Jesus said “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” (Matthew 5:13). He reminded all of his followers for all time that it was their task to save the world from moral and spiritual decay. “Salt is nature’s perpetual foe of decay,” someone has said. Where there is salt, there is still life. Christians are God’s answer to the corrupting influences of this world. Even the atheistic philosopher Bertrand Russell begrudgingly acknowledged, “The only hope for the world lies in what is called Christian love.”
Christ also talked about salt “losing its savour.” He was referring to salt that had lost the power of doing what salt is supposed to do. It had lost its property of saltiness. It had become just white sand, good only for paving streets.
The Christian must keep himself “unspotted from the world.” Salt that is not pure cannot purify. It is thenceforth good for nothing. “Good for nothing” characterizes a compromising Christian who can never convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He just convinces the world that sin is respectable.
The Christian who stands for something may not be the most popular person in the community. His life is a judgment on the careless lives of those about him, and they often strike back.
One of the properties of salt is its sting. Martin Luther asked, “Of what good is salt unless it has a bite?” Salt cannot heal unless it hurts. There must be an uncompromising quality about the purity of our lives if we are to help humanity. Many will resent us, but some will be led to Christ for healing.