John MacArthur stated in his Commentary on the book of Matthew 5:13 about the influence of salt. Here is what he said - “The primary characteristic Jesus emphasizes is that of preservation. Christians are a preserving influence in the world; they retard moral and spiritual spoilage.”
My mom over the years has done her fair share of canning. You know what I mean, canning fruit, meat, vegetables, etc. Except for her canned fruit, my mom would often add salt to the jars as a preservative, meaning to keep the contents from spoiling. So when Jesus calls the church to be salt in the world what he means is that we are a preserving agent, attempting to keep the world from spoiling. That calling comes with a high demand and consequence because a large majority within the world today resist any agent who calls moral and spiritual actions to account.
I like what Paul said to the church in Corinth and how it connects to the role of the church in a world lacking the influence of salt-
15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NIV)
Obviously none of us are up to this task without the power of Christ, but don't you find it amazing how Paul encourages the church to remain steadfast in righteousness as a means of being salt in the world. Being salt in the world today is a delicate balance for the church. We can be the "aroma of Christ" or the "smell of death." We can encourage a friend in the midst of adversity or we can confront a friend living in sin. Both add salt to the recipe, but how much. Both are the result of how graceful we are in our use of salt.
Randy
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