"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
" 'their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.' Everyone will be salted with fire. "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." -Mark 9:42-50*
As we all learned in our fifth grade science class, salt is made up of two elements: sodium and chlorine. Sodium is an extremely active element only found naturally in combination with other substances because it binds itself to other elements. Chlorine, on the other hand, is a poisonous gas that gives bleach its stain removing power. Sodium plus chlorine equal sodium chloride - common table salt, the substance that we use to preserve meat and flavor our food.
I find it amazing that Jesus would use this ordinary kitchen staple to teach about our spiritual life and instruct us on how to interact with one another. Love and Truth can be like sodium and chlorine. Love likes to combine itself to everything and everyone. but without Truth, Love can easily become flighty, blind, and even all to eager to combine itself with various questionable doctrines. On the other hand, Truth by itself can be used as a weapon to tear down and discourage God's people. It can become offensive and sometimes even poisonous. The Truth spoken without Love, will not only harm others, but may turn them away from the Gospel. When Love and Truth are combined in Christians and in the Church, we become what Jesus called "the salt of the earth." It is then that we are able to preserve and bring out the beauty of our faith. So let's keep Love and Truth, the "salt" of our faith, always strong in our lives so that we may become the dynamic people our Lord has called us to be.
Brian Rose is President of the Koinonia Sunday School Class and the Chair of the Finance Commission.
How has God made a difference in your life? "Jesus has made my life better because he has helped me get through rough times." -Grant Jackson, 6th grade
*Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
