Origen of Alexandria: Uncorrupted

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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 underfoot. Matthew 5:13

“Men [and women] of God are assuredly the salt of the earth. They preserve the order of the world. And society is held together as long as the salt is uncorrupted.”

Origen of Alexandria (185-254) E. 4.463, in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, ed. David W. Bercot (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1998) 144.

Jenni and I flew to New York City last night to preach together in five services today at Bethel International Church. Our message is entitled, “Sharing Abundantly: The Early Church in the New Testament.”

I asked my wife to join me in delivering the message because after sharing the biblical themes, she does a great job sharing our story. She basically shares how we realized our saltiness had been corrupted.

What does that mean? Most followers of Christ say they have faith in Jesus but their financial statements reveal that they have conformed to the world and that their trust is in money. What would yours reveal?

In her remarks, she sums our story aptly with these words: “Obey, Let Go, and Trust God.”

You don’t figure out the teachings of Jesus until you live them out in obedience. Then you must let go of that which everyone says you need for life and living, namely, money. Only then, when Christ is all you have, do you realize, He’s all we have ever needed all along.

Of course our story is a lot more colorful than that summary, and more humbling to share, because we had become corrupted. We were disobeying, holding on, and trusting in money. What about you?

If you want to make a difference in the world that seems to be falling apart, the most generous thing you can do is to remain salty. If you are not salty, according to Jesus, you are no longer good for anything.