Sunday October 14, 2012 | Greg Boyd
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.
Jesus commanded his disciples to be the salt and light of this world, but being the salt and light has been misunderstood in many contemporary Christian circles. In this sermon, Greg talks about the purpose of being salt and light, and he calls all of Jesus' followers to step out of the crowd and become disciples.
Jesus called us to be the salt and light of this world. When Jesus said to be salty, he was not talking about having an attitude. He was saying that we should remain pure in this world so that we can be put on display and have the Kingdom seen. In the same way, a lamp cannot be seen if put under a bushel. We should manifest the Kingdom in this world in such a way that it remains unpolluted by the world and for all to see. When we become his disciples, we are called and empowered to display God’s original purpose for people’s lives by having lives that are fundamentally different from the world. Yet, we don’t judge the world, just as Jesus did not judge us but gave us grace. Our world is dark; it needs a light. We are the means and the sign with which God points people towards the light.