“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.” — Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth” is one of Jesus’ most famous statements, but what does it practically mean? With this carefully chosen metaphor, Jesus was describing the role and place of Christians in the world. Salt was a valuable, expensive, and rare commodity because the process to acquire it was laborious, indicating that we are very valuable to God and to the world, and it had many functions in the ancient world. In that context, salt was such a powerful symbol, and you can be sure that Jesus carefully selected it when He said, “You are the salt of the earth,” so it is important to understand His meaning and its application in the life of a Christian.

Salt is Good

Mark tells us that “Salt is good” (Mark 9:50), coming from the Greek word kalos (καλός) meaning attractive, beneficial, advantageous, and wonderful. This word tells us that Christians, as the salt of the earth, should positively impact those around them. A Christian’s presence should be beneficial and attractive. The saltiness that Christians possess should also enhance the flavor of the gospel and, as salt makes people thirsty, should create a thirst in others for the gospel we are carrying.

This means that we should be acting with the flavor of God, not of the world, so that the gospel is attractive to others. For example, believers should not engage in negative and damaging speech. Paul says:

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” – Colossians 4:6

Though the rest of the world is negative and harsh in their words, we are called to be gentle and forgiving when we speak. Instead of adding to negativity, we can change the entire environment by injecting words that are seasoned with salt. Christians have so much more to offer with their words than injury. Our words can bring healing, preservation, and growth to others, but only if we are depending on God to give them their flavor.

In the same way Titus 2:9-10 tells us:

“Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”

When we do our job as salt, both saying and doing what is right, we adorn the gospel. The Greek word for adorn is kosmeo (κοσμέω), and it describes decorating something or making it attractive, so we are representing God’s Word well by our good words and actions. We are supposed to enhance the flavor of the gospel by being the salt of the earth and draw people to it, not driving them away with lives that are shameful, hurtful, or hypocritical

Salt is a Preservative

Christians are also compared to salt to convey their preserving influence and ability to resist corruption. The warm Middle Eastern sun dictated a need for preservatives for various foods like meat in the ancient world, and salt was able to keep the bacteria and rot away, so it was often used for this purpose. It was also believed to be powerful enough to ward off evil spirits, leading people to spread it on their thresholds to keep evil away or, in the practice still popular today, throw a pinch of salt over their shoulder to avoid bad luck.

These uses for salt give us an image of how the church is meant to act as a preservative and protective force for the world. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 says:

“And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

The word “withholdeth” in this verse is the Greek, katecho (κατέχω) and means to hold back, suppress, or restrain. It describes the Church’s role as a preservative to the world, suppressing the arrival of the Antichrist. This is a valuable and important job for all believers. We must simultaneously fend off the manifestation of the anti-Christ while using that bought time to reach all people who remain untouched by God’s Word.

Salt is a Medicine

People in the ancient world also used salt as a disinfectant for wounds or contaminated and unclean areas. Salt was seen as a bacteriostat, a substance that hindered the growth of bacteria, so if there was an outbreak of disease in a village, the citizens would relocate and then salt would be spread throughout the vacated area to disinfect it. In treating wounds, salt was a sanitizer that stopped infection and accelerated healing. In the same way, Christians are called to have a disinfecting presence wherever they go. Just as salt stops malfunction and collapse by inhibiting harmful bacteria, Christians should prevent moral and spiritual collapse in their environment. As Jesus tells us:

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

Again, he says:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” – Mark 16:17-18

Christians are endowed with power that follows them wherever they go. “Follow” in the Greek is parakoloutheō (παρακολουθέω). It means to accompany tirelessly and to stay in close proximity to. These signs are ours to use consistently, and miracles are done in the name of Jesus such as healing and casting out demons. This cleansing power we are given aligns with the antiseptic function of salt. Through the authority of Jesus, the church, as the salt of the earth, is empowered to heal even the most ill among us and to tread all over the power of the enemy.

Salt as a Fertilizer

Another ancient use for salt was to improve the fertility of the soil by killing weeds and balancing the conditions of the soil. Farmers would carefully apply salt to fields in controlled amounts to stimulate plant growth. When Jesus says that salt without saltiness is “neither fit for the land nor the dunghill” (See Like 14:35), He is describing the soil and compost used in farming, showing us that this agricultural function of salt was on His mind when He preached this message.

In other words, Jesus is continuing the image of gardening and harvest that is so prevalent in Christianity. He is saying that Christians should radically improve their environment, fostering spiritual growth and life just as salt enhances the growth of crops by conditioning the soil. When we act as the salt of the earth, we are creating a fertile place for other believers to grow, and with our help, they will be plentiful when it comes time for harvest.

Losing Your Saltiness

These subtleties are so often overlooked in Jesus’ powerful statement, “You are the salt of the earth,” and it is important to exercise all the aspects of salt that Jesus intended so that we can completely embody His vision for us. We represent Him here on the earth, and He called us to preserve righteousness and morality. Our salvation should speak for itself, and our example should enhance the appeal of the gospel to all who will listen, bringing an antiseptic presence to the moral collapse of the world. If we perform all these jobs assigned to us, we will stimulate spiritual growth all around us as the fertilizing salt of the earth.

This responsibility is so important, but it also means that we have to be careful. As the salt of the earth, we are constantly watched by the world to see how we will represent God and the Gospel. Jesus warns us:

“Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” – Mark 9:50

As Christians, we not only represent ourselves individually but our Savior and the church as a whole. That is why we must maintain the saltiness in our lives. To “have salt” in ourselves is the Greek word echo (ἔχω) which means to have, hold, or possess. It illustrates a person who maintains the responsibilities and functions of salt that we have been talking about, and they act in wisdom so that they may be shining examples to others.

However, that kind of example and influence can be easily destroyed but not easily rebuilt. Jesus warns His listeners with the fact that salt can’t be reseasoned if it somehow loses its flavor. The writer of Ecclesiastes similarly says:

“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” – Ecclesiastes 10:1

In the same way, maintaining an upright reputation is a delicate thing which requires a deep subservience to God. We don’t want a little folly to ruin our reputation beyond repair, so we have to stay dependent on God, and let our reputation reflect Him. Jesus called us to be the salt of the earth, but as in so many things, He doesn’t expect us to do it perfectly on our own.