SUGAR-CHRISTIAN OR SALT-CHRISTIAN?

By Gavin Aleogho

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matthew 5:13.

Lately, this question has been on my mind, “why didn’t Jesus refer to His followers as the sugar of the earth but rather, as the salt of the earth, considering that sugar is sweeter than salt?” My quest led me to search on the many advantages of salt as against the disadvantages of sugar. This findings made it clear to me why Jesus preferred using the word salt rather than sugar to describe the saints.

On casual inspection, salt and sugar appear almost identical. Both are white in colour. They are crystalline solids. Although, both are water soluble, but they have vast chemical differences. They share no elemental components at all.

The difference between salt and sugar is mainly in their elemental and chemical composition and the bonding that holds this element together and the way they dissolve in water. I will actually not want to go into much scientific comparison.

Why Jesus said we are the salt of the earth and not the sugar of the earth?

1.     Salt preserves but Sugar is an agents of decay. Salt purify and preserve from corruption. Thus, we are supposed to be agent of preservation of godly virtues and values and not agents of decay of moral values in our society.

Is your life or your ministry aiming at preserving godly virtues?

2.     Salt is used to fight agents of decay and corruption, but sugar is never used for that. Just like sugar is accepted by majority, you can’t use what people want to hear to heal them or change them. If you are salt, your message should be used to fight decay and corruption in people’s life for the preservation of their souls.

Is your life and ministry pampering the sin of people or is it fighting the decay and corruption that is eating our society?

3.     Salt has maximum nutritional value compared to sugar. Temporarily, sugar might taste good and accepted by all, but to have a longtime effect, salt is preferred. We must aim at giving to our world, things that gives longtime value not short term value. Not giving temporal pleasure for eternal destruction.

Does your message has enough substance to preserve souls for eternity?

4.     Sugar invites and accommodates agents of decay, but salt does not. We should be people whose life and ministry repels agents of decay and destruction. If our life is conducive for agent of decay, then our salvation is questionable. When darkness is comfortable in the presence of light, then the light ceases to be light.

Is your lifestyle repelling evil or is your ministry raising men whose lives repel evil?

5.     Sugar only garnishes the surface, but salt interact with the content it is applied to. Sugar only makes good on the outside but it is not able to confront the decay in the heart of men. But salt makes good and also confront and heal decay and corruption from the inside-out.

Is your ministry having a strong effect in the heart and souls of men or is it just garnishing the surface of men?

6.     Salt brings healing to wounds, but sugar worsens it. Application of salt to a wound kills germs, although it stings so badly. But sugar does not brings healing, rather it attracts organisms of decay that might further worsen the situation.

Is our message bringing healing or worsening the spiritual conditions of people?

Jesus calls Christians to be salt, not sugar, but sadly many Christians and even some ministers of the gospel have preferred to be sugar of the earth. They only give to the society what it wants not what will change and impact the society positively. Salt doesn’t just give flavour, it also preserves. Does your Christianity or ministry only brings flavour to the table without preserving the lives of people for eternity?

The usefulness of salt is in when it is applied. It is not useful when it is only contained in its container. You must make contact with your world in other to impact it. To bring healing to our decaying world, we need to apply the saltiness in our lives.