What does it mean to be salt?

Matthew 5:13 NKJV
[13] "You are the salt of the earth; but 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.


I heard an interesting idea recently, that salt makes people thirsty and are we making
people thirsty for God.

Anyway it got me wondering just what being salt of the earth means.
Don’t know if anyone knows the original Greek for this verse?

Salt makes bland stuff tasty. And is a preservative.

In this case the earth is the people of 1st century Israel, without those "salty" folks Israel as a nation would be thrown out and trampled underfoot - which is precisely what happened in the war of 66 - 70 AD:

Gal 4:30 But what does the Scripture say? "CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN."

In old times salt used to be used as a spiritual purifier, they would sprinkle it in their houses to ward off evil spirits and whatnot.
Basically He is saying if you lose your purpose what good are you.

COL. 4:6.
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.
-with (wisdom & grace)

All of the burnt sacrifices were seasoned with salt. Salt like fire is in two ways in the Bible.

One in judgment the other as a purifier.

When offering the gospel of grace, work to be patient and allow some room for the Holy Spirit expose the judgment to those who refuse to believe the word.

Most are acquainted with the gospel of grace "For God so loved the world" as the fire and salt that preserves or purifies

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.Mathew 3:17-18

But it would seen the judgment to those who have no faith (he that believeth not) becomes the salt or fire that destroys.

We can plant the seed and water it but if there is to be any growth God will cause it. The believer cannot come into condemnation.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Mathew 3:18

Gotta give those people around us some "flava" lol..no salt "adds" to food both as a seasoning or a preservative and commonly used...

IMO...we as Christian's should bring life ..richness and flaver wherever we go..if we lose that richness and zeal..God can't use us..kinda like a complacent Christian..neither hot nor cold..

It's interesting too that if ALL the spices He could've used to associate..he uses "salt"..common..everyday..run of the mill..not tumeric..ginger..bay leaf etc..God can use the common ordinary man to bring taste and flaver to unsaved .

What are the functions of salt?
(1) to bring out, or enhance, the flavor of that which is insipid (tasteless)
(2) to preserve foods against bacterial spoilage

For a Christian to be salt means that he should be helping to show others the true meaning of life through Christ, and at the same time preventing the increase of sin and evil in this world, and within the churches.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars... But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate... I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. (Rev 2:2,6,19)

Sure, there's seasoned salt but, beside the fact that salt is a flavor enhancer and also a preservative (and that its good as cleanser, helps our body retain water. essential to fluid regulation, nerve transmission and muscle function), salt has a distinct flavor which, if it were lost, cannot be duplicated using any other seasoning. Without the ability to discern it from any other flavor, how can we hope to derive any of benefit from it?

Very interesting thoughts! Salt is a preservative that works only when it penetrates into food, and becomes useless when contaminated by other chemical substances. It must remain pure to do its job. Jesus says that Christians, likewise, must penetrate society while keeping themselves from being influenced by sin in the world. I recently found this series on the topic of “Salt and Light” very interesting: bit.ly/2wRfBrZ.

I think it simply means that we make humanity to be tasty to God.

If we loose our salty taste, we are useless and all the humanity will be left by God like a food without a taste.

Lots of interesting answers, these verses are interesting too.

Mark 9:49-50 NKJV
[49] "For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will
be seasoned with salt. [50] 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."


They suggest the Holy Spirit might be the salt?

Also that we can lose saltiness and need it to be at peace with each other.
Maybe that relates to being in harmony and fellowship with each other.

The Bible interprets itself.

salt in solution is a great conductor of electricity.
on the other hand, salt that is dry (no water) is pretty poor conductor.

this is because it is highly polar - having relatively clear positive and negative 'ends' - but the molecules needs freedom to become aligned (such freedom is provided by being dissolved in water) in order to effectively conduct.

'His eternal qualities are clearly seen by what has been made'

amen!

so what does it mean that Lot's wife became a pillar of salt?

is salt ever a symbol of evil in the Bible?
is a pillar ever symbolically bad?

Contaminated salt is bad.

Pillars can go bad is created for evil purposes.

How do we relate this to us?

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Actually the Holy Spirit interprets the bible.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

the Bible doesn't say "she became a pillar of salt mixed with _______" or "she became a pillar of contaminated salt"
it says salt.

Jesus says remember her, as though she is a sign. if she is a sign the Messiah tells us to remember, is that an "evil purpose"? God made her a pillar - did He have an evil purpose?

instead of allowing her to reach the city and be destroyed with it, He preserved her as a pillar of the thing no sacrifice was to lack and the thing He calls believers: salt.

without prejudice, it's hard to see this as evil and corrupt.

Salt will put out fire... considering her nostalgia while Sodom and Gomorrah were ablaze...

so He changed her into something that does not burn....

do you actually see anything about nostalgia in the text? ((i think she went back after her children, for love for them, either to try again to convince them or to die trying, not for stuff or in unbelief. yeah that means i think 99.99% of Lot's-wife-sermons are totally wrong))

I'd be interested to hear of this new perspective, as scripture doesn't speak much about why she looked back, except, "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

Another perspective to consider in wondering why we was turned to salt might be found in Deuteronomy 29:23 which includes mention of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrh, and brimstone and salt. "All its soil will be a burning waste of brimstone and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his fierce anger."