Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, Philippians 2:14-16
Salt & Light
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16
What a tremendous privilege it is to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world! What a great responsibility we have as Christians to proclaim the way of salvation in Christ and to live a life that brings honor to His Name.
Effective Witnesses
If we want to truly be a light in this world and be an effective witness to the power of Jesus, we must live a life that is submitted to Christ, in loving obedience to the word of God. It's so important for witnessing to others that our speech, actions, and personal lives are upright and in line with God’s truth on a consistent basis. Although we will stumble and fall at times, it's the Holy Spirit at work within us who sanctifies us in the Word, helps us practice righteousness, gifts us with wisdom and discernment, guides us into all truth and away from error, and helps us live out our lives for the glory of God. We don't rely on our own human strength, but we rely on God's grace to help us walk in a manner that is pleasing to Him.
The place that we're going to have the most impact in our witnessing is the environment in which we live and work in the most. This is where others see how we talk, behave, and live on a daily or weekly basis. If people see us in our environment as being consistently proud, resistant, divisive, gossipy, lazy, impatient, unkind, selfish, or lacking self-control, how can we expect them to suddenly listen to us when we start talking about Jesus? How can we expect them to suddenly trust us when we start preaching about repentance and faith in Christ for eternal life? We would only look like hypocrites if our actions consistently didn’t line up with our words. Living a blameless life is not about keeping up appearances and images in a legalistic way, nor does it have anything to do with pride and being "better" than anyone else. It's about glorifying God and the fact that people’s eternal destinations are hanging in the balance in a watching world. It's about testifying to the truth that is in Jesus.
The Greatest Responsibility
As believers, we are supposed to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world for others. We are commanded to be witnesses of Christ and bear His name with honor. Being a Christian is the greatest responsibility, day in and day out. It's also a daily battle against sin and the flesh, the satanic world system and its ungodly influences, and the devil's temptations. Being a follower of Jesus is a responsibility far beyond just ourselves, our families, and our jobs. It’s our responsibility to God as children of light and workers in His kingdom. Believing in Jesus is a daily walk and a lifelong commitment, but once we are saved by His grace, we are always saved and kept secure in Christ forever. We could never lose our salvation. And I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). It is His grace, the power of the Holy Spirit within us that enables us to walk in a manner that is pleasing to Him, giving evidence that we belong to Him.
Talk the Talk & Walk the Walk
It’s living a pure life that paves the way to giving a powerful testimony of Christ. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people (1 Peter 2:15). By living an upright life, this not only protects us from the schemes and snares of the devil but instantly silences the voices of the critics surrounding us, waiting to see us all fall. The truth in Jesus shines brighter through us when we preach it and live it, not just preach it. We don't just talk the talk and profess with our mouths empty words without any actions. Rather, we walk the walk because we trust Jesus in our hearts. because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). True saving faith in Christ is both a public confession with an inward conviction that manifests itself as obedience to God's word. What you say and how you behave should match your status in Christ. Your confession and walk reflect your eternal position.
As we talk the talk and walk the walk, we must remember that Satan is the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), and he is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). That means as Christians, we have a serious target on our back in the spiritual realm at all times. This life is not a battle for territory but a battle for the Truth. And as Christians, we are the people of the Truth. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Therefore, we are always under much more scrutiny and examination than the rest of the world. Satan takes every crafty opportunity to try and make us sin so that we fall in front of a watching world. Just like he did in the garden with Eve, Satan tries to tempt us to doubt the clarity and authority of God's word. He tries to get us to doubt the sufficiency of Christ for our lives, and he subtly tempts us to think we need something more, something extra outside of Christ. He tries to tempt us to doubt the goodness of God and even the way of salvation in Christ. Satan is subtle and crafty with his lies and half truths, but he is predictable and boring. Satan is constantly shooting fiery darts at Christians in order that our testimonies of the gospel might be diminished. He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Take up the whole armor of God, Christian! (See Ephesians 6:10-20)
A Blameless Life
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, (Philippians 2:14-16)
I think we all would love to live a blameless life, where no one could call us out on any sinful habits, serious faults, or hypocritical behavior that would put us to shame. All believers would love to show that blameless life to the watching world as we bear the name of Christ and stand in the truth of God’s Word with integrity, zeal, and love. What makes Satan angry is when believers live humble and righteous lives, joyfully.
When I say we ought to live a blameless life, I am not talking about being a perfectionist, being sinless, or anything in regard to being legalistic. As believers, we know that we are sinners saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. Knowing this glorious truth is what humbles us and helps us live blameless lives filled with joy and gratitude for Jesus, rejoicing in who He is and what He did for us. I am talking about living an honest, God-glorifying life full of integrity and obedience to God's word where we can humbly say,
"Yes, of course I mess up, and yes, I am a sinner. But I turn from my ways, and I turn to Jesus. I trust in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ. I trust who Jesus is as the Son of God, and I trust that He accomplished it all for me on the cross. He is the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He did what I could never do for myself. He lived a sinless life and was perfectly obedient to His Father. He suffered and died on the cross for my sins, took the full punishment that I deserved, and rose again, that by grace through faith in Him, I may have eternal life. He imputed to me His perfect righteousness so that when God looks at me, He sees me without blemish. I stand blameless before God because of Jesus.
Jesus is my foundation, my hope, my strength, and my refuge. I am a wretched sinner saved by grace, and only in Him am I perfect and blameless. It's the Holy Spirit who helps me walk on the narrow path, even if I fall at times. He always helps me get back on His righteous path for His name’s sake. It is not I but the grace of God that is with me.”
Faith Comes by Hearing
This is the kind of life I think we all want as believers. This is the kind of life that lays a strong foundation for our testimonies to be received and the gospel to be believed so that others too can come to true saving faith and rest in Jesus. Sharing our testimonies and the gospel is not some marketing exercise, nor was the Truth ever received by man's own cleverness of speech or human wisdom. Ultimately, it’s the power of God through His word that brings people to faith. Our job is not to save anybody. God is the One who does the saving. Our job is to proclaim the gospel in love and rely on the Holy Spirit to work through God's word in that person's heart. So faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of God (Romans 10:17). For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Let’s boldly share the gospel in love with the unique personalities God has gifted us with, and let's live out our lives worthy of the gospel, as the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I praise You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins and take the full punishment that we deserve all upon Himself. What tremendous love that is! I praise You that Christ’s perfect righteousness has been imputed to us who believe in Him, by Your grace. What a gift! Help us with this awesome responsibility that you have blessed us with. Help us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world so that we can help others come to find peace, joy, hope, and eternal life in Jesus Christ.
All glory belongs to Jesus! In His name, I pray, amen.
Love,
Jenna
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light Ephesians 5:8
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Matthew 5:11
That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, Philippians 2:15
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 1 Corinthians 1:26
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