Salt of the Earth: Wisdom for Health and Wholeness
Introduction
We've all heard Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.” NRSV
We've heard this in church since we were little children. As followers of Jesus, we are encouraged to showcase and preserve moral character and live a life where our values, actions, and love positively influence the world.
But lets take it one step further.
Salt is one of the most ancient elements known to humanity. In the Bible, it’s not just a seasoning—it’s a symbol. A divine code woven into scripture to speak to the body, the soul, and the covenant between Creator and creation.
In this blog, we'll discover how salt speaks to covenant, healing, preservation, peace, and even judgment. The goal is to remind us that our bodies are temples and that the way we display wellness is the literal act of worship. As you read further to discover salt through both a biblical and wellness lens, I hope you are stirred to honor the Lord not only with your spirit, but with your nutrition and your bodies.
Let's take a deeper dive into why Jesus chose salt, and it's implications within the body.
🧠 Wellness Application: Salt and the Human Body
Salt is often vilified as a substance that causes harm to the body. For years, people have been incorrectly informed by doctors that eating salt will cause blood pressure will rise uncontrollably. Well, if we take the word of God as whole heartedly true, knowing that Jesus will always have a more complete understanding than we do, this should cause us to take a second look at Matthew 5:13 where Jesus called his followers, the Salt of the earth. This was written with the understanding that salt is a requirement for the functions of the body, and as his followers therefore, are a requirement for the proper functions of the earth.
So lets reassess the importance of salt in the human body by utilizing evolving scientific perspectives.
According to a peer-reviewed study in the American Journal of Medicine (2022), they challenged the myth that salt alone leads to cardiovascular disease (CVD). They further highlight that low sodium intake may increase mortality risk in certain populations. They also identified the U-shaped relationship between salt intake and dis-ease. This U-shape shows that both high and low salt intake can cause detrimental issues to your health, but still, salt alone isn’t the enemy. Salt, sugar, and omega 6 fatty acids are the dangerous cocktail that increases risks of CVD, along with several other lifestyle choices.
Why does this matter?
It matters for two reasons.
Your body needs salt to function, but it needs it wisely.
We often hear how we should consistently lower our salt intake without recognizing how this can negatively impact our health just as much, if not more than having too much salt. If you are a health conscious eater, you probably aren’t eating a lot of processed, packaged or fast foods (GREAT!). This means that the only salt you consume, may only be the salt you add to your food, which may not be enough. I want you to have the knowledge to balance your nutrition and not fall into health issues as a result of poorly stated advice.
There is always more than one player in the game.
Salt has been vilified as the sole or primary cause of CVD, but this is a myth, and has been scientifically disputed for the past several years. The important thing to note is that there are several other contributors to CVD, high blood pressure and other blood volume related issues that you need to be aware of.
These contributing factors are:
Poor food quality large supply chains usually correlate to decreased nutrient quality.
Lack of physical activity affects the health and plasticity of your arteries. The more you exercise, the better your arteries can respond to changes in blood volume without translating into high blood pressure or CVD.
Smoking and Tobacco use damages blood vessels and drastically increases blood pressure.
Obesity causes unnecessary stress on the heart and the body.
Stress leads to temporary increases in blood pressure and damaged blood vessels.
Non controllable genetics, age, other medical conditions, pregnancy.
Salt - God’s Magical Mineral
5 Benefits of Salt
(Why your body thanks you for a sprinkle of the good stuff)
💓 1. Blood Pressure: Salt Doesn't Just Raise It—It Balances It
Contrary to what you’ve heard since the ‘80s, salt doesn’t just send your blood pressure soaring. In fact, too little salt can drop your pressure so low that you feel dizzy, foggy, or flat-out exhausted.
Some people are salt-sensitive, but for many, moderate salt intake (around 3–5 grams of sodium daily) actually helps stabilize circulation, especially if you’re active, pregnant, or living in a hot climate. Some people have noticed that adding a pinch of sea salt to morning water can solve the problem of dizziness from low blood pressure.
📚 Study Says:
The Lancet PURE Study found the lowest risk of heart events occurred with moderate sodium—not ultra-low diets.
