Salt is an amazing thing. We use salt in so much of what we eat. We need salt to live.

In America, we even have Bacon Flavored salt.

When God’s Word is talking about salt, we should listen.

Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭50‬ says, “Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.”

Salt burns when we get it in a wound. Likewise, we need to realize that when we reprove of sinful habits and conditions, it’s going to sting.

Our flesh is gratified by sin in one way or another and we can be sure that the salt of God’s Truth is going to hurt.

That is where God’s grace comes into play. When we mix salt with grace, God’s grace helps us or others that we are ministering to, to receive the reproof.

Without mixing grace with the salt, we are simply burning and attacking the sin and that is likely to make things worse, rather than make them better.

Many times, we are quick to point out the sin in others and condemn it, but condemnation and criticism are not “salt” even though we may think they are. Salt becomes condemnation when applied without grace, because it becomes legalism.

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore  now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Self-condemnation through salting our own sin can be damaging as well. Often times,  we fail to acknowledge that we have the power in the Holy Spirit and by Christ living in us to overcome that sin. We have to remind ourselves constantly that we are the righteousness of God by Christ Jesus and that even when we mess up, we are forgiven.

Salt brings out the flavor in food. It brings out the best in whatever we season with it. It even has the ability to make something taste good that is otherwise undesirable.

If you think about how our words can either enhance or burn, it makes you realize what power we have to affect positive or negative change in both our lives and in the lives of others.

We have the ability to see the best in others through the eyes of Jesus. We have the ability to bring out the best in people that otherwise may seem undesirable to us or the world.

There are so many people that appear undesirable, but they just need a little salt mixed with grace to show them a better way.

We have to remember that it is a mixture of salt and grace though. These days there is so many agendas and plans for sinful lifestyles and conditions to be considered normal and acceptable. Everywhere we look, sin is being considered to be culturally acceptable, even to Christians. Christians are losing their saltiness.

They are ministering grace without salt and because of that, their words and actions no longer sting the sin wounds that people have.

The scripture in Mark 9:50 also appears in the other Gospels with variations in the words used.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ says, “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.”

When you lose your saltiness, it loses its effects and it is good for nothing at that point. The verse says it will be cast out and walked over by the feet of men.

What is our salt? What is our saltiness?

The Holy Spirit reproves of only one sin, “not believing on Christ Jesus”.

When we minister the grace of God by Christ Jesus we are ministering grace and salt.

So salt is simply to bring God’s Word or God’s Truth to bear on those things that are not Godly in our lives.

Leviticus‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ says, “And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.”

Here, it says the covenant of God is salt.

The New Covenant between God and man is really made with Christ Jesus at the center as our mediator, so He is the salt in us. The Holy Spirit is the power by which we release salt to ourselves and to others. So any time we are failing to be salty to others or are failing to be salty in ourselves against our own freshly struggles or sinful habits, we are not renewing our mind to who we are in Christ enough. We are not applying Christ and His Word and Truth in our lives.

When we are focused on God and who we are in Him, we will find that our salt remains salty and we will have that overcoming power we need.

So again, salt is simply applying Christ by the Word of God in our lives with knowledge, understanding and with grace.

Even in my own life, I can see areas where I’ve lost my saltiness. I can also see areas of my life where I apply salt without grace.

Salt and grace can be applied unevenly, and we have to make conscious choices to balance their application in our lives even daily.

Where we apply grace without salt, sin is not reproved and so it may continue unchecked. Where we apply salt without grace, we legalistically condemn the sin without any mercy or forgiveness, thus condemning the person along with their behavior in the process.

When we fail to apply salt and grace properly in our own lives, we may become caught in a cycle of self-righteousness and/or self-condemnation. That is to say, we bounce between excusing ourselves by grace and condemning ourselves legalism, leaving us in a “roller coaster” of ups and downs.

Let us not condemn ourselves if we fail to get it right all the time. Let’s just refocus our attention on God and keep purposing in our hearts to do better. Condemnation kills, and as the scripture says there should be therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Ask God to help you apply salt and grace with the proper balance and then expect to see the results that only Christ being made manifest can bring.