Let’s jump straight in and mention these scriptures from the onset.

Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: 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”

Luke 14:34-35 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark 9:49-50 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

The first thing worth stating is that Jesus Christ himself mentioned these scriptures. Out of the mouth of our very Lord, they were told to us and not just once, but about on 3 different occasions. Not only this, but it was also recorded in 3 books (Matthew, Luke, Mark) of the four gospels. Now moving away from our Lord Jesus and the gospels (4 First Books of the New Testament). Let’s see what other writers of the bible said about salt as the Holy Spirit would have instructed them.

Colossians 4:6 6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

James 3:12 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

This level of emphasis clearly shows that there is something about salt that God wants us to understand. He wants the concept of being salt to seep and be deeply saturated within us (pun intended). So, what is God trying to tell us and are we listing?

In this regard, the first scripture I would like us to loop back to is Luke 14:34-35, where it starts by saying “Salt is Good”. I would like to repeat that, “Salt is Good”. God is asking us to be good and not just be good in ourselves, but also to affix ourselves to others and improve them in a like manner as salt. As Job would have mentioned, “Is tasteless food eaten without salt…” – Job 6:6 NIV.

We would not dare eat food without salt or some type of additive to enhance the flavour. Who goes back to a restaurant where all the food was bland and tasteless? No matter how good the ambience, the decor or the customer service, most likely we will not return. Isn’t it so? We regard the restaurant as not adding value and worthless. We judge the restaurant like this and in similar manner God judges us when we don’t have any savour in our lives. At one point, God even used an analogy to say when we are not producing, He will get rid of us.

Revelation 3:14-16 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either or the other!
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

These are strong words, right? Yes, strong indeed! Words which are geared to produce reverence and fear in us (Deuteronomy 10:12-13.). Words to remind us that as Christians, we cannot be average or lukewarm because lives are at stake. We MUST take up our role of being salt and affect those around us. However, this is where the problem comes in, I think. We do not understand our role.

A lot of problems in life come about because individuals don’t understand, accept, embrace, and execute their roles. Actually, one of the biggest forms of confusion in the world today is created by people who are ineptly executing their roles. Think about it for a moment.

Children and parents get into conflict when roles are not taken up. Some years ago, I remember there was this push for parents to be friends with their children. Yes, I will be a friend to my kids, but first I must be a father. There would be no “Role Conflict” with me in this regard. Husbands and wives argue and fight because of a lack of understanding of roles and duties. The role of the husband to love his wife, role of the wife to be submissive and give herself freely to her husband. Even from a government standpoint, we see members of the opposition arguing and pulling down a good plan from the ruling government, and this happens all over the world. They think their role is to argue about everything and oppose for opposing sake, and in the long run, the nation suffers. When roles are not understood, ineffectiveness, dysfunction, and chaos are the outcomes.

Let me share something else with you. In ancient times, they use to throw salt on dung so that the pungent odour will dissipate. Even in recent time for those who know what a latrine is, can attest to the fact that when it was time to clean it, salt was thrown inside to reduce the smell. Salt affects the stinkiest of things it touches and the reverse does not apply. Or should I say, the reverse can only apply when salt has lost its savor.

So, what is the role of salt to which we have to become? Well, I am not a chemist to dissect its chemical composition. All I can do is try to interpret what Jesus Christ said. In Luke 14:34-35, Christ said that salt was good for 3 things, seasoning, the land and the dunghill (animal faeces). Well, we all know that salt is good for flavouring food which nourishes the human body, salt is good to put on the land for agricultural purposes. But did you know that salt is also good for excrement and bowel discharged from the bodies of humans and animals (faeces)? Thus Jesus said, it was not good even for the dunghill because he knew the benefits of having it there.

The role of salt is to add flavour, bring life to the land (earth), reduce the stench of filth (sin) by changing lives and sharing the gospel and bringing peace one with another (Mark 9:50). This is our role and mandate today and every day. Now if we don’t do this, there would be consequences. We would not be even good enough to be thrown on top of dung, but be thrown out and become unused forever.

My friends, our role is to be the salt of the earth because God is now living in us and He wants to share Himself to the world through us.  

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?


We must use the opportunity afforded us today to showcase to the world that this is true. Let’s continually look for opportunities to bring peace, share the gospel, and add life to others.

Let’s take up our role!

PS: Dane Miller was last seen ordering a bigger and better saltshaker.

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller | Author

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