SALT AND LIGHT - "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 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 5:13-16).

There is a vital application to the Christian faith that accomplishes one of two outcomes for the one who publicly professes him/herself as saved by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8).

It either provides circumstantial evidence of an inward change of the heart manifested in good works from an obedient will that gives glory to God, or it polarizes those who the Christian comes in contact with by creating division and confusion as to how someone who claims to be a Christian can live a hypocritical life.

This is truly the crossroads we find ourselves within a highly skeptical culture, micro-analyzing the Christian faith community for signs of authenticity and fruits of the spirit.

Make no mistake, Christ's admonition in Matthew 5:13-16 is the litmus test of our faith, exemplifying our depth of Biblical character or lack thereof, and giving testimony to the glory of God for his infinite grace and mercy, or in contrast, how surface we have become in our spiritual walk with Christ that in truth does more damage than good to the cause of the Great Commission.

I find it incredibly intriguing why those who are most critical of Christians and their sinful behavior first and foremost rarely point out their issues with what the Bible defines as sinful behavior. While there are exceptions of course, most often greater emphasis is placed upon the inconsistencies of application rather than the Biblical standard.

It would appear that they don't necessarily have issues with what the Bible says when Christians practice what they preach, but that rarely happens. Therefore a skeptic may conclude, "Why want what they have because it doesn't look any different than what I have?" Again this is not a blanket statement, but is this a fair criticism? Absolutely. There is no greater standard of morals, ethics and character than the Bible, yet we know as habitual sinners it is impossible to attain perfection on our own through good works. Only through Christ do we attain perfection.

"For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).

Therefore, let us be reminded that sanctification does not mean made clean upon conversion and perfect from this day forward. Rather, it supposes that righteousness is a progressive trial and error process of being conformed into the image of Christ—turning from sin and submitting unto Christ and His Word in increasing application.

It is difficult to see Christians acting out in direct or indirect defiance of Scripture. How can people who profess themselves to be Christian act like they do? It is a huge stumbling block to both unbelievers and immature believers and creates a Christian cultural melting pot that is inconsistent to say the least. No doubt the apostle Paul felt this weight within the church of Corinth.

"I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?" (1 Corinthians 3:2-3).

The consistency of our Biblical application is rooted within the flesh which opposes obedience and submission unto God the Father. It exalts self, thus rejecting God's protective love. Perhaps writing through his experiential application of rejecting Christ, Peter conveyed similar understanding when he declared:

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:11-12).

If our conduct does not match the truth we hold as absolute, we dishonor God by glorifying ourselves, plain and simple. The Bible gives strong warnings to professing Christians who fail to apply Biblical truth and become stumbling blocks to those who do not know Christ.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea" (Mark 9:42) is a perfect example of what Jesus taught concerning the importance of practicing what we preach. And if surgical procedure is needed to extract the cancer we allow to reign in our lives, Christ implores:

"And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another" (Mark 9:43-50).

What an amazing picture Christ paints for us that everyone will be salted with fire! In its most basic form, salt provides flavor as a seasoning and acts as a preservative in food while also containing antiseptic properties used for cleaning wounds. Salt is a most useful substance, yet Christ likens salt to the process of cleansing by fire.

In other words, while we are washed by the blood of the lamb in the obedient act of baptism, likewise our guilt and shame are purged--burned away by fire with the salt of the Spirit that gives us our flavor (righteousness) and preserves us (sanctification) against the forces of evil that wish to destroy us by cleansing us (justification) from sinful behavior we no doubt will experience in the future due to our fallen nature.

It is extremely difficult to pause and reflect upon my own personal application of this truth because the aftermath of wrong decisions I have made throughout my life is always top of mind. Even though I find great comfort in knowing I am being salted with fire, my mind naturally gravitates upon my shortcomings and how I have failed my Lord & Savior more times than I care to remember.

However, it is critical to spiritual growth and maintaining the salty flavor needed to live out the Christian faith because it promotes a balance of the past (accepting full responsibility for personal sin), present (living in constant battle against sin and temptation) and future (constantly focusing on the victory found in Christ's shed blood which pays for our entry into eternity upon acceptance of His sacrifice).

In all, it requires a man to take full responsibility for his actions and embrace the process of reconciliation before God for salt is the true test of our effectiveness as Christians, not perfection through good works.

No where else in Scripture is this truth better exemplified than Psalm 51 where King David declares in repentance, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment" (Psalm 51:1-4).

David understood that he had sinned gravely and sought reconciliation first before God as his ultimate judge (Note: David had to reconcile with those he directly sinned against as well, i.e. Bathsheba, etc., even though verse 4 focuses specifically upon his relationship with God).

He recognized through the accountability of Nathan the prophet that his saltiness was losing its flavor and if he did not seek forgiveness and accept the consequences of his actions (which inevitably resulted in the death of his son), he was destined to be useless for the God whom he so loved and trusted.

I know I can relate to David. The greatest fall from grace I have ever experienced came when I stood proudly upon the mountaintop of hypocritical pride and self-exaltation that I (like David) was "a man after my (God's) heart" (Acts 13:22) while at the same time wallowing in the filth of my sin. How ridiculous I had become to think I could continue to willingly live in adulterous sin (James 4:4) while presenting myself before a community of Christ followers as righteous before God and worthy to do His will.

