The Imitation Of Christ
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ and they direct us to imitate his life and character. The Imitation of Christ is a guide to following the example of Jesus Christ. It should be our most earnest study to dwell upon the life of Jesus Christ. The Imitation of Christ.
Be Salt And Light In The World
To summarize what we read in Matthew 5:13-14, Jesus tells His disciples to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. As salt, we, the believer, are to counteract the power of sin. As light, we are to illuminate or make visible. Our lives are to be a daily witness to the realness of Christs presence and power in our lives. When we worship God fully, when we love others as Jesus does, and when we perform good work without growing weary, we are shining light. It is important, however, to realize that it is not our light, but the reflection of Jesus Himself, that people will see in us.
Jesus said that we are to be the salt and light of the world. He didnt say that we could be one or the other or we could choose not to. He said we ARE. Everyone who has been saved by faith in Jesus is born again and is the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Our role as salt and light can be broken or tarnished by our choices. Through sin. Through convenience. Or, through anything that would not be pleasing to God.
Once you are saved, and the Holy Spirit comes upon you, being salt and light of the world is something that will occur through obedience to God. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred, and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.
Great Verses Of The Bible: Matthew : 13
How valuable is salt?
While there is some conflicting medical opinions, it is generally understood that some salt is necessary for life.
Terry Dasher writes, 40 million tons are required each year to fill our needs. Homer called it divine. Plato called it a substance dear to the gods. Shakespeare mentioned salt 17 times in his plays.
Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci wanted to send a subtle message about purity lost when he painted The last Supper. In that painting an overturned salt-cellar is conspicuously placed before Judas.
In ancient Greece a far-flung trade involving the exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, not worth his salt.
Special salt rations were given to Roman soldiers and known as Solarium Argentums the forerunner of the English word salary.
No wonder, Jesus in his famous Mountain Message compared the impact and influence of His disciples to salt.
You are the salt of the earth but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men .
Consider four ways in which Christians are to be like salt.
Salt suggests Purity
Its glistening whiteness made the connection easy for the ancients. The Romans said that salt was the purest of all things, because it came from the sun and the sea. It was the most often used offering by primitive people to their gods. It was also used in the Levitical sacrifice in the Old Testament.
Salt Preserves.
Salt Flavors.
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If The Salt Loses Its Flavor: How Not To Be Useless Salt
In the Middle East, salt was sometimes collected by allowing seawater to evaporate. After the sun dried up the water, salt was left.
However, this wasnt exactly a perfect process, and often impurities were mixed in with the salt. At times, these impurities were so intermingled with the salt that the entire batch had to be thrown out. Since this defiled salt was not useful, it was thrown out and, as Jesus said, was trampled underfoot.
Expositors Bible Commentary gives additional thoughts about how salt could become worthless: Strictly speaking salt cannot lose its saltiness sodium chloride is a stable compound. But most salt in the ancient world derived from salt marshes or the like, rather than by evaporation of salt water, and therefore contained many impurities. The actual salt, being more soluble than the impurities, could be leached out, leaving a residue so dilute it was of little worth.
The question How can it be made salty again? is not meant to have an answer. The point is that, if Jesus disciples are to act as a preservative in the world by conforming to kingdom norms, if they are called to be a moral disinfectant in a world where moral standards are low, constantly changing, or non-existent they can discharge this function only if they themselves retain their virtue .
Gods people must not lose their purity or cease to add flavor to the lives of others to stop would be to become useless .
Are You A Salty Christian
If you would like to watch the video of my speaking on this topic click here:Salty Christianity
Let me clear the air before we get started. In our English vocabulary salty means tasting of or containing salt saline. or piquant sharp witty. racy or coarse. Wait, who even uses the word piquant??
I will say I do enjoy witty people, but that is not the kind of salty I am talking about. And its definitely not the salty that Jesus was talking about.
By now you probably know that Im going to talk about Matthew 5:13 .
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 underfoot.
We have heard it time and time again that we are the Salt of the Earth. And if we dont dig deeper into what Jesus is saying we will think it only means that we bring flavor to this lifeless world.
That is a true fact, salt does bring flavor. Have you ever had a meal with no salt? Not going to lie its not fun or tasty. I did it for two weeks and I wanted to pull my hair out for how bad the food tasted.
But theres more to salt than just flavoring!
Natural salt has incredible abilities. It can stop and inhibit the growth of harmful mold and bacteria by absorbing moisture. It has been used for centuries as a means to preserve cure and save food.
Just like salt keeps the body healthy. We as Christians are helping the world become healthy and whole
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What Does Salt Of The Earth Mean For Us Today
Jesus sermon is just as relevant for us today as it was for His early disciples. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever . And because we know He and His Word are one in the same, we also know His Word never changes.
In his devotional Salt and Light, author Chris Tiegreen puts it this way, We are meant to be present and active without being ostentatious, effective without being overbearing, and influential without seeking power. In addition to the popular uses of salt as seasoning and preservatives, we have also discovered other uses for salt. These can help us understand how to be the salt of the earth for a discouraged world.
Bible Verses About Salt
Colossians 4:6 – Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
– Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.
Leviticus 2:13 – You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
Luke 14:34-35 – Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Numbers 18:19 – All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.
– For everyone will be salted with fire.
