“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.” (NIV)

What Christian isn’t familiar with Matthew 5:13? What Christian has shunned at the thought of being a flavorless salt? “No way, it won’t happen to me!” Brave words but know what? Scientifically speaking, you are right. It won’t ever happen because it can’t happen. Salt or sodium chloride is one of the most stable compounds there is and nothing can cause it to lose its flavor. So what was Jesus talking about?

Being the creator of the universe, Jesus knew how stable sodium chloride is so when He talked about salt losing its saltiness, He was referring to the circumstances that can lead to a compromise of its full effectiveness or even its basic use.

Imagine this: You ask a friend to pass you the salt and instead of handing you the shaker, he sprinkles some into his hands that he had just licked and offers you the salt. Does the salt stop becoming salt? No. But would you still use it? You may not even want to be friends with him anymore after that. More so if he returns the unused salt into the shaker.

Friends, we lose our use as salt when we let disobedience, apathy, and sanctimony into our lives.

When others we are trying to reach out for Christ see sin and compromise in our lives, how are they going to be convinced that what we are sharing is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6)?

When others are hurting and we go blind, deaf, and dumb to their plight because it is none of our business or it is inconvenient, why would they believe that the God we worship is love Himself (1 Jn. 4:8)?

When we constantly point an accusing finger at others without opening up the rest of our hand to pull them up, why would they listen to us when we add salt to their injury? We make ourselves good for nothing, worthy to be trampled underfoot. We have no impact.

In the same way that we remain to be the light of the world even though we’re covered by our bowl of disobedience, apathy, and sanctimony (Mt. 5:14-15). We don’t cease to be the light; we just have no reach. We make ourselves good for nothing when we blind ourselves by our own compact light while so many blind need the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12).