Four men can lead a horse to water, but 400 men cannot make that horse to drink even a drop of it.” True! But you can salt the oats. Salting the oats means to create thirst. Salt is a kind of catalyst that causes thirst.

Most people consume far less water than is recommended for good health. Worse yet, many drink caffeinated beverages such as coffee and soda pop. These drinks can cause the body to lose water, making proper hydration even more difficult to attain. What one needs is to develop a desire for water - the water of life as well! Water is life.

Jesus refers to His children by various names such as sheep, brethren, little ones, and so forth. When He gives us the name “salt,” He reminds us that we have the opportunity and responsibility to be an influence in the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ highlights some qualities that ought to be present in every citizen of His kingdom. When we possess these characteristics, we will exert a positive influence and will make a difference in the world around us.

Jesus told His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). In the Old Testament, the prophets were the salt of the land of Canaan, and then in the New Testament the apostles were the salt of the earth. A mere handful of them had a tremendous impact. The love of Christ manifested in their unselfish ministry was more effective in reforming the evildoer than was the sword or the court of justice. When we consider the effect that the apostles had on our world, they indeed turned it upside down (Acts 17:6). They were the salt of the earth.

Salt is a sustainer of other life, too. This is why seawater will support many more organisms than fresh water. As a preservative, it retards spoilage. It is also a splendid condiment, adding zest and savor to our food.

Salt in the Scriptures is symbolic of a binding covenant (Leviticus 2:13), a healing and cleansing aid (2 Kings 2:20, 21), a stimulant to the appetite (Job 6:6), a preventive of decay (Luke 14:34, 35), a promoter of peace (Mark 9:50), a stimulant to our testimony (Matthew 5:13), and an evidence of grace (Colossians 4:6). We need to be about the business of purifying, preserving, penetrating, pleasing, and promoting so that the Lord can use our life and our testimony for His glory.

Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon are both examples of individuals providing divine salt amidst a decaying society. Although their ministries did not prevent the eventual fall of those nations, they left the people there without excuse.

By taking one sip of soup or one bite of dinner we immediately know whether or not it has been salted. The question is, when people “sample” us, do they sense the taste of Christ? There is a thirst that salt causes. If we are not affecting the world, the world is affecting us. Are we exporting or are we importing? Are there greater influences coming into the church than are going out from it? If we are not salting the world, what does that mean? The world is rotting us! Salt is a remedy for unsavory food, but there is no remedy for unsavory salt.

“The followers of Christ are represented by Him as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Without the saving influence of Christians, the world would perish in its own corruption. Look upon the class of professed Christians described, who are careless of their dress and person, and loose in business transactions. Think you if our Saviour were upon earth He would point to them as the salt of the earth and the light of the world? No, never. True Christians are elevated in their conversation; and while they believe it to be a sin to condescend to foolish flattery, they are courteous, kind, and benevolent. Their words are those of sincerity and truth. They are faithful in their dealings with their brethren and with the world.”1

Christ’s followers should reflect the light of heaven to the world; their lifework is to direct the minds of sinners to God. This is what salting the oats means. The Christian’s life should awaken in the heart of worldlings high and elevated views of the purity of the Christian religion. This is what creates a thirst for Christ. This will make His believers the salt of the earth, the saving power in our world.

“Christ is the light, the life, the holiness, the sanctification, of all who believe, and His light is to be received and imparted in all good works. In many different ways His grace is also acting as the salt of the earth; whithersoever this salt finds its way, to homes or communities, it becomes a preserving power to save all that is good, and to destroy all that is evil. True religion is the light of the world, the salt of the earth.”2