“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 by men.” -Matthew 5:13

Imagine with me for a moment there was no such thing as salt. No salt to flavor your food. No salt to preserve meat, heal wounds, or use as a cleansing agent. Now imagine there were no such thing as Christians. No one to tell you, or anyone, about the remedy for our sinfulness. No one to be used by God as His hands and feet, restraining evil, healing, serving, or ministering to others. The world would still go on, but in a very shallow, hopeless, chaotic existence.

But God had a plan. Not only did He make a way for sinners to have eternal fellowship with Him through the blood of Jesus Christ, He then gave those same redeemed sinners a job to do. The Lord equates believers with salt in the Bible, because we are to be preservers of righteousness in the times and places God has put us, from worldwide apostasy.

In the book of Esther, the name of God is never mentioned, yet His providence is on full display. Queen Esther has been told by Mordecai of Haman’s wicked plan to slaughter all Jews in Persia. She responds with trepidation, knowing that anyone who approaches the king unannounced is liable to death. Mordecai answers her, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (4:13-14).

Esther then asks Mordecai and all the Jews to pray and fast for three days, then she will go to the king. She ends her speech with these famous words, “And if I perish, I perish.” In this historical account, God used a Jewish woman blessed with a position of influence, to deliver the Jews from annihilation. Orthodox Jews today celebrate this momentous occasion with a festival, known as Purim.

God used Esther as a means of restraining evil in her time, and He does the same today with His people. Christians are tools in the hands of God to be used by Him as He sees fit. This includes evangelism and discipleship, but also living faithfully in your own home, raising children in the fear of the Lord, stewarding the time and resources you have to glorify God. The prophet Jeremiah told the people of Israel to do this while living as exiles in Babylon. He also told them to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I (God) have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). They were living in a pagan place and yet God commands them to do good right where He planted them.

Americans have been abundantly blessed with prosperity and personal freedoms. Sadly, those privileges are often taken for granted, compartmentalized from the Christian faith. Who allowed these blessings in the first place if not God? It is not unspiritual or doltish to be concerned with the affairs of the public sphere. Every Christian has a duty to be aware and informed so that we can rightly promote peace and prosperity where God has placed us. If believers are to be salt in a tasteless world, then we are to use the means given to us to be preservative agents of righteousness. Under the constitutional republic, voting is one of the privileges we have in this country to do the best good out of the choices given. We need to pray for godly leadership in government. But if godly people neglect their spiritual responsibility to lead, the godless will. To “let go and let God” is a passive attitude many Christians take, even though they would never utter this unbiblical saying. It is exactly this worldview that has led our country to choose between two immoral people.

The judgment on our country should shake every believer awake. Have we been the salt God commanded us to be? Are we growing in our personal fellowship with the Lord? Or do we distract ourselves with lesser things? Have Christians spoken against the slaughter of children in the womb or kept silent? Have we openly shared our faith in the public square or left that up to other Christians? It might be costly. In fact, I’m sure it is, but that doesn’t mean we shy away from what God commands. Every single Christian is called to live as ambassadors in a pagan land that will mock, reject and push back against God’s laws.

In our sin nature, anything can become an idol. Our spouse, children, material wealth, job, reputation and even politics. All Baals must be smashed and all blessings viewed in their rightful place. A right order of affections is required, with God above everything else. However, you and I have been born in a time and place where we are to be salty Christians. Be an Esther. This includes voting the lesser of the two evils on Election Day. We are not voting for a pastor, but a politician. It is disheartening that Donald Trump has waffled on conservative issues, like abortion, and moved to a moderate position. But he did appoint three Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. He is strong on issues like the economy, immigration and foreign policy. The American people have already had a taste of what a Kamala Harris term looks like under the current administration, who views all Trump supporters as “garbage”. Harris’ record bears out her harmful progressive values and she stands behind them.

We should not naively think that because this is America we are immune from having all our liberties stripped away. God can do what He wants. This may include the fall of America, and it might be for our good. Americans have rejected God for so long, doing what is right in our own eyes, that repentance and revival come by way of bringing the nation low. But if God should choose to have mercy on us, He will do so and Christians can take part by carrying out our civic duty in voting and through prayer. Since all of life is worship, then our actions through voting and prayer are both important.

Even as I make this argument the obvious needs to be said: This world is not our home, and yet, we do have to live on earth until Christ returns or we go to be with Him through death. Only Jesus can save, satisfy and sustain us completely. But in His wisdom, God uses people to bring about His purposes. The mystery of God’s Sovereignty and man’s will means we cooperate with Him, leaving the results in His Hands. Even if the election outcome is disappointing, we can have a clear conscience knowing we voted for the better option. Choosing not to vote isn’t neutrality, but a passive choice of escaping responsibility to steward a privilege all American citizens have.

If Esther had chosen to shirk her responsibility, the Lord would have used another way to deliver the Jews. The same is true for Christians today. Whether you choose to vote or not, God’s purposes will be carried out. Yet every one of us will have to give an account for our actions here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:10). Dear Christian, live salty lives so that no one will mistake you for anything less than a hope filled Christ follower. We are called to preserve our culture from societal decay. This includes promoting the welfare of others in the Babylon we live in by voting for the best candidate who will restrain evil. As J. I. Packer once said, “Trust God and get going”.

Grace upon grace,

April

Growing deeper : Psalm 94; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:12