Thursday Theology: Salt and Light

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. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 13-16

Much has been said in countless sermons about how salt preserves and light disinfects. They have another thing in common, though…both can be highly irritating in the wrong circumstances.

For generations, the majority of people Americans encountered were at least nominal Christians. Naturally, as sinful people saved by grace will, they still found plenty of things to argue about: the style of music, the décor of sanctuaries, and so forth. But the basics of the faith found widespread agreement.

Not so today. We’ve reached a point where some question whether we can KNOW anything; whether there even IS a Truth that transcends conscious individual choice. Unaccustomed to living in such a mishmash of competing ideas, the otherwise well-meaning Church often responds in one of two ways: an “in your face” counteroffensive against what seems to be the dying of the light, or by withdrawing from the public square, lest one be tainted by the degeneration of society. Neither response is Biblical, and both are irritating to non-Christians.

Mart De Haan has some thoughts on being ourselves in Christ while living around those who reject Him, consciously or not.

The great challenge of the Christian life is being “in the world, but not of it;” of disagreeing with nonbelievers without being disagreeable. Christ said his message would offend; the messenger need not be offensive on top of that!

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
1 Peter 3: 15-16