Christians as Salt and Light
By Dr. Phil Stringer (Florida)
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye
shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15)
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. Ye are the light
of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do
men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).
THE SALT PRINCIPLE
There are two clear principles stated for Christians in this passage.
The first is the Salt Principle which, simply stated, is salt preserves
from corruption. When the New Testament was written, salt was the
primary preservative for meat. God’s people are left in this world to
witness against iniquity and to set an example for righteousness.
Christians are to be the moral conscience of society. If Christians are
comparable to salt which has lost its saltiness, they are good for
nothing (in terms of their value to society).
THE LIGHT PRINCIPLE
The second principle is the Light Principle. Christ designated
Himself as the "light of the world" (John 9:5). In His
physical absence, His disciples are to witness for Him in the darkness
of this world. The Bible also refers to this principle in Philippians
2:15, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God,
without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among
whom ye shine as lights in the world. "Simply put, Christians
should see to it that the light of revelation is made available to
everyone.
Some truths are self-evident -- creation, the Creator, morality, and
judgment, for example. However, the glorious gospel of grace is not
self-evident. Left to themselves, men always devise a system of
salvation by works. The gospel of salvation by grace is made known unto
men solely by the light of revelation.
The Scripture makes it clear that carrying out these two
responsibilities is not optional for Christians. These responsibilities
are commands. It is not that we could be salt and light -- it is that we
are salt and light. We may be salt that has lost its savor, or we may be
a light hid under a bushel, but we are still the salt and light of
society. In other words, we may be failures in these two areas, but
Christians are still the only salt and the only light that society has.
The effectiveness of Christians as salt and light will determine the
nature of the civilization in which our children and grandchildren will
grow up. The following are three ways that every Christian should be
carrying out the salt and light principles in our society.
1. STRONG FAMILIES
First, every Christian should be helping to build a strong family.
God has designed that families should be the building-blocks of society.
It is not God’s plan that all of society function as one big, happy
family, but that each child should have his or her own parents that
belong uniquely to that child. Each husband belongs to his own wife and
each wife with a husband that is uniquely hers. Strong families build
individuals who are not molded to the collective will of society but to
the values of that family. Nothing is a greater threat to the plans of
those who have declared a Culture War against Christian values than
strong families.
A common quote today among those who want to change American culture
is, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." In fact, in
1996, First Lady Hillary Clinton published a book on children entitled
It takes a Village, taking her title from this old African tribal
proverb. In the days when American culture was primarily Christian, it
did not take all of society to raise children. It only took responsible
parents. In homes that honor Christian principles, this is all it takes
today.
2. STRONG LOCAL CHURCHES
A second way to be salt and light in our society is to help build a
strong local church. Every Christian should be involved in this. The
church is God’s way of uniting people for shining forth the light of
God’s revelation. "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). The
church is designed that Christians may carry out this Great Commission,
encourage one another, and be God’s means for carrying out His work.
Just as God illustrates individual Christians with the picture of the
candle, He pictures the local church with the image of the candlestick
-- several candles together (see Revelation 2:5). In fact, the same
passage that tells us not to hide our candle under a bushel tells us to
put it on a candlestick. Several lights together shine so much more
brightly than one individual light.
As our civil government becomes increasingly pagan, our schools,
entertainment, and news media join the Culture War against Christian
truth. The independent, Bible-believing, local church remains the
primary vehicle for maintaining any of America’s Christian culture and
heritage. This is precisely why the church so often comes under attack
by government agencies.
3. PRAYER
A third responsibility of all Christians enabling them to function as
salt and light is prayer. I Timothy 2:1-3:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings,
and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good, and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.
Notice that the primary purpose of praying for the leaders of civil
government is that they will leave us alone to live quietly and
peaceably. This passage does not imply that you pray for God’s
blessings and wisdom upon leaders who are in rebellion against God. God
cannot bless such leaders in that way. Believers can pray that God will
bless leaders according to their faithfulness to Him, that He will
convict and save those who do not know Him, and that He will block the
wicked plans of those who are in rebellion against Him.
Every American believer should pray for the President, the Vice
President, the Cabinet, the Governor, state legislators, and mayor or
county commissioners each day.
EXERCISING THE SALT AND LIGHT PRINCIPLE
The following are some ways that Christians can exercise the salt and
light principles. No one could do all of these things (and some are
controversial even among good Christians).
Voting
All American Christians should be consistent, careful, and prayerful
about voting. When someone reaches voting age, he should make his right
to vote count.