🔗 Mente et al., 2018 – The Lancet
💧 2. Hydration: Water's Best Friend Is Salt
Drinking a gallon of water a day but still feeling dehydrated? Your issue might not be more water—it might be not enough salt. Sodium helps pull water into your cells where it’s actually needed. Without enough salt, your body flushes out water faster than it can absorb it—kind of like trying to fill a sponge with a hole in it.
📚 Study Says:
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends sodium with fluid replacement during exercise to maintain hydration.
🔗 Sawka et al., 2007 – ACSM
🧠 3. Brain Function: Salt Helps You Think
Salt isn’t just seasoning—it's electrical fuel for your brain. Every time you think, move, or blink, sodium is behind the scenes helping neurons fire. Low sodium levels can cause confusion, poor memory, and even seizures in extreme cases.
📚 Study Says:
Low sodium (hyponatremia) is linked to up to 30% higher risk of cognitive decline in older adults.
⚡Supports electrical signaling
⚖️ Benefits Adrenal Health, Balances stress hormones like aldosterone
🤝 Works with potassium to prevent dehydration
But just as in Scripture, balance is key. Excessive refined salt, common in processed foods, can lead to inflammation, hypertension, and spiritual dullness. Whole, mineral-rich salts like Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan salt are better choices—earthly elements aligned with divine order.
⚡ 4. Electrical Signaling: Salt Is Your Body’s Spark Plug
Every move you make—every breath, every beat of your heart—is powered by electrical signals. Sodium is part of the trio (with potassium and chloride) that keeps those signals firing like clockwork. Without proper salt intake, you’re asking for fatigue, cramps, and the dreaded muscle twitch during inopportune moments!
📚 Study Says:
Nerve cells rely on specific sodium concentrations to generate action potentials.
🔗 Purves et al., 2001 – Neuroscience Textbook
🕊️ 5. Adrenal Health: Salt Soothes Your Stress Glands
Your adrenal glands love salt. These little warriors manage your stress hormones (like cortisol and aldosterone). When salt is too low, the adrenals have to work overtime, which can leave you fatigued, dizzy, and craving chips at 9 AM.
For women under chronic stress, moms chasing toddlers, or anyone with hormonal burnout, adding more salt can literally revive your energy.
🧂 “I swapped coffee for salted bone broth in the morning. Now I have energy and peace. ”
📚 Study Says:
Low salt = high aldosterone. High aldosterone = fatigue. Salt helps rebalance adrenal function.
🔗 2022 – Endocrine Society
✝️Spiritual Implications of Being Salt of The Earth
When Jesus called His followers the “salt of the earth” in Matthew 5:13, He wasn’t just offering a poetic metaphor—He was revealing a profound spiritual identity and divine assignment. Salt is a symbol of covenant, preservation, purification, value, and vitality in biblical times. It was necessary—just like Christians are to the world today.
In this section, we’ll explore what it means to be “salt” from a biblical and holistic perspective. We’ll uncover how our spiritual role mirrors salt’s natural functions in the body and the earth: preserving what is good, enhancing what is dull, healing what is broken, and awakening what is lifeless.
🌿 Salt as a Divine Detox
“I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.”
— 2 Kings 2:21 (NIV)
In 2 Kings 2:21, the prophet Elisha used salt to purify a toxic spring, restoring life and productivity to the land. This was no mere ritual—it was a divine demonstration of God’s authority over natural elements and His power to reverse harm. It also identified that God didn’t just heal the water miraculously, but with the tools that we have access to today. With this act, God told us to look deeper into how minerals interact with our bodies.
Today, the concept of detoxification is widespread in health and wellness circles. We often hear about flushing toxins, rebalancing systems, or cleansing the body. Yet Scripture shows us that true healing originates from the Creator, and often through the very materials He has placed in creation—like salt.
From a holistic health perspective, salt symbolizes the restoration of balance. It realigns chaotic systems, supports cellular detox, and enhances internal clarity. Spiritually, it reflects God’s power to bring order out of chaos and to heal what has been damaged—whether in our bodies, environments, or lives.
