Bulletin Articles: Full Article for Record Number 1061
Flavorless Salt And Unlit Candles
by Larry Ray Hafley
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:13-16).
Sometimes, with understood and appreciated humility, one will say that we are nothing and that we merely carry the Lord’s preserving and flavoring power. They also say we are but reflective glory, that we are not lights, that, like the moon, we simply glow from him who is the true light. While that is true in a sense, that is not what this passage says. It says, "Ye are," not "ye bear the Lord’s real salt." It says, "Ye are," not "ye reflect" the light of the Lord. Yes, I know that we are "called out of darkness into his marvelous light," but that is not what this text says (1 Pet. 2:9).
Our darkness is our own. It is not the devil’s. It results from our sin. Our light, though of him, by him, and through him, is our own as we abide in him. Our good is our own; it must not be evil spoken of (Rom. 14:16). Yes, Christ is our righteousness, but we are righteous if we do righteous things, if we perform righteous acts. "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous" (1 Jn. 3:7).
Salt makes food pleasant and palatable. It enlivens the bland. While it does not cure corruption, it preserves that to which it is applied and prevents decay. Christians are the moral salt of the earth.
Light exposes and glorifies. It may not be said to direct, but it allows one to see where to lead, which way to go to avoid the precipice and to follow the path. Here, in the world (but not of it), we are to be that light. We are to show the way, to reveal the danger, to glorify our holy, heavenly Father.
So, how flavorful is your salt? How bright is your light? Too much salt will ruin its intended effect. A light too bright will blind. Too little saltiness is of none effect. Too little light causes those with sight to stumble as do the blind. Again, how flavorful is your salt? How bright is your light?
