evil among men, as salt preserves from
corruption. Matt. 5:13. But if the salt has lost its
savor; if there is only a profession of godliness,
without the love of Christ, there is no power for
good. The life can exert no saving influence upon
the world. Your energy and efficiency in the
upbuilding of My kingdom, Jesus says, depend upon your
receiving of My Spirit. You must be partakers of My
grace, in order to be a savor of life unto life.
Then there will be no rivalry, no self-seeking,
no desire for the highest place. You will have
that love which seeks not her own, but another's
wealth. DA439
Hearts that respond to the influence of the
Holy Spirit are the channels through which God's
blessing flows. Were those who serve God removed from
the earth, and His Spirit withdrawn from among
men, this world would be left to desolation and
destruction, the fruit of Satan's dominion. Though the
wicked know it not, they owe even the blessings of
this life to the presence, in the world, of God's
people whom they despise and oppress. But if
Christians are such in name only, they are like the
salt that has lost its savor. They have no
influence for good in the world. Through their
misrepresentation of God they are worse than unbelievers.
DA306
You know, theres nothing more pathetic
than a Christian who has lost their testimony.
Its even worse than a person who never had one.
On his way to Tarshish, Jonah lost his
testimony. He ran from God and boarded a ship going in
the opposite direction. And when a violent storm
hit, the Bible says the mariners were afraid;
and every man cried out to his god (Jonah 1:5
NKJV).
Meanwhile, Jonah was asleep. The captain
found him and said, What do you mean, sleeper?
Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will
consider us, so that we may not perish (verse 6
NKJV).
Somehow the others on board determined
this storm was Jonahs fault. And when they
questioned him, Jonah admitted, I am a Hebrew; and I
fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the
sea and the dry land (Jonah 1:9 NKJV).
Jonah didnt deny his faith. He may
have been a prodigal, but he still was a
believer. And he was busted and exposed as someone
running from God. They said, Why have you done
this? (verse 10 NLT).
Sometimes nonbelievers have more faith
than believers do. And sometimes they understand
what we believers are supposed to believe better
than we understand it.
Its a bad thing when a nonbeliever
calls us out on our behavior. Its a bad thing
when a non-Christian says, Excuse me, I
thought you were a Christian. And the hardest
thing of all is when theyre right.
Jesus said, You are the salt of the
earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall
it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but
to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by
men (Matthew 5:13 NKJV).
Salt that isnt salty is, well,
worthless. And a Christian who isnt following Christ
is pretty worthless too. [Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org.]
ILLUSTRATION
In casting salt into the bitter spring,
Elisha taught the same spiritual lesson imparted
centuries later by the Saviour to His disciples when
He declared, "Ye are the salt of the earth."
Matthew 5:13. The salt mingling with the polluted
spring purified its waters and brought life and
blessing where before had been blighting and death.
When God compares His children to salt, He would
teach them that His purpose in making them the
subjects of His grace is that they may become agents
in saving others. The object of God in choosing
a people before all the world was not only
that He might adopt them as His sons and
daughters, but that through them the world might
receive the grace that bringeth salvation. When the
Lord chose Abraham, it was not simply to be the
special friend of God, but to be a medium of the
peculiar privileges the Lord desired to bestow upon
the nations. PK231,2
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Matthew 5:13 - You Are The Salt Of The Earth.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200908-0911.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
