What Does It Mean to Be Salt and 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.” (Matthew 5:13–14 ESV)

Jesus didn’t say we should try to be salt and light. He said we are. He defined part of who we are, and that identity comes with a purpose: to make a difference in the world around us. Think of a coffee bean dropped into hot water. It changes the water completely, but it never stops being a coffee bean. That’s how we’re meant to live in this world: changing it without being changed by it.

What does it mean to be salt?

When I was 16, my dad had a heart attack. It was one of those moments where you watch yourself do things. I watched myself call 911 and listened to myself give directions when the ambulance got lost. I watched myself get my mom into the car so we could follow to the hospital. Afterward, the doctor put my dad on a strict diet: limited red meat, minimal fat, and no salt.

I grew up on that diet. I honestly don’t remember how food tasted with salt, so I never cooked with it… until my in-laws moved in. They loved salty food, and what they loved was way too salty for me! So began my journey with salt. Little by little, I added it to my cooking so my taste buds could adjust.

Here’s what surprised me most: salt doesn’t just season food. It brings the flavors together. Before salt, I could taste each spice on its own. After salt, those same spices became one bold, cohesive flavor, working together instead of separately.

In Jesus’ day, salt was precious. It preserved meat that would otherwise rot, and it brought out the flavor in food. A little went a long way, but only if it actually touched what it was meant to preserve. Salt left sitting in the shaker does nothing.

That’s what our influence as Christians should be. We’re called to slow the decay around us by standing for truth, protecting what is good, preserving God’s Word, and adding the “flavor” of grace, kindness, and integrity to our communities. And just like in my kitchen, we’re at our boldest when we work together. But salt only works when it’s in contact. We can’t preserve a culture we’ve withdrawn from.

What does it mean to be light?

Living on a farm, we often have to check on the animals at night. (2 AM goat midwifing is both rewarding and exhausting!) The darkness hides a lot of critters, and our headlamps and flashlights reveal them: glowing eyes staring back at us from the grass. (It gets a little freaky when it’s more than two sets of eyes!)

Light does one thing darkness can’t stop: it reveals. It shows what’s really there, guides people safely, and pushes back the dark simply by showing up. Jesus said no one lights a lamp and hides it under a basket. Light is meant to be seen, so that people “may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Our light shines through how we live, how we love our neighbors, and how we speak truth with humility. But most importantly, our light reveals. Just like those eyes in the grass, it exposes the enemy’s schemes so the evil one can’t work in hiding. And our targeted prayers help win the battles of the spiritual warfare we fight every single day.

Christian Americans have been given a special responsibility

In America, we’ve been given something many believers throughout history never had: a voice in how we’re governed. Voting is one of the most practical ways to be salt and light. When we vote, we help preserve what is good in our communities and our nation, and we bring biblical values like justice, life, honesty, and care for the vulnerable into the public square.

Somewhere between 160 and 220 million people in the US identify as Christian, yet about 100 million self-identified Christians voted in 2024. Elections are often decided by just thousands of votes. Remember what salt does in a dish: on its own, each spice is just one flavor, but together they become something bold. If every Christian voted according to biblical convictions, it would change the very landscape of America.

Staying home is like leaving the salt in the shaker. It doesn’t preserve anything.

So as you head to the polls:

• Pray first. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) about the candidates and issues on your ballot.
• Be the light: do your homework. Shine a light past the ads and find out where candidates actually stand, all the way down the ballot to local races, where your vote often matters most. I have a friend in Congress, and I know every single ad against him is a flat-out lie. Don’t let the ads do your thinking for you.
• Vote your convictions. Let Scripture, not party loyalty or fear, shape your choices.
• Stay salty after Election Day. Our hope isn’t in any candidate. Every candidate is flawed because every candidate is human. Keep praying for your leaders (1 Timothy 2:1–2), serving your neighbors, and shining your light no matter who wins.

You are salt. You are light. This election, let your vote be one more way the world can see it.