Methodius:
"For it must needs be that the soul which is not sprinkled with the words of Christ, as with salt, should stink and breed worms, as King David, openly confessing with tears in the mountains, cried out, ‘My wounds stink and are corrupt,’ because he had not salted himself with the exercises of self-control, and so subdued his carnal appetites…. Now the whole spiritual meditation of the Scriptures is given to us as salt which stings in order to benefit, and which disinfects."
Origen:
"If the reason in us sins and we do something foolish, then we must be fearful of that statement of the Savior which says, ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt becomes foolish, it is of value for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled on by men.’"
Hilary:
"But if the teachers become senseless and lose all the saltiness they once enjoyed, they are unable to restore soundness to corrupt things. They have become useless; and are thenceforth fit only to be cast out and trodden by men."
Question for Today
To function, salt must both be in close contact with whatever it’s preserving, and not lose its preservative quality.
Are you more in danger of being too withdrawn from the world to act as a preserver, or losing the wisdom and holiness that makes you a preservative in the first place?
The Historic Faith
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