Chapter 11
WE ARE THE SALT, WE ARE THE LIGHT
(Matthew 5:13-16)
Before we begin our study of God's Word let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father we ask You to please grant us the spiritual wisdom to hear and see and accept the things You are teaching us. Holy Father, please grant us the faith to live in harmony with Your Word. In Jesus' Name we ask.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
To set the foundation for this study let us read the Scriptures from our last study, that is chapter 10.
Matthew 5:1-12
"[1] When he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, [2] and he began to teach them, saying: [3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [4] Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. [5] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. [6] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. [7] Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. [8] Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. [9] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. [10] Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [12] Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
After Jesus gave these beatitudes our Lord continued His sermon on the mountainside by stating that His true disciples are the salt and light of the earth. To read what He said we go to,
Matthew 5:13-16
""[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 by men. [14] "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
To explore the above Scriptures in a bit more depth this study is partitioned into two segments: (1) We are the salt and (2) We are the light.
WE ARE THE SALT
Throughout the Bible God periodically used an attribute of salt to illustrate a principle that He was teaching. For example, God used the preservative quality of salt to illustrate His faithfulness. God did this when He told David that he and his sons would have dominion over Israel.
2 Chronicles 13:5
[5] Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?
However, for this study our Lord Jesus Christ used the seasoning property of salt to illustrate how the born again believer should speak and behave. To see this let us first read how this property or usage of salt is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary:
“To season or give a tang” In this context to season means: (1) to make food more tasty; (2) for speech; to add zest or interest.
Matthew Henry makes the observation that salt is also penetrating, quick and powerful. Thus, when we are under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and are sharing God’s Word we discover the following truth,
Hebrews 4:12
[12] For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Thus, the Holy Spirit provides us with the following exhortation.
Colossians 4:5-6
[5] Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. [6] Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
All this is understandable for our speech. However, “How does being the salt of the earth relate to our behavior?” The answer to the question lies within the fact that when we live our life in conformance with the beatitudes we are following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In fact, this is exactly what the Apostle Paul teaches us to do.
To refresh our memories, let us read from,
1 Corinthians 11:1
"[1] Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
In addition the Bible teaches us that when we pattern our life in this manner we are: "Living in the Holy Spirit." The reason it is called "Walking or Living in the Spirit" is because for us to live in harmony with the principles identified in the beatitudes we must allow and have faith that the Holy Spirit will control our lives and do it for us. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 5:16
"[16] So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
As we do this, from within us, the following fruits of the Holy Spirit will come forth.
Galatians 5:22-25
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [24] Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. [25] Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
In addition to producing His fruits we must also recognize that the Holy Spirit has another task. This task is to convict the world of its sin. To see this let us read the following excerpt from when Jesus explained to His disciples that when He returns to Heaven He will send them the Holy Spirit.
John 16:7-11
"[7] But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [8] When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; [10] in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [11] and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."
For the purposes of this study let us reread,
John 16:8
"[8] when he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:"
In reflecting upon the above teaching of Jesus, the following questions come to mind: “What happens when salt touches or comes in contact with an open wound?” Yes, it stings and smarts.
“What do you think will happen when the Holy Spirit comes in contact with sin?” Yes, He will convict and that conviction will sting or smart.
Thus, one of two things will happen.
First of all, this conviction may result in repentance and a desire to get right with God. An example of this is what occurred after Peter explained to the people what had happened during the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:37-39
[37] Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” [38] Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
However,
This conviction may lead to resistance and sometimes a violent reaction. An example of this occurred after Paul cast out a demon from a possessed woman. This is recorded for us in,
Acts 16:19-24
[19] But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. [20] And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; [21] and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” [22] Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. [23] And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. [24] Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
This is why Jesus says that those who are living their lives under the control of the Holy Spirit are the salt of the earth.
This brings us to,
AN EXHORTATION
Before we leave this portion of our study let us address the following questions: "What happens when we willfully, continually or habitually sin? Or worse yet: What happens when we reject the workings of the Holy Spirit within us and turn away from our Lord?"
The answer to these questions is that we become tasteless. To see this let us now reread,
Matthew 5:13
""[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 by men."
Consequently, if we persist to live under the control of our sinful nature and continuously reject the influence of the Holy Spirit we cannot expect to inherit the Kingdom of God. This is revealed to us in,
Galatians 5:19-21
[19] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
It is important to notice the following verse,
21 … It is those who practice, which means to continually do these things. Thus, this does not mean that if we slip and fall and yield to a temptation we are eternally damned. We must never forget that for those who truly and whole heartily desire it, there is forgiveness and restoration. To see this let us read from,
1 John 1:9-2:2
"[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
"[2:1] My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
Let us now move to the second portion of our study which is,
WE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
For us to better understand what Jesus is teaching us we must first remember that we, that is each and every born again believer in Jesus Christ, is a temple of God the Holy Spirit.
