You are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world …
Jesus’ intention in these two emphatic statements is to contrast His disciples from those in the world who oppose them (see the “they” in verse 12). The most basic and main function of salt in ancient times was to preserve food from decay; the function of light is obvious. So in telling us that as Christians, we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world,” Jesus is saying that our function in the world is to arrest its moral corruption and to drive out its darkness by illuminating it with the knowledge of God. He does not say that this is what we “should be,” or even “ought to be,” but what we are. Before commanding us what to do and how to live (which he will do in the remainder of chapter 5), Jesus is first, once again (as He did in the Beatitudes) affirming who we are. These are indicatives, that is, they indicate what Christians are, by virtue of our new nature derived from the new heart we are given in regeneration.
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A native of New York, Pastor LoSardo was saved by the grace of God in 1986 after hearing the Gospel from his brother, while pursuing a career in scientific research. He was ordained into the ministry in 1995 and served as the Associate Pastor of a large messianic congregation...