The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-10-16

Now we know
that from time immemorial people
have used salt to preserve. purify and
sweeten things, SO knowing these uses
Of salt we understand In the first place
that disciples Of Christ are to be the
worlds preventative.
Only today man said to me: IF 1t
were not for you Christians I do not
know what would become Of the
world; 1t would soon be an unlivable
place." This man was only expressing
In another way what Christ says his
disciples are to the earth. If there are
any people on earth who keep it from
moral decay 1t is the Christians. They
are the salt of the earth.
Remove them from the earth and 1t
would not be long before the corrupt
| ing influences that are In society would
overcome the world. No man who
loves decency and morality would
choose to live In a community where
there are no Christians, no churches,
no Bibles. Even real estate is. worth
more In Christian community than
in q pagan one. Life there Is more
sacred, homes more secure, peace more
certain. Civilization today owes all
that Is good and true in 1t to Chris
tianity, and wherever Christians have
not failed to perform their functions
as the preservative force Of society,
there society Is at it's best morally.
But 1t is not for the Christian to
congratulate himself that he is the
80 l. &o
examine himself and see whether or
not he is fulfilling this function. If he
is not helping to keep the world from
moral decay then he Is falling short of
his high privilege, as disciple of
Christ, to be the salt of the earth. Like
salt which has lost it's SAVIOR and Is
good for nothing but to be thrown
he too is useless.
In the second place, we understand
from the uses Of salt that the disciples
of Christ are to sweeten and purify so
ciety.
1t is one thing to preserve society
from decay; it Is quite another thing
to purify and sweeten it. Christians
are to do both. The. very fact that
they live In q community should pre-
serve 1t from moral corruption. Their
very presence is a preservative force,
if they have not lost their moral infiu-
ence. Men will not pull off In a COM
munity of Christians the ungodly and
unholy things they will do i'm another
community. Salty Christians always
exercise upon evil retarding influ- |
encc. One strong, stalwart Christian
character has been known to save a
community from moral corruption.
But the function Of disciples as salt |
does not end here. They are to be an
active, purifying and sweetening force |
In society. This is what Christ means |
when he says to his disciples: "Ye |
are the salt Of the earth" BY these |
words he calls upon them to sweeten |
and cleanse society.
/ am aware that there are those who |
believe that Christians ought to have |
nothing to do with organized society. |
They base this largely upon the teach
Ing that Christians citizenship is in
heaven. It Is true that the Christian
has a heavenly citizenship, but 1t is
also true that he has an earthly citi-
Zenship. Paul, who has more to say |
than anyone else Of heavenly citizen
ship. claimed also to be Roman citi-
zen, and appealed 10 his Roman citi-
zenship for protection. At another
time. referring to Tarsus, he said he
was a citizen OF no mean city. Paul
recognized what some Christians fail |
to recognize, namely, that the. Chris
tian has a dual citizenship and. as we
should expect. he was In this In har-
mony with the teaching Of our Lord
who said: Render unto Caesar the
things that are Caesars and unto God |
the things that are Gods" Failure to
recognize this fact Of the Christians
dual citizenship leads some Christians
who see the truth Of their heavenly
citizenship, but do not see the truth Of
their earthly citizenship, to come short
of their discipleshlp here on earth.
Christ plainly states that disciples are
"the salt Of the EARTH" not the salt of
heaven. Here then on earth and not |
in heaven is the function Of disciples
as salt to be exercised.