Being Salt, Light, and Transparency

December 29th, 2025

Matthew 5:13-16.

For millennia, salt has been one of humanity’s most precious commodities. As a preservative, it enables us to keep certain foods stowed away for seasons of scarcity. As a seasoning enhancer, it enriches our dishes across the spectrum of flavors. Salt is also a vital mineral for our bodies to function in a healthy state. And, if stored properly, salt can last virtually forever.

However, if salt is tarnished by outside pollutants, even by water or extreme variations in temperature, it will become damaged and lose its saltiness. Such a precious resource, once blemished, cannot regain the very thing that gives it value.

For the believer to be compared to salt in this way is particularly challenging. While we do not need to despair about losing our salvation because of our mistakes, we certainly should understand that our words and actions are vulnerable to being tainted by the pollutants of the world. If we are not careful to protect ourselves from those influences, our testimonies might become ineffective for the kingdom.

We are salt of the earth; let us do all we can to retain our saltiness!

Author: Grant Miller

Tags: Salt

3 COMMENTS

3 Responses to “Being Salt, Light, and Transparency”

Jeff Says:
December 29th, 2025 at 8:44 am

You leave the impression that we can’t lose our salvation by including those exact words, even though you say not by mistakes. Whereas that’s true, you should’ve included the words unless we continue to sin.
mike wonch Says:
December 29th, 2025 at 9:15 am

Thank you for your comments.
mike wonch Says:
December 29th, 2025 at 10:24 am

Sorry for any confusion regarding the wording of “do not despair about losing our salvation” For clarity, Reflecting God holds to the statement of Article VVIII of the Articles of Faith of the Church of the Nazarene.

VIII. Repentance
8. We believe the Spirit of God gives to all who will repent the gracious help of penitence of heart and hope of mercy, that they may believe unto pardon and spiritual life. Repentance, which is a sincere and thorough change of the mind in regard to sin, involving a sense of personal guilt and a voluntary turning away from sin, is demanded of all who have by act or purpose become sinners against God.
We believe that all persons may fall from grace and
apostatize and, unless they repent of their sins, be hopelessly and eternally lost. We believe that regenerate persons need not return to sin but may live in unbroken fellowship with God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God.