Ye are the salt of the earth

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY 2026 am - MR CRAIG DENNISON

MATTHEW 5 VERSES 1 TO 12

Text: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Whenever the Lord saves a person and brings them out of the kingdom of darkness into his kingdom of light, he does not just leave them. He brings them into the kingdom so that they can live as citizens of the kingdom. He gives them instructions of how he wants them to live. Whenever someone is enlisted in the army they generally go for training. They are not enlisted one day and then go out into the battlefield the next.  They normally have preparation classes to attend, drills to undertake. They are given instructions to practice before they go out into the battlefield. The Lord does not leave us a blind men stumbling, wondering how to live to please God. He gives instructions. That is what the bible is all about. Teaching. In every scenario in life we find ourselves in we can turn to the bible for general principles on how to live and behave. The Lord spend 3 years teaching and preparing his disciples for how he wanted them to live. One of the first sermons he preached is this one in Matthew 5. It contains the instructions he gave them. And they are the same today. What would the Lord say to us today? "Ye are the salt of the earth". That is how. He wants us to live as salt. In verses 3 to 12 Jesus details the Christian character. In verses 1 to 12 he tells them these things should be in your heart, shaping your character. You should hunger and thirst for righteousness, be merciful and pure in heart, be a peacemaker. In verses 13 to 16 he speaks a little differently. We see him describe how a Christian should manifest his character in the world. Verses 1 to 12 - these are all the things that should be in you and in verses 13 to 16 what you should be doing in the world.  perhaps an area we struggle with - how do I live as Christian in such a sinful and wicked world? How should I live as a Christian in my family who are unconverted, in school or the workplace, in my own neighbourhood. How does the Lord want me to live? Some people of course realise that this world is so difficult to live in and they go to extremes. They withdraw themselves and live in monasteries or convents. The Amish communities do that for instance.  Do we isolate ourselves to our own church and denomination? Do we conclude that we are the only one in the world that we could possibly have fellowship with? Some take it to that extreme of isolationism. But there's others and they take it to the other extreme. They try to be like the world as much as possible. It could be in the way they dress, the way they talk. They engage in the world's activities and vices even the sinful ones. They say "if we are going to ever win the world we have to be like them, we have to do the things they do, then we can pull them back to the Lord."  We have not been left to figure out what is the best approach. The Lord details how he wants Christians to live in this world. He uses a simple illustration - salt. "Ye are the salt of the world". To know how to live in this world we are to follow the example of salt. There are 3 things we can look at using this illustration ...

the properties of salt

the place for salt

the priorities of the Christian  

First of all we see the properties of salt. Salt's monetary value is minimal. It is cheap to produce. There are salt mines all over the world. Modern shipping makes it easy to ship boatloads of salt from one place to another. And salt is in such extensive supplies. We don't just pour salt over our food in great abundance not caring about the cost of it. We pour it over our roads as well when there is ice. No-one has battered an eyelid over the price of salt. It is cheap, inexpensive. It doesn't cost anything to be salt. It doesn't cost the Christian anything to live as salt in the world. We don't have to pay any money to be salt. We don't have to complete a training course or climb any mountains. It will not cost you anything but applying biblical principles to your life. God has given you and I the ability to be salt this very moment. We don't have to be a Christian for 5, 10, 15 or 20 years before you can live as the salt of the world. The first property of salt is that it is cheap. Its monetary value is low.

Secondly, it is precious. That might sound like a contradiction but salt is precious because of its contribution. Salt is valued more throughout history than it is today. In fact countries of the world used to fight wars over salt mines. For the ancient Greeks it was so precious they thought it was divine, from heaven. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt. You have heard the expression "he is not worth his salt" meaning he is not worth his wages. How precious salt was to people in the past. Salt is also precious today. We need it in our cooking, in various aspects of our lives. The body wouldn't survive. It is also precious to God. He wants you and I to be precious in the world. We are precious in the eyes of God. Every thought, every action, every behaviour is so precious to the Lord. He has saved us from the world and he wants us to manifest ourselves by living as salt of the world. 

The third principle is salt is essential. The world could not survive without it. Nor your body. When the warm weather comes and you begin to sweat and perspire, the body gets drained of salt. It leads to a lack of appetite, headaches and tiredness. If all the salt was removed from the world we would be in great trouble. It is essential. Christians are essential. As salt in the world we are ordained to live here for him and his glory. God does not remove us immediately we are saved. He leaves us to live for him and his glory. Live as salt. It is essential. God has decreed that as Christians we are essentially here on earth for the growth and continuation of his kingdom.

