‘Salt and light’ is about holiness, not preservation

“Salt and light” is one of the more well-known phrases in contemporary evangelicalism. It’s commonly meant to characterize Christians’ mission in a fallen world.

It’s derived from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5. Jesus said:

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.

14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Since salt is a preservative, some Christians specifically define our role as “salt” as preserving certain values in society, to keep it from decaying. Some take “light” to mean that we’re to expose what’s evil with the light of righteousness. To them, it’s about cultural and/or political activism.

This seems to interpret the passage in the framework of modern western culture wars. Proper hermeneutics requires that we avoid imposing such filters on any Scripture, and understand it in its various contexts, including the historical environment, the surrounding text, and the breadth of the Bible’s teachings.

What would Jesus be telling the ancient Hebrews to preserve? Second Temple Judaism? A corrupt Pharisaical system? The multiple times He said in His sermon, “You have heard it said … but I say to you” don’t express preservation. No, He came to bring a new covenant and a new relationship with God. Jesus would not preserve but revolutionize their society and create a new people, the church. Consider this passage in 1 Peter 2:

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

This helps us understand what He meant by salt and light. What do those things have in common? Salt and light both stand out compared to what’s around them. They’re different; they’re distinct. That describes Christians; we’re set apart from the world as far as how we live. We’re to be holy, as God is holy (a Scripture Peter quoted in that same letter). That’s what the passage is about — holiness.

Jesus explained what He meant by salt: “If the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing …” Salt has a distinctive flavor; when you eat something with salt, you know it right away. Because of its flavor, you could say that salt is, in a way, holy.

Likewise, Jesus defines our light as our good works that others notice. That’s one way we stand out. Those Jesus followers, they’re different. They’re kind and compassionate. They don’t compromise their integrity, even under threat. They love each other, they love their neighbors, and they love their enemies.

That leads them to honor the God we believe in. Our holiness will adorn the gospel we preach and help lead people to God through Christ.

Notice that neither of those things governs the culture; they govern us. They’re not about the policies and traditions that we advocate; they’re about the fruit of the Spirit that we emanate.

It’s not about preserving certain values in society; it’s about preserving Christ’s values in us, even in the face of persecution (which is the context of all this; see verses 10-12). It’s not about changing the world; it’s making sure the world doesn’t change us.