Will you take the time to read this bible passage?

Question

Mathew 5:13-16
You are the salt on the earth.But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it become salty again? It is no longer good for anything. except to be thrown out and trampled on by men.
You are the lightof the world. A city on a hill can not be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put in under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.l In the same way let your light shine before men, that way they see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.
What does this mean to you? are you the salt who loses its flavor or are you the light of the world?

Answer 1

To me this means that we (Christians) are to shine the Light of the Holy Spirit in us. If we are salt and lose our saltiness that means a Christian has gone away with the world and has stoped following the Lord.

Answer 2

My dear, I've read that verse a great many times. I've heard it quoted over and over again. Once, I was a child, and I found it to be an inspiring thought. Then, I grew up, took a chemistry class, and found great amusement in that simplistic analogy.

Salt can't lose its flavor. Unlike herbs, which rely on aromatic oils which can evaporate, salt is a mineral compound. Specifically, common table salt is the compound Sodium Chloride, composed of one sodium ion (Na+) per one chlorine ion (Cl-), commonly known as a chloride ion.

The flavor is inherent to the mineral, and does not fade with time. That is why your herbs eventually become useless in cooking, but salt will last indefinitely.

Unlike herbs, which will die and be used up if they're put into boiling water, salt can re-form. As soon as the water boils away, the salt condenses and re-crystalizes into salt crystals, identical to the ones you had before you dissolved them.

Looks like Mathew wasn't the brightest bulb in the box... or, at least, not the most knowledgeable cook in the kitchen.

Oh, and if I were to be the light of the world, I wouldn't waste my time rambling on about chemically inaccurate analogies about ionic compounds, and I'd make myself busy working for a better world with my own two hands. Start a group for social activism. Work for improvements in health care. Try to support the people of Darfur. Pick up a hammer and build a home with Habitat for Humanity. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Start a recycling program. Be kind to strangers. Stand up for people when others are being hurtful to them.

Yes, those would be some ways to "shine" for the world. Of course, demanding that the world sees your good deeds would only prove that you're doing it for attention. If you really believe your faith, then it only would matter that God sees your actions. Find a small, quiet way to change the world. It's just going to take some hard work, education, and stepping outside your comfort zone. Come on, you can do it. Really.

Answer 3

I read it, now what? I feel the same way I felt before reading it. I don't feel like flavorless salt, I don't feel like the light of the world. Anything else? Am I supposed to preach to myself and try to convert myself? If you feel so strongly about preaching and spreading the 'Word' why don't you go out to a street corner or the mall or the hospital and practice some real good old-fashioned preaching?

Answer 4

How does salt lose its saltiness? I mean, for those days, unless they could seperate the sodium and the chlorine, wouldn't salt always be salty?

Answer 5

I always think I lost my salt. I try to do what right and I do help people. I can not honestly say I am a light of the world.

Answer 6

Like most of the bible, it is total nonsense.

Answer 7

I am sort of a pale, ocean blue color light, with some ultraviolet.

Answer 8

I am the light.