Can a Christian change the world in which we live in? Even though the world is wicked and only getting worse, I believe and know that we can change the world, but we must obey the Lord and be the salt of the earth as demonstrated in the book of Matthew chapter five.

First we have to understand that we not only can change the world, but are commanded to change the world. That is the reason that Jesus Christ left us here.  Jesus says in John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”  Likewise, He commands us in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

            With these statements, our Lord defines how we are to accomplish this great task in the world. (Matthew 5:13) “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”  We are called to be the salt of the earth, in which we are to savor a wicked world with the love of Christ.  Salt is a natural preservative. As the world gets worse in sin, we make the difference by showing forth the truth of the Word of God. 

A perfect illustration of meat is that it has a shelf life. If meat is not prepared and preserved, then it can kill those who eat it. The meat either has to be frozen or completely dried out to last for a long period of time, unless you use the salt curing process. The salt curing process of meat is very interesting and pictures our lives as Christians. Salt or sugar-cured meat does not have to be refrigerated because you put a lot of brown sugar and salt on the meat which then absorbs the salt and suger rubbed in the meat.  

Then, after a day or so of having that salt and sugar solution on the ham, you will hear a sizzling type-noise in the meat, almost like it is frying. However, there is no heat! Once salt gets into that fresh meat, it is like pouring salt into a wound, It creates a hostile environment. The salt activates the cells in the meat and gets them moving. As long as it keeps the cells moving, the bacteria can not stick to it.

Bacteria and algae have to be in a complacent environment. That is the reason you will see green ponds, because the water is not moving, it becomes stagnant. If water stays moving in a fish aquarium, it stays fresh longer.  When we as Christians are the salt of the earth, and behave the way we are supposed to, then we are a spiritual preservative of the Truth that keeps sin from continuing to destroy the World.  The Truth is what sets men free. (John 8:32)  “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Truth of God is what has made this country and world great in the first place. When this country got away from the Truth of the Word of God, then came a great sin sickness in our culture. As we as Christians are the salt in a wicked world, we can change it back again.

Being Christians that are the salt of the earth, we need to ensure that we are as salty as we can be for the Lord, and that we do not lose the substance that makes us so powerful of a spiritual preservative. The salt illustration of salt is made up of sodium and chlorine. (Common table salt) This salt is not only used to preserve meat, but also to bring out its flavor. Love and truth can be like sodium and chlorine. Love without truth is many times hurtful, sometimes blind, willing to combine with various doctrines. On the other hand, truth by itself can be offensive, sometimes even poisonous. Spoken without love, it can turn people away from the Gospel. When truth and love are combined in an individual or a church, then we have what Jesus called "the salt of the earth," and we are able to preserve and bring out the beauty of our faith.

This faith that I speak of is one that can change a man’s heart. When we look out and see man’s wickedness, such as David saw in Psalms 36:1 “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.” Likewise, in Psalms 53:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.”

Man’s heart is corrupt. The sodium takes both these elements to be an effective salt. Some people argue that salt cannot lose its savor. They do this to discredit the Bible. However, salt can lose its savor. What happens is, the salt combination can get diluted with some other ingredient. Thus, this results in the separation of the sodium and chlorine, rendering the salt less useful. If we as Christians get diluted in world, and tainted with sin, then we lose our effectiveness also.

When God leaves us here, as Christians on earth, to be the salt in this sinful world, we are on the meat (The World), but it makes no difference because our lack of saltiness can actually give the world (Meat) a bad taste. One time I went to a deacon’s house, and because of his high blood pressure he had to use a salt substitute. I had no idea that it was a salt substitute and I put it on my steak. When I took a bite, I immediately knew something was wrong. The fake salt did not bring out the flavor that I was looking for it to bring out in the steak. The steak was ruined.

When we as Christians are poured out all over the people in this world,  and we have become diluted from the love and truth of the Word, we cause a bad taste. We get diluted with sins such as, pride, bitterness, worldiness, un-forgiveness, and wrong motives. We have undisciplined lives and consequently, our effectiveness is compromised.

In Conclusion, we can make a difference in the world in which we live. We must be a highly concentrated salt. The way we become concentrated salt is to concentrate on the Saviour. Jesus says in John 15:9,  “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” Likewise, he instructs us in Mark 12:30-31, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Also, we need to make sure that we are not diluted, and that we are effective for the Lord.