Salt preserves. Before fridges were invented and men killed animals they used salt to preserve the meat. Fishermen when they go on long trips use salt to preserve the fish. It acts as a preservative as well as keeping its flavour. Christians are preservatives of the truth in society. We are the ones here to know truth, promote truth and defend truth in society. As we live as salt of the world we are advancing the truth of the gospel but also of the full knowledge of God as well. If salt were removed from society. Look at countries were there is no gospel. The people live as barbarians. They eat and devour one another. They live lawless lives. When they banish Christianity the people live immoral lives. The law of God is neglected. It is good as Christians in society to preserve truth. Society would be in chaos if all those who advocated for truth were removed. Society would be in a worst state if all Christians were removed.

Fifthly, it provides flavour. There are certain foods that are bland by nature. Salt provides that flavour needed. We cannot see the salt but we taste the effect of it. Christians are those God has provided to bring blessing in society. We are those who have the message of hope. Guidance for those lost. Wisdom and grace to share with those blinded by the god of this world. A life to share with those dead in trespasses and sin. When salt is mixed in you don't see it. Christians should be providing the flavour of the gospel to those who are dead.

Sixthly, salt purifies. It acts as an antiseptic. In countries that don't have medicine they pour salt into wounds to heal. Ezekiel 16 verse 4 "And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all." Covering a new born baby in salt purified it clean. Salt acts as a purifier. I have noticed that if a conversation has taken a dark turn people will stop and say "I shouldn't be saying those things in front of you." Christians have that sanctifying effect on people in homes and schools. The atmosphere is changed as a result.

Seventh, salt is used in worship - Leviticus 2 verse 3 "And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt." Why was salt important in worship? Salt will not decay or corrupt. That sacrifice on the altar was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. His work will never decay, nor corrupt. His work on the cross purifies sinners. The Lord Jesus provides flavour, gives purpose to our lives. The Lord Jesus is precious to our souls. He preserves us from death and he is essential to our salvation. The Lord Jesus was the great fulfilment of that sacrifice of the Old Testament. He is the one we worship. He has done all things well for us. Therefore it should not be a chore to follow his teaching and live as salt in this word.

The place where salt is needed. Where is salt needed? In the world. Think of the physical need of salt. When Adam fell he brought corruption and death for all. He brought decay into the world. The body from the moment Adam sinned started to decay. And man has been dying ever since. The world got worse from the Garden of Eden. Think of Noah, the Lord searched the whole earth and only found 8 people to save in the ark. The world continues in a state of wickedness today. Salt was used to kill weeds. Weeds came in with Adam and the fall. Salt was even used to make places barren. Judges 9 verse 45 "And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt." Salt was used to make a place barren and reduce the city to nothing. That is what the Lord effectively wants the Christian to do. To show the barrenness of sin. This shows people the fruitlessness of sin. Living for the world produces nothing but deadness and death. The Christian is to show them new life in Christ. Adam didn't just bring physical death. He brought spiritual decay. Sin is pollution, corruption. Sin causes decay in souls of men. The world left to itself will fester in wickedness and sin. It needs spiritual salt. It needs Christianity. The world will continue to die. So how is salt to impact the world? Is Christianity to give counsel on social, economic, political efforts and world affairs? Well certainly Christians should be those who have the best wisdom to do. But in the Old Testament Israel was both state and church but those times have ended. We never hear of the apostles writing on political or economic affairs. How do Christians impact the world? We don't do it by setting up a political party. We don't do it by fighting on social causes. Of course, certainly there is a case for Christians to take their stand on these things but Christians primarily impact the world by preaching the gospel and living as salt of the world. Now God has ordained that through the preaching of the word, men and women will be converted. It is a earth. It is through the preaching that a mass conversion will take place. This conversion leads to transformation of the nations. If the prime minister was converted and started to live for Christ today, if he started to live by the bible people would not want it. He would be out the door very quickly. The change does not happen from the top down but from the bottom up. It affects every facet and pillar of society. We often say that if we just had money, if we just had technology, if we just had resources what an impact we would have on our town and community. Nowhere in the sermon on the mount does Jesus say you need resources to impact this world. Jesus says simply "Ye are the salt of the earth". No money can change communities. It is only as Christians go out and live as salt of the earth.

