Monday, August 7, 2006
Matthew 5:13-14 "You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world."
THE NEW SALT AND LIGHT COMPANY
"Oh, tell me why the sky is blue", the old song asks, and the answer comes back, "Because God made it so."
And why is salt salty? Why does light illumine? Sure, there are scientific explanations for the properties of salt and the qualities of light, and the color of the sky for that matter, but these just examine the nature of things that God made the way He did. Salt is strong and tangy because God made it that way. Light and everything sensitive to it is a result of the Lord's design and command.
The old song also asks the question, "Why do I love you?" and gives the same response: "Because God made you."
For Christians this is true twice over. God made us physically and then created us spiritually as well. We were born into this world with certain senses and faculties and various moving parts. And when God the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Jesus Christ we were born again. With this second, spiritual birth there also came new qualities of God's making: Faith, hope, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:23-24).
When God translated us from the rulership of Satan, the prince of this world, into the kingdom -- under the gracious rule -- of His dear Son, He didn't immediately take us out of this world. In fact, He has re-made us so that we might have a definite influence on the world in which we live and the people with whom He brings us into contact.
Speaking to believers -- to you and to me -- Jesus put it this way: "You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world." Notice Jesus doesn't say, "You ought to be" or "You will be", but "you are". This is fact. God made you salt and light when He made you His child, when He brought you to trust in Christ your Savior. Salt must be salt; light must shine. The Christian follows Christ in attitude and actions. Disciple cannot but follow his master. With joy we confess that He who called us transforms and equips us -- and is personally with us.
