Matthew 5.16
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
We began this series on The Integrity of the Church in March. The big message is that the impact of the Christian community in our generation requires the followers of Christ to address and restore the integrity of the church in five critical areas:
- Biblical Integrity
We are experiencing a loss of the authority of the Word of God. We need to recover our commitment to scripture.
- Spiritual Integrity
We are experiencing a loss of authentic spirituality. We need a revival of our life in the Spirit.
- Intellectual Integrity
We are experiencing a loss of sound thinking. We need to renew our minds.
- Relational Integrity
We are experiencing a loss of healthy and strong interpersonal skills. We need to rebuild our relationships.
- Social and Cultural Integrity
We are experiencing a loss of the relevance and impact of the church in society. We need to re-establish the church as salt and light in American culture.
Having examined and explored the first four, we come now to the fifth area of our integrity: the church’s social and cultural integrity. I left this for last because the church’s influence and impact in society is dependent on the prior four areas of integrity.
If the Christian community (individually and collectively) is to fulfill its calling to be salt and light in our time and place in history, we must be fully grounded in sound doctrine (biblical integrity); we must operate in the power of the Holy Spirit (spiritual integrity); we must be mature and wise in our thinking (intellectual integrity); and we must display observable love and unity to a watching world (relational integrity).
Any and all attempts by the church to have a positive influence on the social, political, and cultural challenges of our time will fail without sound doctrine, the power of the Spirit, wise thinking, and relationships based on truth and love.
The well-known verse quoted at the top is from Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Here is the first part of the passage: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5.13)
God put us on this planet to make a difference, but in order to make a difference we must be different. Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth. Salt had two purposes in the ancient world. It was used as a preservative to keep food from spoiling, and as a seasoning to give flavor to food. What a great analogy of the Christian life! The Lord sends us into the world to combat the decay, distortion, and deterioration that is in society because of sin. He also sends us into the world to give flavor and meaning to life and to work. To bring purpose and passion to everything we do. To be agents of the kingdom of God.
However, Jesus makes the point that in order to function as salt, we must be salty. If we have lost our saltiness, then we are no longer accomplishing the purpose for which he created and redeemed us. By saltiness he means living and working in alignment with his standards and principles. Saltiness = obedience.
To emphasize the importance of a life (and community) that makes a difference, Jesus follows up with a second analogy in the sermon on the mount. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5.14-16).
Light illuminates the darkness. Salt preserves against decay and adds flavor. By analogy, that is a clear picture of how we should live and work every day as followers of Christ. Again, if we are to make a difference, then we must be different.
The alternative is that we lose our saltiness and our light is under a bushel; as a result we do not make a difference. We absorb the mindset and standards of modern culture. We do our job and interact with our family and friends just like everyone else in a fallen society. Rather than representing Jesus, we reflect the world.
We must not lose our saltiness. We must not allow our light to be hidden. So here is what we should ask ourselves: In my job and family and friendships, do I make a difference? Am I a source of salt and light every day? Can people see in my life and my work the presence of something special?
May we hear and respond to the call of Christ. May we commit ourselves every day to the purpose for which God saved us. May we obey his principles and trust in his power. May we be salt in the midst of decay and light in the midst of darkness …and make a difference every day.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12.1-2)
