What happens when the salt of the earth loses its saltiness

In many African communities today, the only way to preserve things from decaying is by applying salt to them. The preservative role of salt is natural and does not depend on any other factors, like electricity, to be effective. Jesus knew that the earth is bound to decay if nothing is done to preserve it. He then commissioned us, His disciples, to become the salt that will uphold the truth that will deliver the world from moral decay and falsehood.

The salt also adds flavor to food. Jesus wants us to be distinct and to add taste to this world. The presence of believers — no matter how few they are — should radiate grace and kindness in any environment that they are found in. As Christians, we should be able to preserve the truth of the Word of God and act as God’s agents of grace in the societies He has placed us in.

When believers stop preserving the truth that has been handed down to us, it shows in our immediate culture. Uneducated men in the Bible turned the world upside down, but today, professors in theology and educated preachers are no longer capable of bringing changes in small communities because truth is no longer championed. Falsehood and half-truths have taken over the mouths of those who are supposed to boldly proclaim the Word of God without fear. Truth is sometimes bitter but has the power to bring the needed changes in the lives of the hearers. The Scripture says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

The reason why there is moral decay in our nations and societies today is that the salt of the earth has largely lost its saltiness. The truth is no longer preserved; it's edited to suit the culture.

I recently met a lady that I wanted to share the Gospel with. In the course of our discussion, I told her that Christians who continue a lifestyle of sin are in danger of hearing Christ say to them, “depart from me, I never knew you.” She later accused me of preaching a false Gospel. According to her, if a Christian is killed as an armed robber, he will make it to Heaven because he has confessed Jesus as his Lord and Savior. This lady claimed to be an evangelist in one of the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. When self-professed Christians are deceived, we are in big trouble.

All the moral lapses in our societies and nations today are a result of believers’ inability to preserve the people by telling them the truth. Many of us are telling people to come to Christ, but we refuse to tell them to sin no more. People are no longer warned of the dangers of sinful lifestyles, and this has resulted in them pursuing their self-centered goals and lustful desires even after they’ve made a public profession of faith in Christ.

Our conversion is supposed to change us. We are expected to walk in God’s path. A move toward God is a move toward righteousness, purity, and holy living. May we never forget our calling. May we never lose our saltiness.