One of the great statements of the Lord Jesus Christ is that he is the light of this world, however, he made some very important statements in the context of the sermon on the mount, saying that his followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. .
In this way, if someone calls himself a Christian, but his life does not reveal that he is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, then there is something that must be analyzed. Therefore, in this article we are going to delve into the implications of being salt of the earth and light of the world.
The statement “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world” means that Christians are those ambassadors of Christ who promote the truth of the kingdom of God in this world and give light and flavor to a land far removed from the Creator.
It may interest you: What does it mean: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will grant the desires of your heart?
What is the salt of the earth and the light of the world according to the Bible?
The Lord Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth… and you are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:13).
Salt has the function of preserving and flavoring food. Light, on the other hand, has the function of illuminating the darkness.
It is interesting to note that Jesus does not position the Christian as the salt of the earth and the light of the world conditionally. He does not say “You will be salt of the earth and light of the world”; or “Someday they will be salt of the earth and light of the world”; but he does say “You are salt of the earth and light of the world.”
This means that everyone who has been truly born of God is necessarily salt of the earth and light of the world.
See also: What does it mean how beautiful are the feet of those who announce peace?
What is the salt of the earth according to the Bible?
We know that salt has many characteristics. But certainly by saying “you are the salt of the earth” Jesus explores its two main characteristics, which are its taste and its antiseptic.
One of the most important functions of salt in Jesu s’ times was precisely the power to preserve food. Salt was the best solution to prevent food from spoiling. In addition, it also served as a condiment.
But what is Jesus’ goal really when he says that his followers are the salt of the earth?
Like salt, which has the function of conserving, true Christians must constantly fight against the moral and spiritual corruption of society.
In a way, salt works secretly, in the sense that we cannot see how its preservative action works specifically. Most of the time we cannot distinguish with the naked eye a food that has been seasoned with salt. But we can easily perceive it.
The same is true for the presence of church in this world. It often seems that the action of the citizens of the Kingdom of God in the world is null or almost invisible.
But only God knows how much more wicked and depraved this world would be without the presence, the example and the prayers of the saints who are the salt of the earth.
See here: Study and explanation of Psalm 34:7 The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him
The salt of the earth cannot be tasteless
Jesus makes it clear that if salt becomes tasteless, it is of no use. We are not very familiar with this observation, because we are used to buying already selected salt.
But in the time of Jesus this happened a lot. The salt was taken mainly from the Dead Sea region. But in that region there were some swamps and lagoons that, due to contact with calcium and other substances, the salt extracted from these places acquired an alkaline taste that made it useless. Yes, the tasteless salt could never be restored.
At that time there were many Pharisees who prided themselves on their religiousness and legalism. But none of this had to do with the true essence of the Scriptures announced by the ancient prophets.
These religionists had become confused, had lost their flavor and were good for nothing other than being discarded (Matthew 8:12).
This is an important and at the same time terrifying warning. May God keep us from self-righteousness and adulterated religiosity that has taken over many who call themselves Christians.
Those who, calling themselves believers, believe that they are salt of the earth, but they are nothing more than a tasteless concoction. In the words of Jesus, there are only two possibilities: either you are salt of the earth or you are tasteless salt.
See also: What is Soteriology?, The Doctrine of Salvation
What is it to be light of the world according to the Bible?
The light in the Holy Bible appears in many passages of the Holy Scriptures. In general, light represents genuine knowledge of God, true happiness, justice, goodness, blessings of salvation, delight, etc. (Psalm 27:1; 36:9; 97:11; Isaiah 9:1-7; 60:19; Matthew 6:22,23; Luke 1:77-79; Ephesians 5:8,9).
The Bible declares that God is light (1 John 1:5). And that Christ is the full manifestation of that light (John 1:4,5; 8:12; 9:5; Acts 26:13). That is why Jesus himself introduces himself saying: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
However, the light of God manifested in Christ is also reflected in the redeemed, both collectively in the Church and individually. Hence the statement “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
Christians are light in the Lord Jesus
This means that Christians are not light in themselves. In fact, they are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). They are not the source of light, but are transmitters of light. When Christ declared that he was the light of the world, he explained: “He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). Notice that He says that his followers receive the light.
Therefore, if Jesus Christ is the true light of the world, Christians are also the light of the world because of their connection to Him.
While Christ is the original light of the world, believers are the light of the world in a derivative sense. An example of this is the relationship between the sun and the moon. The sun is the one that possesses the light, but the moon shines because it reflects the light of the sun. Christians are light because they reflect the true Light of the world.
Thus, by saying to his followers “you are the light of the world”, Jesus teaches that Christians are the instrument that God uses to spread the light of salvation in Christ to the world that is in darkness.
It may interest you: Who wrote the book of Psalms in the Bible?
The light cannot be hidden
Jesus does not just tell believers “you are the light of the world.” He also says that the light they have received should shine before men.
This is inevitable in the life of a true Christian, just as it is inevitable that a city built on a hill should be visible to all. Furthermore, Jesus also says that it makes no sense for someone to turn on a light and leave it hidden (Matthew 5:14-15).
For this reason, just as the function of a lamp burning in a house is to illuminate the entire room, the function of the Christian as light of the world is to make that light shine before men so that they can see their good works.
But at this point there is a fundamental truth that must be understood. The good works of those who are the light of the world, and who must be seen by men, can never mean honor and glory to themselves.
As already stated, the true Christian understands that without Christ he cannot shine. So he does not have a hard time understanding that the purpose of these good works is to give glory to God.
Here is the example of the prophet John the Baptist. Jesus himself bore witness to him saying that John was the greatest man born of a woman. But John the Baptist knew that he was not the light, but that he had been called to bear witness to the true light (John 1:8-9).
That is why he had no difficulty in saying: “It is his turn to grow, and I to decrease.” (John 3:30).
The believer must be salt and light
When Jesus says that his followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, he indicates what should be the position of Christians before the world.
First of all, it says that Christians, as the salt of the earth and the light of the world, are completely different from this world.
They are the salt that has flavor, and not the salt that has no flavor. They are the salt of the earth that never conforms to the pattern of this world. They are the light that distinguishes itself from darkness.
Second, by saying “you are the salt of the earth” and “you are the light of the world,” Jesus also indicates how related his followers are to the world. They are the salt of the earth that combats the decay of this world by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the light of the world, they promote goodness, peace, and the truth of the Gospel.
Commenting on what it means to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, W. Hendriksen says that there are many people who have never opened the Bible to read, but are constantly reading our lives. It is in that testimony that we must reflect the flavor and light of the gospel in our daily lives.
Appropriately DL Moddy also says that someone can preach with the eloquence of the angel Gabriel, but if that person lives like a demon, his preaching will be of no avail.
Remember: we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world! It is not just another phrase, but an exhortation to the responsibility of our daily lives as children of God.
To learn more about what it means to be the salt and light of the world, we recommend the following video.