Christians should be careful in evaluating candidates and campaign
promises. Candidates who promise that government can do what God should
do or that government can take the place of families and churches should
be rejected. Unfortunately, evangelical Christians have the reputation
of being a segment of society that (percentage-wise) does not vote very
heavily. If evangelicals (loosely speaking) want their voice to be heard
by their elected representatives, they need to vote consistently.
Campaigning
Christians can volunteer to campaign for candidates who reflect their
concerns. The outcomes of presidential elections, or campaigns for U.S.
Senator or Congressman, state lawmakers, county officials, state
governors, school boards, etc., affect the lives of Christians.
Contributions of time and money are appropriate and welcome.
Running for Office
Some Christians should consider running for office. In spite of the
complaints of those who feel threatened by Christians in public life,
Christians have the same rights as anyone else. Godly, dedicated public
officials are very important to any improvements in American life.
Community Involvement
Christians can serve in good community organizations and neighborhood
associations. These organizations often greatly influence local
communities, and Godly influence can mean much.
Donating good Christian and conservative books to school libraries
and public libraries can make a great impact. There is no telling how
often these books will be read. If the only information available to
those who use the library is non-Christian or anti-Christian, you cannot
expect the general public to get the answers they need.
Public meetings on community issues should be well attended by
Christians. A small number of people often decide issues. Those who are
not involved cannot expect their views to be heard.
Christians should regularly attend school board meetings (even those
who educate children in private schools at home still pay taxes for the
public school system). Can you imagine the effect on local school boards
if they knew that every Bible-believing church in their community was
represented at every school board meeting?
Letters to the editor of local and city newspapers are often a good
way to keep Christian truth and conservative values in front of the
public. Intelligent callers to radio and TV call-in shows can also keep
good information in front of the public.
Voicing Opinions
Christians should regularly write or call their elected
representatives and communicate their views. The homosexual population
(less than two percent) puts such pressure on government officials that
they regularly hear their agenda. If the 34% of Americans who are
professing evangelical Christians (according to a Gallup poll)
communicated their views as earnestly as the homosexual population their
concerns would be the most important political agenda in America.
Many national organizations promote values or focus on specific
Christian or conservative theme. Financial support and activity make
these programs stronger and help to spread their message.
There are a number of good radio and TV programs spreading the
traditional, conservative, Christian worldview that deserve to be
listened to, watched, and financially supported.
Grassroots activity in distributing literature and information has
influenced many issues in America -- and is the one form of
communication that the forces opposed to Christian values cannot
influence of regulate.
Protests and Boycotts
Many Christians have protested the tragedy of abortion at abortion
clinics. These protests take a variety of forms, but many feel that they
raise a standard of righteousness against this horror.
Some dedicated Christians have protested and picketed outside places
that distribute pornographic material. Some have boycotted advertisers
of immoral TV programs and stores that distribute pornographic material.
In many communities, these protests and boycotts have made a big
difference.
Other Ways
When Christians serve as foster parents or adopt children, they have
precious opportunities to communicate life changing values. Another very
important way that Christians can be salt and light is by supporting one
another. During this Culture War, Christians are often spoken against,
harassed, persecuted, and sometimes even falsely prosecuted and
imprisoned. This is what the Scriptures refers to in passages such as,
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution" (II Timothy 3:12) and, "Remember them that are in
bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being
yourselves also in the body" (Hebrews 13:3). At such times,
suffering believers really need the support of fellow Christians. Sadly,
sometimes Christians falsely judge each other during these times. Even
Paul had to endure being misunderstood during his imprisonment for
Christ (see Philippians 1:12:18).
The story of William Wilberforce is a prime example of the Salt and
Light Principles at work. Wilberforce was a member of the British House
of Commons in 1785. After trusting Christ as his Saviour, he became
concerned about how he should serve the Lord as a political leader. He
became burdened about seeing slavery abolished in England. Ending
slavery would be no easy task. Slavery had long been a part of English
tradition. Wilberforce began to campaign for legislation to restrict and
then outlaw slavery. His speeches and motions in Parliament met with a
great deal of opposition. For 20 years, the battle continued in
Parliament. Wilberforce had to take his case to the public. He had to
endure criticism and repeated attempts to blacken his reputation. He was
mocked as the leader of a hopeless cause, but, after 20 years of
campaigning, the English Parliament finally outlawed slavery, setting an
entirely new public moral tone in England. In the United States 600,000
people had to die in a bloody Civil War to accomplish the same purpose.
Dr. Phil Stringer is Executive Vice President at
Landmark Baptist College, Haines City, Florida.
