What does God think about the world? To answer this question, the Bible gives mixed messages. The most famous passage in the New Testament may be John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Within that passage are two opposite messages: God loves the world, and the world needs to be saved. Those two opposing truths are both true. To resolve this apparent contradiction, that passage introduces a third truth: God sent his Son into the world to be its Savior.
Christians cannot save the world, but we are called to serve the world. How? By being salt and light: the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14). Both salt and light are useful—even necessary for life. Salt is a seasoning, but unlike other spices, it is not plantbased, it is a mineral—when we use salt in cooking we are adding dirt to our food! And, of course, light is necessary for us to see. When the sun sets, we all go blind—unless we have artificial light. But, Jesus said, lamps ought not be hidden “under a bushel” or the light is wasted.
Salt has two major uses: it enhances flavor and it retards spoilage. It is the opposite of sugar which tastes good but causes spoilage or decay. People have long known that salting meat preserves it. When Jesus said that Christians are to be like salt, he meant that we are to retard the rottenness in the world. In this sense, Christians are like a physician who saves a patient by getting rid of an infection. Throughout church history Christians have been salt to the world’s rottenness: in ancient Rome Christians rescued babies from the city’s trashheaps, William Wilberforce led the British campaign to end slavery, Amy Carmichael sought to end child labor in India, and Chuck Colson has worked for prison reforms, and we could name thousands of other examples of Christians being the salt of the earth.
I have read the story of how the gladiator contests in the Coliseum in Rome ended. A monk was visiting Rome and followed the crowds into the Coliseum, unaware of what he was about to witness. Two gladiators were fighting to the death. The monk was horrified and began to shout, “In the name of Jesus, stop.” He continued to shout as he worked his way down through the crowds. Finally, he jumped into the arena, shouting, “In the name of Jesus, stop.” The surprised gladiators took their swords and killed the monk. Across the Coliseum there was silence. People began to stand and leave. Even the emperor left. That was the last gladiator event held there. A lowly monk stopped the killing by being salt. He resisted the rottenness.
Christians are also to be light in a dark world. We reveal the righteousness. Jesus explained that our light is our good deeds, and the purpose of the light is to glorify God—not us. This is a positive effect that Christians have on the world. Serving others, particularly the needy, is an example of being light. But the best example is sharing the good news we have found in the gospel. “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47) Jesus said, “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If we don’t do this, it is like hiding our light under a bushel!
Serving the lost includes doing evangelism, missions, charity, and justice ministries. Christians should always love our neighbour as ourselves, be they believers or not, but the greatest love we can show non-believers is to introduce them to the Savior!
One method that is seldom helpful in doing evangelism is a judgmental attitude. While it is true that Jesus is the judge of the world, and ultimately every deed will be judged, Christians are not appointed to be judges. We should remember that for every speck we see in the eyes of others, there are logs in our own eyes (Matthew 7:1-5). No Christian was ever saved because he or she was better than anyone else. We are saved by grace, just as anyone else might be! Our testimony that God saved us in spite of our sin, is part of sharing the gospel with others.
An insult levelled at Jesus by his critics was that he was the friend of sinners (Luke 7:34). Jesus befriended tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, the demon- possessed, and “unclean” individuals. While Jesus did not condone their sin, he was their friend. He went to their dinner parties. He helped them when they were in need. He invited them to follow him. So if we follow Jesus’ example, the best thing that anyone could say of us would be that we are a friend of sinners!
Because God loves the world, he sent Jesus to save the world. Because God loves the world, he sends Christians to be salt and light, to resist the rottenness and to reveal the righteousness.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell. Please visit his website at reflections-on-wisdom.com.