Answer # 87

In the same sentence in which He instructed His disciples that they were to be the "salt of the earth," Christ warned that His followers should not "lose their savor":

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men" (Matt. 5:13).

Salt without any flavor is, indeed, good for little. But how does salt lose its savor? And what does this warning mean to Christians?

Salt is an enduring mineral. It can last a long time and undergo a lot of pressure before its quality diminishes.

The deposits in salt mines, from which man obtains most of the salt used in the world, are thousands of years old. Yet the savor or taste is still there.

Even refined salt can be stored for extended periods and retain its flavor. Though the salt may grow hard or lumpy, its "salty" quality remains. Salt cannot spoil. Dissolved in water, salt disappears, but its quality remains. Taste the water and you'll find that the salt is still there.

Salt can also be subjected to extreme temperature. Even at 800 degrees Centigrade, the temperature at which it melts, salt still retains its particular chemical composition.

So how can the savor of salt be compromised or destroyed? Only if it reacts chemically with some other substance - if it is so to speak, contaminated by some outside influence.

The salt used in Christ's day was often natural rock salt. This salt, when exposed to the rain, sun and air, could lose its saltiness. But the salt that was close to the rock remained protected and retained its savor.

Can you see the implication for Christ's followers?

Jesus said that though we must be in the world, we are not to be of the world (John 17:15-16).

Consider this strong warning in Revelation 18:4: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

Choked by "the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in," Christians can become unfruitful (Mark 4:19). As the "salt of the earth," we can lose our savor, and are thereafter "neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill" (Luke 14:35).

Have you known members of God's Church who "lost their savor" and left the Body of Christ because they allowed themselves to be contaminated by this world?

Perhaps they became obsessed with making money. Maybe they let the trials in their Christian lives overwhelm them. Or maybe they listened to the arguments and attacks of dissidents and detractors, and decided this was not God's Church.

What about you? What concerns you the most? .

Is it your job, family troubles, the broken-down home you live in, the desire to be married, your loneliness or an endless list of things you would like to acquire for yourself?

Or is it the high calling of Jesus Christ, His end-time Work and your part in it and developing the perfect, holy, righteous character that pleases God?

If you are concerned most with anything other than the items in this latter list, stop and examine yourself. Get back on the track quickly. You are the "salt of the earth," but salt can lose its savor through contamination from outside influences.

God wants you to obey Him and be in His Kingdom. That's why you were created. Nothing else matters. Nothing else will make you happy. Be the "salt of the earth" - and don't lose your savor!