Life: Distinct in my Influence

• The Bible Studies for Life lesson for Jan. 31 focuses on Matthew 5:13-20.

My father-in-law worked as an engineer, and as part of his job, he designed parts. On a particular occasion, he designed a small valve for a project for NASA. Since his company did contract work for NASA, they wanted every new part adequately tested before it was put into use. A faulty part could bring disaster.

In the test lab, the valve failed miserably under pressure. My father-in-law always did excellent work, so the technicians were surprised at the result. A phone call to my father-in-law revealed the issue. Somewhere along the line from the design plans for the valve and the actual manufacturing of it, a zero was added to the amount of pressure the valve could withstand. Naturally, the valve failed when it received 10 times the amount of pressure it was designed for.

At first, the addition of one zero might seem like such a little thing. After all, a zero represents nothing. In reality, it was huge. Jesus taught about the influence his followers were to have, and he used two little things, salt and light, to illustrate his teaching.

Influence others by being God’s salt that creates an appeal for the gospel (Matthew 5:13).

Jesus described his disciples as the salt of the earth. If salt loses its saltiness, then it is no longer useful, he added. It simply must be discarded.

Many stumble on the statement of Jesus about salt losing its saltiness. Salt cannot lose its saltiness. It’s a stable compound. The salt used in first century Palestine came from the Dead Sea or salt marshes and could contain impurities that looked like salt but didn’t taste like salt. With no mechanism for removing the impurities, the entire amount of salt had to be thrown out.

In all likelihood, chemistry wasn’t on Jesus’ mind. He was addressing ethics and Christian living. Those who lose their way in following Jesus, who lose their Christian ethics, and who no longer live a distinctively Christian life are the ones described by Jesus. They are like salt that loses its saltiness. They are tasteless salt.

The temptation for any disciple of Jesus is to blend in with society’s norms and values; however, just one believer who lives the ethics taught in the Sermon on the Mount will have tremendous influence. If you don’t think that’s true, then try a cake made without salt. The cake will not taste right, because one missing ingredient will be noticed.

Influence others by being the light that reflects and points to Christ (Matthew 5:14-16).

In first-century Israel, light effectively dispelled the darkness in a society without electric lighting. At sundown in a common home, a lamp would be lit and placed on a stand giving light to the entire home. Everyone could easily see its effect and benefit from it.

In the same way, followers of Jesus are to displace the darkness in the world they encounter with the light Jesus has placed in their lives. Their actions will be a positive influence upon those they meet. Good deeds shine upon others, just like the light shines in the darkness.

In addition to good works, true disciples will tell others of their life with Jesus. Their testimony of the greatness of Christ will include a verbal witness of how Christ has affected their lives. The rationale for shining the light of Jesus is so others will praise God.

What about Christians who don’t live the Christian life? Jesus said they are about as useful as tasteless salt and invisible light. The Beatitudes—and the entire Sermon on the Mount—describe the lifestyle to follow for those who want to be Jesus’ disciples.

Of course, there are many who claim to be Christians but definitely don’t follow this lifestyle. They become stumbling blocks for many who might come to the Christian faith but don’t, since Christians don’t act Christ-like. They’re tasteless salt and invisible light.

Be salt. Be light.

Influence others by your obedience to God’s word (Matthew 5:17-20).

What is our relationship to the Old Testament law? What did Jesus think of it? From what I’ve seen among Christians, many ignore the Old Testament law. They neither read it, nor are they overly concerned about whether or not they break the law. Most of these individuals fall into my category of keeping the laws that are easy to obey and ignoring the laws that are more difficult to observe.

Of course, obeying the law in such a way can still lead to legalism. That’s why many can be so critical of tattoos while excusing those who hold back the wages of a hired worker longer than overnight.

Jesus saw the importance of the law in that it guided Israel’s relationship with God. Every relationship has laws. We call them social mores or norms and not laws, but whatever they’re called, they exist. People are expected to act a certain way in their relationships and avoid acting in other ways.

How do we relate to God in our actions? Definitely not by ignoring the law or setting aside the commands (v. 19). Rather, we study the law looking for its motivation or spirit and applying that spirit to our lives. Thus, we are free from the law to follow Jesus using the law as a guide in our discipleship. By doing this, our righteousness may surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who did a good job observing the law legalistically. They just missed the main point—namely, their relationship with God.