Genesis 19:26 – But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
2 Kings 2:20-22 – He said, Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it. So they brought it to him. Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it. So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
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Salt And Light In The World Of Work
Following the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers that people who receive these blessings matter:
You are the salt of the earth but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
If you are a follower of Jesus living the beatitudes, you matter. You have an important role to play because you are the salt of the earth. Salt preserves and Christians help preserve what is good in the culture. In the ancient world, salt was very valuable: the Greeks thought it contained something almost divine, and the Romans sometimes paid their soldiers with salt. A soldier who didn’t carry out his duties was not worth his salt. You are a seasoning agent. In a sense, you can bring the distinctive flavor of God’s values to all of life. You can make life palatable.
Salt And Light Of The World: A Deeper Look
Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to how His followers should interact in the world. One lesson can be found in Matthew 5:13:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under peoples feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:13-14
Jesus said we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. YOU are salt and light in this world. You have been called by God to bring light in the darkness in His beautiful name through your life, but it is not optional Jesus said we ARE salt of the earth and light of the world.
He didnt say you can be,you might be, or you can choose to be. You must live out these things daily if you want to truly make an impact on those around you. Everyone who has trusted Christ for salvation and is born again is the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Lets take a deep look at the salt and light scripture and what it means to be salt and light of the world.
The metaphors of salt and light specifically addressed the impact faithful believers should have in this world. They should shine, preserve and add flavor. Like both salt and light, our fellowship with God should have a clear impact on everyone who comes in contact with us.
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How Can Its Saltiness Be Restored
Also, the phrase of the earth refers to the sphere of ministry of Jesus’ disciples. but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?When salt loses its ability to enhance flavour, it loses its effectiveness. … The only way for pure salt to lose its flavour is to mix it with other chemicals.
How To Be The Salt Of The Earth Without Getting Too Salty
Nothing frustrates like a heated conversation between believers on social media. A screen separating us makes us forget we are talking to a real person. Accusation fly. Opinions are shouted. And after things settle down, nothing good has been accomplished. We want to tell others about our Savior. We know thats our calling in life. So how do we fulfill our role as the salt of the earth without getting too salty with others?
Experienced cooks know a valuable fact about using salt. Many of the foods we buy today already have it added. I did not know this, however, when I tried cooking a special dish for my husband. Oblivious to the fact that the dish may already have added salt, I put more. The result was a bitter, unpalatable mess. When we read, study, and know the ingredients, we will also know when to add salt.
In the same way, as we stay grounded in Gods Word and learn from Jesus ways, we will know the right amount of salt. God will open the door for us to share truth, seasoned with love and hope. Just like the chefs on my favorite cooking shows, we dont have to be afraid of too much salt. We are the salt of the earth. Lets trust God today to equip us to sprinkle our faith according to His guidance. The right amount of salt can work wonders.
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Jesus Christ Called His Disciples The Salt Of The Earth Its A Comment That Conveys Powerful Lessons About How Gods People Are To Live Their Lives Today
We use salt without thinkingsaturating French fries, seasoning meat and eggs, bringing out the flavors in various soups and so on. We use salt with such regularity that its hard to believe that in the ancient world it was so precious Roman soldiers were paid part of their wages in salt or its equivalent valuea salarium.
Yet in the first century, everyone was vitally aware of the importance of salt. In that time, salt was used for preserving meats, for medicinal purposes, for seasoning foods and even as a sign of friendship. Salt was seen as a valuable commodity due to its many usesand Jesus was well aware of that fact.
Living As The Salt Of The Earth Matthew : 13
You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his flavor, with which shall it be salted? it is thereafter good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men .
We collect a lot of images of classic Bible verses, You can View more: Bible Quotes, hope our Bible verses images will brighten your day.
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What Does It Mean To Be The Salt Of The Earth
Response by LeGrand L. Baker, curator, Wells Freedom Archives, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, and a member of the Cherry Hill Ninth Ward, Orem Utah Cherry Hill Stake.
The scriptural phrase âsalt of the earthâ has come to mean many things. In likening the scriptures unto ourselves , we may sometimes overlook the authorâs primary intent and the key points of comparison in his use of metaphor. A full understanding and appreciation of a given passage of scripture may thus elude us.
That sometimes appears to be the case with the metaphor of salt. Perhaps we have observed that just as salt enhances the taste of certain foods, so we must be as salt, living our lives to bless and enhance the lives of others and make the gospel palatable to them. We may have also noted that salt is a preservative not unlike the preserving influence of righteous Saints who uphold gospel ideals in a world of shifting values.
While such applications are relevant and meaningful to Latter-day Saints worldwide, to the ancients the central figurative meaning of salt had to do not with taste but with smell.
âAnd ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghostâ .
Likewise, we are displeasing to the Lord to the degree that we are impure and ineffective ânot the saviors of men,â but instead âas salt that has lost its savorâ .
We Are ‘the Salt Of The Earth’
Editors Note: With so many churches in our area having to suspend worship services during the coronavirus pandemic, we are asking local pastors to partner with us in bringing a daily message of hope and comfort to readers during this difficult time.
The words salt, salted, saltiness and salt pits are mentioned in the Bible 47 times. This is very important. Why? Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 5:13 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. In the gospels of Mark and Luke, we see the same words spoken.
Although there are many spices throughout the world used to flavor our foods, the most common and most readily available is salt. Salt was so valued in history that men were often paid in salt for their wages. Not only was this true of Roman soldiers, but also of general workers. This is where the saying Hes not worth his weight in salt, comes from. Why? Did not Jesus use the term we are the salt of the earth? The answers to these questions are found in the 613 Mitzvah laws of the Old Testament.
Leviticus 2:13 says, 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. We can clearly read God requires salt with his meat offerings.
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