Hindering Sin - Himalayan Heights – July 28 Readings: Matthew 5:13 – Salt of the Earth

Matthew 5:1-12  The Beatitudes

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  Matthew 5:13

Jesus' most famous sermon took place on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee. There is enough meat packed into the three brief chapters of Matthew 5-7 to sustain years of Bible Study. After the Beatitudes, Jesus described the purpose of his disciples' work in this world, a work we now know of as the church. They were to be salt and light. We will take two days to reflect on these concepts individually.

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 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.

Through the Bible Readings: Job 5-6, Acts 21:17–36, Psalm 89:1–6, Proverbs18:21–24

 

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:  Hindering Sin   

I was once a leader of a gang, back in my shameful past. Actually, it was a group of young preacher boys who held strong on the truth of God's word in a liberal Baptist college. One accusation made against us, at times, was that we were, "so heavenly minded you are of no earthly good."  Believing the Bible and honoring it as God's Holy sword made us useless here n earth, evidently.

There is a more common problem among Christians today. Many are "so earthly minded they are of no heavenly good." We are so wrapped up in the world and the things of the world that we have little time or interest in what God is doing. In the Sermon on the Mount, after he finished the Beatitudes, Jesus turned his focus to our purpose in this world. We are to be salt and light. Of course, this is pointed corporately to the church, but we will examine what it means individually for each of us. The church is only what the church is meant to be when we are what we are meant to be.

Jesus tells us that we are the salt of the earth. There are so many possible meanings of that phrase. Salt adds flavor and preserves food from decay. It cleanses and purifies and as we Iowans know, it melts what is frozen. It provides buoyancy to water. On the negative side, it could destroy fields, a common tactic in ancient warfare, and it was commonly used in sacrifices. Salt was even used in some cultures as a form of payment, as a type of money. With all of these possible uses, what was Jesus speaking of when he said that we are the "salt of the earth."

It is likely that Jesus referred to the primary role of salt in the ancient world, preservation from decay. We live in a world of death and decay, when things go bad. Salt preserves food and keeps the natural process of putrefaction from progressing.

Have you ever had a Virginia ham? They are salt-cured - you have to soak them in water to leech the salt out of them before they are edible. I do not know how long a Virginia ham would last before it went bad, but I am guessing that my great-grandchildren might be old. Salt prevents decay.

That is our job in this world. As the people of God, we are to hinder the spread of evil, of sin, of putrefying wickedness. This is often seen as a call to social action, and that is a component of being salt in this world, but only one component. The church is God's agent hindering sin's decay in the world. We must be spread out in this world and by living out the righteousness of Christ we can hinder the wickedness of sin

Father, help me to walk in obedience and righteousness, that I might be salt in this evil world. The decay of sin is all around. Help me to be your agent in hindering that decay. 

Think and Pray:

What influence are you having on this world, on others in it?
Are you "going along" with the world, or are you influencing the world for Christ?