Sunday is one of the two times a year we think about Jesus Christ--Easter and Christmas. I have been in the ministry since I was nineteen-- I am now seventy-three. In 1968 the percentage of people in America who claimed to be a Christian was around 89%. That number has changed to 65% in 2021. There was a time when Christians attended church on Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday night Prayer Meeting, and revivals twice a year. Most people claiming to be a Christian now say they attend religious services a few times a year or less. This Sunday will be one of the few times a year that Christians will make their way to Church.
The title of being a Christian seems to be very important to some even though they will tell you they are "Non-practicing Christians," whatever that means. The title "Christian" tends to be tossed around without understanding what it means to be a Christian. Just claiming to be a Christian does not make you one. I hear people say they believe in Jesus and pray to Him. This easy believism or cheap grace does not transform your life. The Bible tells us the demons believe. They know Jesus is who He says He is and trembles at His name.
This Sunday, Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There will be an acknowledgment of the death, burial, and resurrection of LORD Jesus Christ. I asked what Resurrection Day is about; many will tell you, "Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins." If asked what that means, many could not explain the importance of the Son of God dying for their sins.
I have often asked individuals what it means to be a Christian, and they will say it is about being a good person. They will often follow that statement with, "Nobody is perfect; we are all sinners." Some will even go so far as to say they attend church, pay their tithes, and try to be a good neighbor. More is required to be a child of God than just attending church and being a good neighbor.
There is a phrase in the Old Testament that explains our relationship with the LORD. It is called a "salt covenant." In the ancient world, ingesting salt was a way to make an agreement legally binding. If two parties agreed, they would eat salt together in the presence of witnesses, and that act would bind their contract. King Abijah's speech in 2 Chronicles 13:5 mentions just such a salt covenant: "Don't you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?" Here, Abijah refers to God's strong, legally binding promise to give Israel to David and his sons forever.
The Old Testament Law commands the use of salt in all grain offerings and makes clear that the "salt of the covenant" should not be missing from the grain offerings (Leviticus 2:13). Since the Levitical priests did not have land of their own, God promised to provide for them via the people's sacrifices, and He called this promise of providing a "salt covenant" (Numbers 18:19). Salt has always been known for its preservative properties, and it is also possible that God instructed the use of salt so that the meat would last longer and taste better—and thus be of more value to the priests who depended upon it for their daily food.
The idea of a salt covenant carries a great deal of meaning because of the value of salt. Today, salt is easy to come by in our culture, and we don't necessarily need it as a preservative because of refrigeration. But to the people of Jesus' day, salt was an essential and precious commodity. So, when Jesus told His disciples that they were "the salt of the earth," He meant that believers have value in this world and are to have a preserving influence (Matthew 5:13).
The salt covenant is never explicitly defined in the Bible. Still, we can infer from the understanding of salt's value and the contexts in which a salt covenant is mentioned that it has much to do with the keeping of promises and with God's goodwill toward man. Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Christianity is a covenant. Most Christians understand that Jesus "died for our sins," which was HIM holding up HIS part of the Covenant. Yes, Jesus. died on the cross for OUR sins, but what is required as OUR part of this "deal?" Again, Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. So, what are the commandments I must keep?
Jesus shared a final meal with his friends, and his last words centered around love. Jesus did not take these commands lightly. Jesus told the disciples that to show their love for God, they had to keep His commandments. He was sharing with them the calling God has placed on their lives and all our lives. Jesus was preparing them for his absence. He would no longer physically be with them, but they were to go on loving others to reflect God's love on the world.
What Commandments Is Jesus Speaking of in John 14:15? The "commands" Jesus referred to were not specifically the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai in the book of Deuteronomy. In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus was approached by Pharisees (religious leaders) who were trying to trick him. They were attempting to get Jesus to admit his teachings were false. So they asked Jesus which commandment, given to them by Moses, was the most important.
Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." The command to love God and love others encompasses all Ten Commandments.
What I find interesting is many "Christians" struggle with these two commands. The first command requires me to fully surrender my life to the control of God that He may dwell in me. Which means I am to stop my sinning. The second is to love my neighbor as myself. In the day we are now living, loving one's self has become a significant problem.
One writer put it this way. When we trust Christ as our Savior, the beauty of God's design comes into view. Our conversion opens our eyes to the nature and purpose of our God-given sex. We see the body not as a blunt instrument for our lusts but as the gift of God for his glorification. We see our relationships with the opposite sex not as a power play but as an opportunity to serve others in the name of Christ. We know the complementarity plan, the roles we have the privilege of filling, not as a sentence to misery but a summons to happiness. Every human is either distinctly male or distinctly female. The differences between males and females are not arbitrary or accidental but intentional. God created them. They are designed to be different so that they can complete one another. The identity and roles of males and females in Scripture are not interchangeable. If I cannot accept this, then I will continue to have problems loving myself. If I have issues loving me, I will have difficulties loving you.
It is hard to live a Christian life when I lack the love for God, myself, and my neighbor. Keeping these two commandments will help me fulfill the other commandments of the Covenant I have made with God. If I cannot keep my "salt covenant," I am good for nothing but to be cast down and trodden under by the foot of men. Could it be that the salt of the earth is no longer "covenant salt" that it has lost its usefulness in the plan of God?
The Apostle Paul explains that "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
A costless Christianity is no Christianity at all. Jesus died that you might live. Live for him. It is time for us to keep our part of that sacred salt covenant.
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