Sessions 10 & 11 Notes Download

SALT and LIGHT – Mathew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The beatitudes applied enable us to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. Top of Form

To understand these metaphors, we must first consider their literal properties and purposes. The need for light is obvious. Salt was used as a preservative and a disinfectant.

Before the advent of refrigeration, salt was the primary preservative for keeping meat and fish fresh and for preventing decay. Today, foods like beef jerky, pickles, and salmon are still preserved using salt.

PRESERVATIVE – Numerous records in the Scriptures reveal the powerful impact that prayers had on individuals, communities, and whole nations. Our prayers can have a positive saving and protecting impact (e.g. Moses with Israel).

God’s blessings are with His faithful children. Where we go, God goes with us, and His blessings are present which affect our community, schools, work places. An example is when Abraham talked with Yahweh about saving Sodom which revealed the significant influence of prayer and the protection and preservation of the righteous.

As the salt of the earth, we model godliness inspiring others to glorify God and to adopt a similar lifestyle to ours. We are different but not separate from the world. For others to witness the supernatural change that we have experienced is impossible if we are isolated at home. We must get out and about just like Jesus was in his earthy ministry. As ambassadors for Christ, we represent the way, truth, and life necessary for a person to be saved which is the most preserving impact of all – eternal life

DISINFECTANT – Before modern medicine, salt was widely used as a disinfectant for wounds, cuts, and burns. Throughout history, especially during times of war or mass migration when medical resources were scarce, salt played a crucial role in maintaining hygiene in unsanitary environments and in promoting healing. The expression “salt on an open wound” developed from this aspect of salt.

The world is constantly attacked by the evil one and his cohorts, thereby shaping society into a sinful cesspool of wickedness. We hold the spiritual antidote to this moral decay and the disinfectant for incessant depravity. Our responsibility is not to sit around complaining about the sad state of our times but to model purity and speak truth that confronts the lies. We are not to just peacefully coexist and acquiesce to the world’s insanity. As disciples of Christ, we are to follow Jesus’ example set forth in the Gospels. He was continually out in the community modeling holiness and confronting evil.

Salt was used as a means for healing, and as the salt of the earth, we hold the means to the spiritual healing that Jesus provides.

SALT ALSO REPRESENTED MORAL INTEGRITY

Leviticus 2:13   “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.”

Salt in their offering represented purity and the enduring and incorruptible nature of the covenant between God and His people.

2 Chronicles 13:5   Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?

Ezekiel 16:4   Newborns were washed in salt to promote health and God’s blessings plus to indicate the child would have integrity.

The qualities symbolized by salt − integrity, purity, fidelity, honesty, loyalty, commitment, and love.

Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50; Luke 14:33-35   For effectiveness, a disciple must retain his Christlikeness, as salt must retain its saltiness. If we become assimilated to non-Christians and contaminated by the impurities of the world, we lose our influence. The effect of Christians in and on society depends on our being distinct, not identical. If we are indistinguishable from non-Christians, we are useless just like salt that has lost its saltiness.

Matthew 5:14-16   A city nestled in a valley is hard to see as is a light hidden under a basket. We have been made to be lights, so others can see, for then God will be glorified. You and the world will be blessed. We are expected to be out and about like Jesus was. This means we are meeting people and witnessing this glorious gospel with our lifestyle and words.

John 8:12; 9:5   Jesus called himself the light of the world and light of life. Now that he ascended and sent the holy spirit, we are the lights of the world because he lives in us.

Ephesians 5:8-9; Philippians 2:15-16

The two essential aspects for us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world are: 1) living the beatitudes and 2) getting out into the world so we can connect with others. As we act accordingly, God will be glorified, you will be blessed, and there will be a godly influence in the world.