October 9, 2020 – Click here to listen
I had several people respond to yesterday’s post. Most mentioned the Bible verse Matthew 5:13 that believers are to be as “salt and light.” So what does that mean exactly? Salt was and still is used as a preservative. Believers in Christ should preserve the Holy Word of God from the evil that is inherent in ungodly people whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin.
The Bible mentions a condition of apostasy that I believe we are rapidly achieving in our society. Just this morning I merely scanned the headlines and saw two cases of child rape whereby it was so vicious the children died. One was 10 months old and the other 9 years old. Of course there was the usual spate of murders with Chicago leading the way; elderly people being mugged and beaten to death, despicable people spewing despicable lies via election attack ads, national guard troops called up to quell riots, numerous criminals arrested for attempting to kidnap and murder a sitting governor, a priest caught having sex in a threesome with two dominatrices on the altar of a church, and so on.
It reminds me of the passage Psalm 14:3 – They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. As salt we are to do good and preserve God’s word and live righteous lives.
Salt was also used as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil.
In the analogy of light to the world that Jesus used, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man, but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see.
We should be aware that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something that follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. The Bible mentions that we are in serious danger of being trampled underfoot when we depart from our mission. Isn’t that already happening to believers in America today?
One person wrote and said in part: Jesus was commanding us, to preserve what is good and battle moral corruption in the world. This is more than “getting saved.”
It will no doubt accelerate if the dam that is the Trump administration is removed. Perhaps we have come to the time of “judgment begins at the house of God.” For we as the “church” have only ourselves to blame for the state of our culture and country. For decades most pastors have preached a gospel of retreat and isolation, leaving everything from education to government to the media to be dominated by the anti-Christian secular left. The message of being a world changer to opposed moral corruption, has been largely lacking from our pulpits for many decades. Instead it has been replaced by a “lifeboat theology” – the world around us is a sinking ship, so our job is to rescue those we can, (get them saved,) and harbor them in our lifeboat, (our church).
I believe that we as a body will either show we can still be salty by how we vote, or we will really be “trampled underfoot.” As you noted in your post yesterday, no believing Christian can justify a vote for a supporter of baby killing. This is not about politics, but about the calling we have as a church to be salt, to be a preservative of what is good and an obstacle to what isn’t. Killing unborn babies up to the point of birth certainly qualifies as moral corruption and we must stand against.
Trump is certainly a flawed leader, but then so is Biden. I did not initially support Trump back in 2015, but I’ve come to increasingly believe God has used him, flawed as he is, to give us a reprieve. God does this a lot, doesn’t he, using flawed people.
Ultimately, I believe many pastors are going to come under stern judgment from God for not equipping the saints to be salt. Many pastors provide little or no teaching or leadership with respect to how to advance the kingdom. I’ve heard every excuse from pastors, from “I don’t want to lose my tax-exempt status” (highly unlikely), to “I will lose contributors,” (honest, but despicable). Many have been trained to believe that, like J. Vernon McGee used to say, “we should not polish brass on a sinking ship” (meaning, don’t waste your time trying to reform the world – lifeboat theology).
In the long run, absent a great awakening followed by a mass injection of “salt” into our culture, the clock is ticking down to judgment. God will not tolerate the killing of unborn babies or the debauched sexualization of our society forever. But in the short run, we can still be salt, and we can win a reprieve. I’ve seen empirical research that reveals that as many as 40% of evangelicals aren’t even registered to vote. Talk about not being salt.”
Any serious student of the Bible can give you examples until the cows come in on what happens when a society turns its back on God – The Lord turns His back on that person or nation. It is a lesson that is repeated over and again throughout the Bible. Become salt and light and for heaven’s sake vote against those things abhorrent to God. Vote for Trump and encourage others to do so as well.
Matthew 5:13
“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 underfoot.”
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!