The Science Of Being The Salt Of The Earth (Matthew 5:13)
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
Today’s verse comes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. Matthew 5:13 ESV
Jesus says that when salt has lost its taste, it’s only good for being trampled beneath people’s feet.
So the big question is: “Are you salty?”
Here are three questions to ask yourself.
The Salt of the Earth Makes People Thirsty
One of the simplest things salt does is make people thirsty. Chemically, salt makes us thirsty because our brain sends a signal to drink water to balance sodium levels in the blood. While first-century folks wouldn’t have known the exact physiology of this, they didn’t need to. Because they experienced the same sensation of being thirsty after eating salty dishes. For disciples, we can take a cue from our food. Just as our brains create a desire for water, our lives should create a desire in people for the living water of Jesus. Does your life make people thirsty for Jesus?
The Salt of the Earth Improves Taste
The word translated as “has lost its taste” is moraino. In Greek, this literally means “cause to become nonsense” or “make foolish.” In this sense, disciples are to act in a way that helps people understand and apply the gospel. Just like a sharp palette identifies particular flavors in a meal, Christians should help people make sense of the gospel’s flavor. This means every situation should be viewed through a gospel-centered lens. Does your life add grace and enrich the understanding of the gospel in peoples’ lives?
The Salt of the Earth Preserves and Protects
Finally, salt is a preservative. By dehydrating food, it preserves it from spoiling. An article in the Scientific American explains even more effects of salt:
“…these processes not only prevent spoilage of foods, but more importantly serve to inhibit or prevent growth of food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella or Clostridium botulinum when properly applied.
Salt both preserves and protects. We do this by ensuring our doctrine remains undefiled and undiluted. We don’t gather teachers who tell us what we want to hear. Instead, we crave the truth from God’s Word itself. We commit to it. And are changed by it. The true gospel saves us eternally and in this life.
Does your life participate in God’s preserving and protecting work through the gospel?