Understanding Fire and Salt In Our Lives 

Mark 9:49-50 (NIV) – 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

The only way to understand what Jesus is telling us in this passage is to highlight the salt and the fire. Jesus says that everyone will be salted with fire. Everyone. You and me included, we will be salted with fire. What is salt? What is fire?

Matthew 5:13 (NIV) – “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Salt makes a difference when it’s added to food. Salt is our uniqueness that brings value wherever we go. Our faith and its related lifestyle, makes us unique compared to the people around us. Therefore wherever we are or we go, we are the salt of the earth.

In a corrupt world, we are not corrupt, we are unique, we are salt. Salt introduces the desired flavor in food. We introduce the desired flavor in this earth wherever we go. In a world where promises are not kept, we keep our word at all costs, we are unique, we are salt.

In a world that is trapped in debts and gambling, we are free from debt and we do not gamble, we are unique, we are salt. In a world where sexual immorality masquerades as love, we love without sex until marriage and only within marriage, we are unique, we are salt. In a world where people dress as they please, we dress decently, we are unique, we are salt. Our entire lifestyle makes us unique compared to the world around us, our food, drinks, entertainment, tolerance, patience, non-discrimination, etc., we are salt!

Salt has a different taste from food that is why it brings value to the food. We are different from the world around us, that is why we bring value. If salt loses it’s unique flavor, it has lost it’s saltiness and brings no value to the food, nobody needs its. Salt should not taste like the food it’s added to, it should be different for it to be useful. We are the salt of the earth, we should be different or else we are useless!

Salt was also used as a preservative. We preserve the good values. We preserve what the world around us is losing. We preserve faith in God. We preserve our philosophy of education and health. We preserve principles of managing money. We preserve family values and what it takes to make a happy home. We preserve the belief that we do not rush for divorce for every small disagreement. We preserve respect for the church and its leaders. We are salt, we preserve. As the world around us quickly changes and loses the values – we are the salt that preserves!

Salt stands for our positive uniqueness. Our unique contribution to the people we relate with and to the world around us. Jesus says we are the salt of the earth. Are you the positive unique contribution at school, at work, in the neighborhood and in the family? Are you the salt? If you lose your saltiness, you are useless!

Mark 9:49-50 (NIV) – 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Everyone will be salted with fire. We now know what the salt is, but what is the fire? What does fire represent or signify? How do we interpret fire?

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) – 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though REFINED BY FIRE —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Fire refers to various kinds of trials that we suffer. Things that bring us heartache. Whatever causes suffering is Fire. The Bible tells us that these trials that bring suffering prove the genuineness of our faith. Trials and temptations are the fire we go through in life.

Fire of poor health. Fire of academic struggle. Fire of lack of money. Fire of loneliness and rejection. Fire of guilt. Fire of doing your best and consistently failing. Fire of praying and nothing changes or things get worse. Fire makes life to be very hard. Fire of trials and temptations!

1 Peter 3:17 (NIV) – For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

The fire we refer to, is suffering for doing good. We are not referring to suffering that is a result of your own carelessness and mistakes. We do not refer to suffering that is a punishment for the wrong you did or a consequence of bad decisions. The fire we refer to is suffering for doing good or that wasn’t caused by you, it just happened. That is the fire.

Matthew 3:11 (NIV) – “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke 3:16 (NIV) – John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Baptism by fire refers to our faith being tested by trials and temptations. When you are tempted to revenge and you leave it in God’s hands, you have been baptized by fire. When in financial shortage you still return tithes and you also give offerings, yet you still have many personal needs, you have been baptized by fire. When you are rejected for refusing to engage in sex outside marriage, and you suffer loneliness or loss in business and work, you have been baptized by fire. We become better believers when we are baptized by fire!

Mark 9:49-50 (NIV) – 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Everyone will be salted by fire. Our positive uniqueness will be tested by trials and temptations. We should not lose that good positive uniqueness that is a consequence of our faith. If we lose it we become useless. Therefore, let us be uniquely and positively be nice to each other. Relate well with others.

May God make us salt to everyone we interact with privately and publicly. May we survive the baptism by fire that everyone goes through. May we never lose our saltiness. In Jesus name, Amen!

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