The Church as Salt and Light

By Pastor Chad

When I was a kid, I was terrified of the dark. I don’t know why. Perhaps I feared a loathsome creature was going to snatch me. Perhaps I feared the unknown. In either case, darkness does have the eerie ability to blanket one in its talons and seep into one’s very skin. Strangely enough, the darker the surroundings, the more potent the light. I would go as far as to say, the darker the surroundings, the more powerful the light. Our broken, fallen world can be a pretty dark place. The need for the church to be a light has rarely been more consequential.   

In Matthew 5, Jesus gives the most famous and inspirational sermon of His earthly ministry, the Sermon on the Mount. At the beginning of the message, Jesus says “You are the salt of the earth” (v. 13) and “You are the light of the world” (v. 14). In English, to make the second person pronoun “you” plural, one has to add words to it. We have to say “you all” or “you guys” or “y’all.” When Jesus says “You are…” in these passages, He is using the second person plural. This is why many Christians throughout church history have understood the passage to be referencing the Church. Jesus is not saying: You as an individual are salt and light per se. He is saying: Y’all are salt and light. Together, the Church is salt and light. 

Additionally, Jesus is not giving a suggestion or an ideal goal; He is stating a fact: You are the salt and light of the world. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer aptly states, “It is not for the disciples to decide whether they will be the salt of the earth, for they are so whether they like it or not, they have been made salt by the call they have received” (The Cost of Discipleship, 116). Thus, Jesus is emphatically declaring that His church—as salt and light—will have an impact on the world. 

There has never been an institution in human history that has influenced and changed the world like Jesus’ Church. As the salt of the earth, local churches preserve the goodness and righteousness of Christ by spreading His beauty and glory. As the light of the world, local churches declare the gospel of Christ and the hope of redemption to the lost. Churches are heralds of the gospel truth. We are lights shining forth the love of Christ and our hope in Him. 

As salt and light, the church is called to be an institution that reflects the beauty, wonder, and glory of our God. As long as we remain close to the Lord of Light, the darkness of the world cannot overcome such work. You see, that’s the power of light. Light repels darkness. Darkness only exists where there is no light. As long as the church reflects the light of the gospel in the world, the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5).  

The Church is a visible manifestation of Christ’s kingdom on earth. Thus, it is a reflection of Christ’s goodness and glory to the world. One day, heaven and earth will unite. Until that time, the Church is to bear the light of God’s glory and be an instrument of righteous preservation.