Read: Matthew 5:13  |

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In creating the earth, He provided us with a plentiful supply of salt – the “fifth element.” Salt is the only chemical element found in every single cell in our body. We are as dependent salt as we are on the other four elements: air, earth, water and fire. Without salt, we die.

There are 31 references to salt in the Bible. In the Jewish life, salt symbolized the covenant between God and Israel. The Book of Job contains the first written reference to salt, “Can nothing which is unsavory be eaten without salt?” The most familiar probably being the story of Lot’s wife who was turned into a pillar of salt when she disobeyed the angels and looked back at the wicked city of Sodom. The religious rituals at the Temple required the salting of all sacrifices before offering them to God.

Salt in the days of Jesus Christ had two primary purposes, which still hold true today.
– Add Flavor – enhances the taste of the item salted and provides an indication of the essential character of the item
– Allow Preservation – preserves food, especially meat which would quickly spoil in the desert environment; cleans wounds

Add Flavor
The Dead Sea was a primary source of their salt. Additionally, the Hebrew people also harvested salt by pouring seawater into pits and letting the water evaporate until only salt remained. If harvested improperly, some of the remnants were more sand than salt. When this occurred, they would believe that the salt had lost its flavor. Flavorless salt was worthless and thrown out.

Spiritually, believers are to add flavor to our circumstances. We cannot lose our flavor and silently succumb to the world’s ways otherwise; we turn into a sandy Believer. Our presence should change the environment in a positive way. As we, serve and praise God wherever we are, those around us should notice a difference in us. As we live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our gifts of the Spirit begin to add flavor to our surroundings. Be salty my friend!

Allow Preservation
In the ancient cultures, one of the most extensive uses of salt was in preserving meat and fish. Lacking refrigeration, they had to pack meat and fish in salt to keep it from spoiling.

Salty believers act as preservatives when we testify and witness to others about Jesus Christ. Accepting Christ and receiving salvation preserve the soul of the unbeliever from Hell and allows them to live eternally in Heaven with Christ. Their confession of faith, cleanses them from sin and eternal death because by His wounds are we healed.

Additionally, we should temper our speech so as never to be insipid, corrupt, or obscene. By guarding our speech and witness, we preserve our testimony.

Salty or Sandy Believer?
If Jesus were to speak today, He might remind us to be careful and do not dilute our sense of moral value with the sand of modern apathy and greed. To be the salt of the earth as Jesus stated, we must add flavor to our environment and actively share our witness and testimony to preserve others. When we lose the desire to “salt” the earth with the love and message of God, we become useless to him.

President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body… to risk his well-being… to risk his life… in a great cause. “ Without judging I ask, if the cause is Christ, are you worth your salt?

Questions:
1.Discover –
A. One indication of being a salty Christian is that your non-Christian friends say they feel uncomfortable saying certain things around you. What would they say?
2.Develop –
A. How often do you demonstrate your saltiness by witnessing or sharing your testimony to others?
3.Demonstrate –
A. What can you do to maintain your saltiness? Can you pray more? Study more? Praise more?