Biblical Conduct - Part 13 Salt & Light
By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series written by Ben Quine that takes us through the whole of Scripture to discover what God has to say about how we as believers in Jesus Christ should conduct ourselves both inside the church and outside in our public and private lives. You will discover that the Word of God has much to say about our conduct.
Moses stood before Pharaoh after the second plague, asking the king when he would like Moses to plead with God to remove the hoards of frogs from the land. That way, when the frogs obeyed God’s instruction to depart, the Egyptians would “know that there is no one like the Lord our God.” (Exodus 8:10)
When Israel crossed over the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land, Joshua commanded the people to set up a pile of twelve stones “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty…” (Joshua 4:24)
David confronted Goliath, helplessly overmatched physically, but absolutely confident as he declared, “I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel…” (I Samuel 17:46)
These are just a few examples of God’s people taking up the recurring refrain: “that all the earth will know there is a God in Israel.” God’s mighty actions, His perfect character, and His intervention on behalf of His people were undeniable proofs of His existence and strength. And God’s people were called to make known the Creator of all things to a world that had turned their backs on Him. This concept is highlighted in the New Testament, also.
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)
As redeemed followers of Jesus Christ, our job today is to advertise deity. Our calling is to make God known and to make Him look good.
The Bible uses several important images to describe how God wants us to live as His children, but it can be boiled down to living as salt and light. What is special about salt and light, and what can we learn from them?
You are the light of the world…
Who is Jesus talking to? First of all, he was speaking to the Jewish audience present for the Sermon on the Mount. But more generally, this exhortation applies to the worldwide Church, to every local church, and to every individual believer through history, including today. It applies to professional Christians (clergy) and to non-professional Christians (laity) alike.
In short, if you have been born again and you are reading this, Christ Jesus is calling YOU to be light!
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…
Jesus declares that it would be impossible to try to hide a city sitting on a hill, and foolish to put a lighted lamp under a basket. Our actions are not meant to be conducted in secret — we live “before others.” So if we’re living as the light, everyone will know it. If we’re living in darkness, that will also be clearly apparent.
As Christians, it is unacceptable to blend in with the darkness of the world, since our King commanded us to shine!
…that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Your life is meant to be marked by good works, as defined and expressed in God’s Law. Christ assures us that when it is, those around you will take note and “give glory to your Father”.
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:19-21)
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7)
Light in the Bible signifies goodness, truth, and life. Light enables seeing. The world is in darkness, sin, and pain, but Christ Jesus calls all who are redeemed by him to shine their light before others: living lives of godly conduct marked by good works that bring goodness, truth, and life to everyone around us!
What are “good works”? In Scripture, good works include bringing physical and spiritual life to individuals, society, and the world through our charity and evangelism (I Timothy 6:17-19, Matthew 28:19-20); teaching and demonstrating how the Gospel brings reconciliation and healing to those who are hurting (Philemon 15-17, Psalm 147:3); living lives of godly virtue and moral uprightness (Titus 2:11-14); and applying Biblical principles to law, economics, science, education, and every social issue we face (I Peter 2:13-14, Ephesians 4:28, Psalm 111:2, Ephesians 6:4, Psalm 119:9-11, 98-100, 105) — for God’s glory, and the benefit of all people around us (Matthew 5:16). Don’t shine in secret, but shine to be seen in your work, city, and school; shine to be seen by your family, friends, and co-workers.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 5:13, NIV)
In ancient times (and still today) salt was used as a powerful preservative. A significant quantity of salt was rubbed all over meat and other foods in order to stop the natural decay and rot. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was clear that any salt not fulfilling this role must be thrown out.
There are so many areas where our society is experiencing death and decay. Our schools and media are teaching false religions and false philosophies. They are teaching that people are no different from animals, that there is no objective right and wrong, that there are alternatives to being male or female, and that authoritarianism will produce morality. These ideas breed great suffering and death, especially for the weakest in society.
Jesus is calling us right now to be salt for these life-threatening issues.
But Satan desperately wants to stop Christians from preserving the culture from death. That’s why he has devised so many methods of silencing the truth today: censorship, political correctness, cancel culture, and other movements which limit freedom of speech (Jeremiah 38:1-6, Romans 1:18). He is using the false concepts of “microagressions,” “violence of speech,” and “intersectionality,” to silence believers and remove biblical truth (Leviticus 19:17, I Timothy 5:20, II Timothy 3:16). He also utilizes force through instituting government mandates of behavior and “social credit scores.” As followers of Christ who has been commanded to “let [our] light shine” we must soundly reject all of these anti-biblical practices!
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
Like Moses, Joshua, David, and other heroes of the faith, we have been called to know God and to make Him known. Is your light shining before others? Or are you bowing to the pressures of culture and putting your lamp under a bushel? Are you exposing the darkness and evil that is around you? Is your life helping to preserve your neighbors from the death and decay of false ideologies and harmful actions? If not, ask God right now to give you the boldness to follow Him today. Ask Him to give you opportunities to show godly love to your family members, friends, and neighbors. It will bring Him great glory when you do. Then those around you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God!