The Importance of the “Salt of the Earth”

Salt is an important commodity, and it has been for millennia. It is one of the basic necessities of life, so vital that it was even used as a form of currency in ancient times, giving rise to the common saying that something or someone is “worth their salt”—or not.

Salt is essential for human life. Sodium and chloride are the two minerals in table salt, both of which are vital electrolytes in body chemistry. We lose salt in our body daily through perspiration and normal kidney function, so it needs to be continually replaced. A severe lack of sodium can result in seizures, nerve and brain damage, and death.

Like many things, we need salt in moderation—not too little or too much. We generally need a salt concentration of around 0.4 percent of our body weight. Dietary guidelines recommend consuming less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily, though athletes and those physically active may need more. Processed foods, especially fast foods, contain high levels of salt. Consuming too much salt (sodium) can cause bloating, edema, sleep difficulty, and increased blood pressure, which heightens the risk of strokes and heart disease.

Countless cooks use salt as seasoning. Most recipes, including recipes for sweet foods, call for salt. A saltshaker can be found on almost every dining table, in restaurants, and in tiny packets included with takeout food. Today, the most used salts are sea salt, Kosher salt, coarse salt, pink Himalayan salt, and iodized table salt.

Salt is used to preserve meat, fish, pickles, olives, cabbage, and a variety of other foods, as it inhibits bacteria that causes food to spoil. Salt aids in healing, balancing blood pH, preventing muscle cramps, and reducing inflammation and acid.

In the Bible, God commands that salt be used to season all grain offerings (Leviticus 2:13) and to make incense for the temple (Exodus 30:35).

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, using salt as a powerful spiritual metaphor, He told His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Scholars have proposed various explanations for this verse based on salt’s properties and uses.

Jesus continues the thought by saying that “if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13). Mark’s gospel account adds that “everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (Mark 9:49–50).

What is the meaning of this instruction? We add seasoning to enhance the flavor and aroma of food, as the patriarch Job implied when he said, “Can flavorless food be eaten without salt?” (Job 6:6). Colossians 4:6 tells us, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” The Greek word translated salt in these verses is halas, defined as “salt, both in its literal sense as a seasoning and preservative, and metaphorically to describe qualities of purity, preservation, and wisdom” (Berean Strong’s Lexicon, BibleHub.com). Through Christians, God “diffuses the fragrance [“savour” in the King James Version] of His knowledge” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Our conduct and words should always reflect Jesus Christ. Many dictionaries express that someone called “the salt of the earth” is being referred to as a noble, solid, humble, and hardworking citizen.

As mentioned, salt preserves food that would otherwise spoil. By the analogy Jesus used, Christians, like salt, are meant to help preserve life—not only by being examples of God’s way of life and preaching His true Gospel, but also by being the reason the days of tribulation will be cut short. Jesus said, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22). True Christians are the salt of the earth.

For more on this topic, you can read the free study guide What Is a True Christian? right here at TomorrowsWorld.org.