The priorities of the Christian. "Ye are the salt of the earth." There are a lot of people who complain about the language of the authorised King James version. We don't speak with these words anymore. There is a very good reason why we use these pronouns because English is in many ways an inferior language. Most other languages in the world have different words for one person and a group of people. In English we have only one word and it is the word "you" for singular and the word "you" for plural. So the biblical language make a distinction. So they use the classical Elizabethan language to distinguish between singular one person and plural a group of people and it's a very easy rule to make between one person and another person. Anything that begins with a T - they, thy, thine, thyself is singular and anything begins with y, your, yours, yourselves is plural. A group of people. Now there's 13,000 times that the ESV and NIV use the word you. And if you read those bibles you wouldn't be able to tell if it is singular or plural. But every time you read the King James and come to a verse like "Satan hath desired to have you (plural) but I have prayed for thee Peter (singular). The Lord says here in verse 13 "ye" so that is plural. That is a group of people. He is speaking to his disciples who are there - ye are the salt of the earth. This is a plural pronoun. It is not up to one person to live for Christ. It is not just for pastors, elders or the experienced Christian. All of you are to live as salt of the earth. So you shouldn't sit there today and say "well the rest of them can live as salt of the earth but I will just stick to my own ways." No we are all to live as salt of the earth. This is a command for each and everyone of us. None of us is to be excluded. It is a collective priority. And notice it is a command. It is not a suggestion. It is not saying you should work to become. The Lord is implying this is something you should already. This is not something you are working towards. It is not something for a future day, not a New Years resolution. It is something you should already be living like. You should be the salt of the earth. True salt does not need to advertise itself. You think of going into the garden, you know and can name flowers by their petals, flowers and colours and design. Salt does not need to behave like that. People know true salt when they taste and experience it. A Christian does not need to tell others they are salt. They should be able to observe of them that they are salt. A Christian's presence in the room should be such that people should become aware over time there is something different about them. If we come into the presence of others having been in the presence of Jesus, people will take notice that we have been with Jesus. What was it said of the early disciples? "They took notice of them that they had been with Jesus." And that should be the same for you and I as well.  It is a collective priory and command but also a collective practice. How is the Christian to function like salt? Well we are to purify by our presence. Salt exercises all of its qualities by being different? A small amount of salt makes all the difference. Too much salt can spoil a meal. The Christian not only is to be different in the world but is to glory in our difference. We don't go out of the way to stand out, to broadcast it. People should notice there is something Christlike about them. We are to purify, preserve, shun carnality. We are not to be like the world. And we are also to provide that glorious flavour of the gospel. The gospel makes like not just palatable but worth living. Life without the gospel is bland. It is dead. Life would the gospel is tasteless and pointless. So we are to provide that glorious flavour. Colossians 4 verse 6 " Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." 

There is an individual warning here for the Christian. "If the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." There are different types of salt. Some are good for food, a premium salt. Then there are some that are only good to be put into the ground. There are different types of Christians that fit those categories. Some have a great impact on others. They are good for food. But then there are others and well the Lord says they are good for nothing. What a terrible indictment. If the Lord were to say that of us, if we are not living to our best ability, to be true salt but only to be taken out, how will the gospel spread? If the Christian is not living and behaving as salt of the earth, if we have no care for the souls of others. If our main priority in life is for our own happiness then what use would we be? The Lord would say we are good for nothing. Dr Martin Lloyd Jones said "Christians by being Christians influence society almost automatically." This can be lost today. We think we can impact the community with leaflets and tracks and a minister with a winsome personality. We have resorted to worldly methods to impact the world. But the Lord tells us how to impact others - live as salt. Maybe we don't want to admit that we are not living for Christ as we should. We don't want to admit we are not as close to him as we should be. Maybe it is easier to put a leaflet through a door than it is to live for Christ. Sinclair Ferguson said, "Christians may seem small and insignificant in the world but they have the ability to influence all of it."  And we do because we are not left to ourselves. Behind the Christian is an awesome God. In the Christian is the power of the Holy Spirit living within. We cannot and will not fail. The Lord says to us "ye are the salt of the earth". The challenge is - are we living as the salt of the earth? How can we improve and how cane we seek to live better for Christ?