In Matthew 5.13, Jesus tells his disciples, “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 by men.” What does it mean to be “the salt of the earth”? And how can we avoid losing our “saltiness”?

 

In the ancient world, salt had two primary functions: to preserve and flavor food. Unlike America today, the ancient world had no reliable forms of refrigeration. So, if you wanted to keep meat from spoiling quickly, you rubbed it with coarse salt. Properly salted meat could last for an extended period of time. But salt enhanced the taste of food too. Imagine eating eggs, potatoes, and vegetables without salt. The taste is bland. Salt makes the food we eat more flavorful.

 

Now, take those two primary functions and apply them metaphorically to the church. The church—the community of Christ’s disciples—preserves and flavors the world. How so?

 

The church preserves whatever good qualities the world has. Paul offers Christians this commandment in Philippians 4.8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” By embodying these virtues (honesty, nobility, righteousness, etc.), the church preserves good values in a society that all too often seems hell-bent on destroying them.

 

But it does more than preserve those values. It promotes them. Can you imagine, for example, how American society would be different if Paul’s list of virtues shaped television programming? If the news programs reported the truth, not just the partisan opinions of the Left or the Right. If talk shows invited guests who debated their differences civilly, rather than shouting noisily at each other across the table. If primetime sitcoms and dramas (and commercials) didn’t cause parents to wince when their young children were in the room. American society would be very different than what it is today if Paul’s list of virtues guided television programming. And television programming is just one example of the difference good values would make, if they were promoted.

 

Those last four words are the key: “if they were promoted.” Jesus tells his disciples that they “are” the salt of the earth. But all too often, there is little or no difference between the attitudes and behaviors of American Christians and the public at large. Over 75% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. Unfortunately, the cultural effect those Christians should be having is not apparent. Why? Most likely because they aren’t embodying Christian virtues as they should.

 

That’s why, it seems to me, Jesus included the warning about losing saltiness. He recognized that many people talk religiously without walking righteously. What Jesus desires is a religious commitment that leads to right action. My prayer for you and me is that our lives be truly salty. I don’t want to die with the regret that I should have been what I wasn’t.