♣ Salt & Light

“You are the salt of the earth…” – Matthew 5:13.

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” – Philippians 2:14-15.

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” – Colossians 4:6.

IT IS ASTOUNDING to realise how many believers expect this world to be a place of happiness and fulfilment, whereas in reality it is often the very opposite. There are periods where we have witnessed stability in our society and most of us can remember when streets were filled with respect, despite the odd crime here and there. Schools were orderly, teachers were adhered to; parents were honoured, police were feared (in the right sense), elders were respected – a sense of authority laid a healthy fear upon society that brought safety and harmony. Nowadays, it is oftentimes questionable as to whether you can trust your next door neighbour. Respect is a bygone manner, security is a past thought and kindness is an attitude hardly witnessed anymore. Some will look back nostalgically at the yesterdays, wishing that somehow our world could return to such days.

History will show that subsequent to the Church being revived, society has been incredibly impacted at large; order and stability is restored; crime rates descend and a sense of safety once again returned to the streets. This may continue for some years, but as new generations arise, God’s place of centrality in people’s lives becomes less and less until all that is left are the good principles and moralistic values passed down from our grandparents and parents. These are good, but they are just the shells in and of themselves; it is the heart and not just moral outward behaviour that counts. Empty shells and codes of conduct are soon to spark rebellion if nothing grips and reforms the inner-self.

As mentioned in one of my recent articles, our hope, as Christians, should never be in this world at all, none whatsoever. No wonder so many believers encounter disillusionment. We should never expect the world to be kind to us; we should never calculate any good coming from it. The good that exists in this world is because of the Church and that the Holy Spirit empowers her to walk victoriously in it. The Scriptures state that our world is dark and we, the body of Christ, are likened to a lamp in the darkness. This is in no way implying that we are better than the world – not at all; we were living as the world, but it is God Who took us out from it – of His own volition – to be salt and light. It is not that we deserve it; it is God’s mercy alone. “Then, why doesn’t God do it for everyone?” someone may ask, but it is not as clear-cut as that; God’s purposes are beyond our comprehension and has His own perfect reasons and such ways are to be revered; we to hold our hands over our mouths – “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?”

Chambers said, “Never look to the world for justice, but never cease to give it.” I believe the sooner we see the world for what it really is – from a Biblical standpoint – we shall not get into sulking modes when it treats us with contempt. Many Christians push the boat out too far in befriending the world; it becomes too settled where mission is turned into vacation. When the unbeliever does what is natural to them, it offends the Christian and they react no better than the unconverted. The world is going to despitefully use us; we are going to be cheated on; we are going to be treated with contempt; we are going to be lashed out on when we have done no wrong to them. The problem is not so much in making friends with those in the world; it is that we fall asleep in such friendships; our effectiveness as salt and light is being dulled – that is the time to pull back and regain position, to where the world is not influencing us but rather, we are whetting their appetite for spiritual things.

For the Christian to anticipate any goodness arising from anyone who has not been changed by the power of the Gospel will more often that not be led into great disappointment, but if on the other hand we are prepared to be treated with hostility, that when it does actually happen, the sting will already be taken out of it. To count on such treatment may sound extreme, but if we read our Bibles as we say we do, we will find there is nothing extreme whatsoever about it; this is what the Christian should expect; as the world hated Christ, we can most certainly expect the same (John 15:18-20). When the world loves us, it shows we are no different in nature from them; if the world likes our Christianity while it has no effect on them unto repentance or resentment, we need to seriously evaluate what kind of gospel we are telling others or even question whether we have soundly come under the power of the true one.

We all deal with difficult people from time to time, but there are others where we feel they are being used as instruments by hell itself; the atmosphere produced is devilishly unusual. Such scenarios come out of nowhere, totally unexpected, catching us off guard and down we go. The result of such bewilderment and frustration is the lack of preparedness of Christ’s prewarning: “In the world you shall have trouble…” (John 16:33), but notice the preceding verse: “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace”, if such stability – that garrisons our heart – is not in place then we are ill-prepared to withstand the wiles of the devil; if Christ’s peace is not encountered in a world of tribulation then we can count on being pulled to pieces in the crisis.

How we react to others reflects our relation to Christ; if we are truly abiding in Him then the natural outflow of such a relationship will manifest itself in how I respond to those who are unkind and hostile. It is easy to love those who are of good nature, but quite another to those who don’t deserve it in our estimation. It was While we were enemies Christ reconciled us to God (Romans 5:10), while we were still opposed to God, Christ gave His life for us (verse 9). Does that exempt us from showing unconditional love to those who will not reciprocate that because God is God and we are just human; is it only God Who is to love such people? Did Christ really tell us to love our enemies and are we to really take Him at His word when He said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect”? We can all give money to the down-and-outs and get a fleshly satisfaction from it, but what about something that really costs us our dignity and self-respect, when instead of receiving thanks for the love shown to others it is spurned? Is it all for nothing? Is it all wasted? Does not God make His sun to rise on the evil as well as the good and does He not send rain on the just and on the unjust? Are we to determine who we should and shouldn’t love, or should God have left us in our wretched and damnable state?

The next time we find it difficult to love someone, let us ask ourselves if we ever deserved God’s love. With all our backslidings, wilfulness and proud hearts as regenerate people, do we now think we have earned God’s love? Even in our best days we are still hell-deserving. Does that ever occur to us and do we really believe it? I know we are freely justified and have peace with God, but in and of ourselves our debt to mercy remains for eternity. We will continue to stand in God’s presence only ever by grace alone. Do we see that because if we really do, then it will break us and reduce us to dust and tears; there will be no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’; instead we shall realise the profundity of “freely you have received, freely you shall give.”

You may be the only Christian amidst those whom you work with, the only one in your family, the only student among your colleagues who do not yet know God and who have never tasted unconditional love. In some instances only eternity will reveal the fruit of the selfless sacrifice you have made by being salt and light to those trapped in this dark world. God may well have called you to be such a witness before them. What a weight of responsibility we have to being so careful in how we represent God before others. I know salvation is of the Lord – all of it, but that never means we are not held accountable as to whether we bring honour or dishonour to the One we profess to believe in and love. God grant that He endue us with more grace to live in a more worthy manner that reflects His glory, that indeed our works, done in His name, will far surpass our words.