To refresh our memories let us read from,
1 Corinthians 3:16
"[16] Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
In addition, let us recall that in chapter 7 we discovered that God is light. To see this let us read an excerpt from the vision that God gave the prophet Ezekiel. The Scriptures of interest are,
Ezekiel 1:26-28
"[26] Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. [27] I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. [28] Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking."
It is extremely important for us to remember that God is light and that God the Holy Spirit lives within the born again believer. As illustrated in John’s vision of the Heavenly City, Jesus was and is the Lamp for God’s light. To see this we go to the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and read from,
Revelation 21:23
[23] And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God illuminated it and its lamp is the Lamb.
In like manner, the born again believer filled with God the Holy Spirit should also be a lamp for God’s light to shine from within us.
With this in mind the following question comes to mind: "How do we allow Gods' light to shine through us?" The answer to this question is twofold.
First and foremost we must spend time with our Lord that is in His Presence. As you may recall from Chapter 7 a good example of this was Moses. When Moses spent time with God Moses' face would become radiant. To refresh our memories let us read from,
Exodus 34:29-35
"[29] When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. [30] When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. [31] But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. [32] Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. [33] When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. [34] But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, [35] they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD."
For an example of this phenomenon during the New Testament times, as we did in Chapter 7, let us look to Stephen. In particular let us read what happened to his face when the Holy Spirit prepared him to preach the Gospel to the ruling Jewish council, which was the Sanhedrin. It is recorded for us in,
Acts 6:15
"[15] All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."
Secondly, our Lord teaches us that His light also shines through us by good works. To see this let us read from,
Matthew 5:16
"[16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Now some may ask, as an expert in the Law of Moses once asked; "How am I to do this?" To find out let us read the Parable of the Samaritan. It is recorded in,
Luke 10:30-37
"[30] In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. [31] A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. [32] So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. [34] He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. [35] The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' [36] "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" [37] The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise.""
Let us notice the following verses,
31 … The priest was an intermediary between God and the Israelites.
32 … The Levite assisted the priests and cared for God’s Temple.
33 … The Samaritan was rejected by the Jews. They worshiped on the mountain and not in the Temple (John 4:20).
As one reflects upon this subject of good works it sounds a lot like following the Law of Moses. Is this the message that our Lord is teaching us? To find out let us read from,
Matthew 5:17-20
""[17] Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. [19] Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
How can this be? I thought that we are saved and brought into good standing before God through faith? I thought that it is by God's Grace and Mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ that we can receive eternal life with Him?
To better understand what our Lord is teaching us let us return to Chapter 5 of Matthew and,
Let us notice the following verses,
17 … Jesus did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. He did this by (1) living a sinless life and (2) being the perfect sacrifice for the remission of our sins. Thus, He fulfilled every point of the Law. In addition, as we read the New Testament further, we discover the Jesus also fulfills the law through us. He does this through the love of the Holy Spirit emanating from within us. To see this let us first prayerfully consider,
Galatians 5:13-14
"[13] You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. [14] The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.""
With this in mind let us now refresh our memories that when we walk in the Spirit it is His love that comes forth from within us.
Galatians 5:22-23
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Thus, as we have faith and allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives His love flows through us; hence, it is His love that fulfills the Law for us.
Let us now return to the Gospel according to Matthew and explore verse,
20 … Jesus' is teaching us that our righteousness must surpass the Pharisees and teachers of His Law. In this verse Jesus is teaching us a major principle of the Christian faith. Specifically, the righteousness we try to achieve by following laws, rituals and traditions can never be good enough for us to gain entry into the Kingdom of God. The righteousness we need is the righteousness that comes from God though faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. To see this let us read how the Apostle Paul, who was a Pharisee and teacher of the Law, turned away from the righteousness he had from following the demands of the Law to receive the righteousness that comes from God through faith. It is recorded in,
Philippians 3:3-9
"[3] For it is we who are the circumcision (of the heart1), we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- [4] though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised (in the flesh1) on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. [7] But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [8] What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
For clarification the above super scripts 1 was added by the author.
CONCLUSION
What is the point? What is the message of this particular study? Well, it is beautifully stated by our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in,
Matthew 5:13-16
""[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 by men. [14] "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Blessed be the Lord forever,
Amen and Amen