There is no greater regret I have than not only destroying my own life to various degrees but destroying the lives of those around me while blaspheming the name of Christ and abusing the gift He gave through his death for my sins. Praise God though for His deliverance of my soul and restoring the years the locust has eaten (Joel 2:25) for I once was incredibly blind, but now I see more clearly and am progressively being restored to righteousness.

Perspective is an amazing grace God gives to His children. For even in my regret and despair for the pain I have caused those I love, God still chose to lift me out of the depths and restore me unto Himself. Like David, I humbly cried out, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you" (Psalm 51:10-13).

Praise God! He heard my cry, for now my soul proclaims, "O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit" (Psalm 30:3). What a privilege it is now to share how Christ has redeemed me and continues to illuminate His truth to me through Scripture passages such as these! To God be the glory!

It is imperative to note that the warning of salt losing its saltiness is a stern rebuke for those who believe they can continue living in sin without reproach or consequences. We must be clear that Jesus is not saying that if you sin, you have lost your effectiveness to share the Good News of His death, burial and resurrection. Rather, it focuses specifically upon any man or woman who believes that they can knowingly live as "whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).

Make no mistake, truly seeing the full depth and breadth of our sin is crucial to understanding Christ's teaching. And I believe if we are truly being honest with ourselves, which requires prayerful introspection and the help of others who know us, there are areas of our lives where we know we are sinning and need to stop, repent and never return to.

Granted, temptation will always be present, seductively luring us back into self idolatry, but we do not have to continue living in sin without the slightest care of its destruction. Often times sin is extremely discreet and indirect, virtually undetectable without Biblical accountability with fellow Christians and a daily meal-plan of the absolute truth of Scripture that is "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). But nonetheless it must be extracted before it kills you like cancer, ravaging your spirit unto death.

We must guard against any inclination to allow our flesh (self) to elevate its desires for a quick fix to sin and its destructive wake above the righteousness of God that will use our sin as an opportunity to draw us closer unto Christ in His time, not ours.

The Bible states, "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6), and that is a promise to embrace because while God will not typically remove the consequences of sinful actions, He promises that ultimately we will not pay the final price for those sins if we surrender our lives unto Christ by grace through faith.

Our time on earth is temporary, therefore we must take full responsibility for our sinful actions, allowing God to purify our hearts through their consequences, so that we may retain the salty flavor God placed within us when we accepted Christ as Lord & Savior—and that is how we allow God to shine through us as light to a dark world desperately in need of the transforming and saving power found only through Jesus Christ.

If we as Christians embrace the calling God sets upon our lives to submit to his will and authority and apply His Word in our hearts, then the light that shines forth from us will not be quenched. Does that mean we will flawlessly execute our duty unto Christ? No. Rather, God allows sin to take partial residence in our hearts in order to display His grace as we seek reconciliation with Him through repentance. And this will be a testimony to all that God is merciful and "gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6) who seek His face.

Bottom-line, the Christian walk is not one without freedom. We have the choice to follow absolute truth that unwaveringly withstands the test of time, or self-truth that ebbs and flows like waves upon the shore. But in obedience and thanksgiving unto Christ, we submit to God's Word and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit that He gives through baptism, knowing that the truth of Christ sets us free (John 8:32).

Moreover, we embrace our born-again identity as "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

Christ's teaching in Matthew 5:13-16 should be one that we approach with reverence and humility, for the responsibility God places upon us as ambassadors for His name is incredible. Whether fair or not, those who do not share our faith scrutinize our every word and action and make judgments based on what they see and hear, which alone should bring us to our knees daily, seeking discernment and understanding from God through prayer and Scripture reflection on how we can live unto righteousness.

But that does not give us permission to lord over others in judgment from what we see and hear in them, for we are subject to the same measure. "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God" (1 Corinthians 4:5). We are called to rise above such secular philosophy, for in that we become lamps upon a stand in the homes, churches, workplaces and culture where we reside.

I pray that this Scripture passage from the mouth of Christ through the pen of Matthew inspired through the Holy Spirit grips your heart as it has mine. It has taken six months for me to finish composing this journal entry, which is by far my longest hiatus from writing since this blog began two years ago.

I have wrestled with what God desires to teach me through it and been distracted and sidetracked by countless things from finishing it. As I conclude though, ultimately I believe God has taught me to take my role as a Christian man, husband, father, friend, etc., much more seriously, understanding that my thoughts, attitudes and actions reflect the condition of my heart which is of supreme importance to God.

No doubt, I continue to struggle simply reading God's Word and praying daily let alone resisting selfish desires, ambitions and temptation in general, but I also understand that Satan continues to oppose every attempt I make to live for righteousness (which be encouraged, is a good sign, for Satan only seeks to devour those who are not already his).

Therefore, it is in my best interest to apply all I learned earlier this year studying the Beatitudes, for they are foundational to living as salt and light. God continues to build a new framework within my life as I have slowly progressed through Matthew 5, which at times has been excruciatingly convicting yet refreshing to my soul. May God continue to illuminate my heart and mind and may I continue to humble myself and maintain a reverent posture as he conforms me into the image of His Son through the power of His Word.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8).