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Being salt

“You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13)

Jesus says that his followers are the salt of the earth. Salt is known for its tastiness, but it was also widely used as a preservative (since people didn’t have fridges yet). So, when Jesus says his disciples are “the salt of the earth,” He implies they have a preserving influence on the world they live in. Believers nowadays should still have such an influence on their surroundings. They prevent society from deteriorating further and finally being destroyed completely.

A stunning example of this is described in Genesis 18:20-33, where the Lord God speaks with Abraham about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God knows the people there are extremely sinful, so He plans to destroy these cities. However, Abraham’s nephew Lot is living there, and therefore Abraham intercedes for Sodom. “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city,” he says, “Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?”. The Lord promises not to do so and even assures him: “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” The sad outcome of the story is that only Lot is righteous. He is saved with his family, but the cities are destroyed completely.

Do you have a preservative influence on society?