✨ When we use natural substances—such as herbs, minerals, and fasting—under the direction of God’s wisdom, we align with a greater pattern of healing. This is not just wellness; it’s worship.
🌍 Salt as Influence: Wellness that Preserves a Generation
“You are the salt of the earth.”
— Matthew 5:13
Jesus wasn’t being poetic, He was being prophetic. Salt preserves. It prevents decay. In the same way, our choices should slow the moral and physical decline around us.
The food we eat, the way we move, the way we rest and pray, all of it speaks to our deep seeded beliefs. Holistic wellness isn’t just about feeling better; it’s about being strong enough to carry truth into a world that’s losing its flavor.
If our diet dulls our discernment...
If our lifestyle weakens our witness...
Then our salt has lost its saltiness.
Let wellness become a platform for preserving families, generations, and godly values.
🤝 Salt as Peace: Wellness Is Meant to Be Shared
“Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
— Mark 9:50 (NIV)
In biblical times, sharing salt wasn’t just about seasoning food—it was a sacred act of covenant, trust, and togetherness. To “have salt” with someone meant you were bound in peace, loyalty, and mutual care. It was true hospitality with holy importance.
Today, we often view wellness as a solo pursuit: my workout, my supplements, my quiet time. But Scripture calls us to something deeper. Healing flourishes in community—when we cook together, move together, pray together, and hold each other accountable in love.
✨ Salt among ourselves means peace between us. It’s the secret ingredient of spiritual and physical wellness: shared strength.
This is the heart behind things like group coaching, meal prep meetups, or family prayer walks—where wellness is no longer just a personal goal, but a relational offering. Salt flavors food, yes—but it also flavors fellowship.
Wellness, in God’s design, is communal, not competitive. When we pursue health in harmony, we mirror heaven.
✨Salt as Covenant: Stewarding the Body as Worship
”Season all your grain offerings with salt... the salt of the covenant of your God must not be missing.”
— Leviticus 2:13 (NIV)
In ancient Israel, salt wasn’t just a seasoning—it was a symbol of permanence. Every offering to God was to be salted, not for flavor, but as a sign of faithfulness and covenant. Salt preserved, sealed, and sanctified what was set apart for God.
This wasn’t about God’s desire for physical flavor. It was about trust—a tangible way for us to say, “God, I’m all in.”
Fast forward to today: our bodies are now the offerings. When we nourish ourselves with foods that give life, when we move with purpose and rest with reverence, we’re practicing sacred stewardship—living out Romans 12:1 by presenting our bodies as living sacrifices.
🌿 Wellness isn’t just about discipline—it’s about devotion.
So let your daily choices be seasoned with covenant—not rushed or random, but rooted in faith. Just as every ancient offering included salt, let your wellness reflect a life anchored in purpose, consistency, and holy commitment.
⚖️ Salt in Judgment: Choices Carry Weight
“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
— Genesis 19:26 (NIV)
Lot’s wife didn’t just glance over her shoulder—she turned her heart back toward destruction. Her transformation into a pillar of salt wasn’t random. It was a powerful, symbolic judgment: a moment frozen in time to remind us that choices carry weight.
Salt in this context signifies permanence—a physical marker of a spiritual misstep. And while God is merciful, there are moments in life—and wellness—where our decisions shape our direction.
We all face crossroads:
Will we nourish our bodies or numb our pain?
Will we treat the symptoms or dig into the root causes?
Will we offer our health to God’s guidance, or surrender it to cultural habits?
🔥 Some choices don’t just influence outcomes—they define legacies.
Let the image of Lot’s wife be a caution, not a condemnation. May your wellness walk be led by discernment, anchored in healing, and motivated by holiness, not a pull toward old patterns.
🙏 Final Reflection
Salt is more than a seasoning. It’s a symbol of your assignment—both in spirit and in body. From the altar of Leviticus to the teachings of Jesus, salt has always represented covenant, preservation, healing, and truth. And today, science confirms what Scripture has long revealed: salt, when honored in balance, is not a health hazard—it’s a holy helper.
We are called to preserve what’s good, to heal what’s broken, and to add flavor where the world has grown dull. Whether you're choosing whole foods over processed, encouraging peace over pressure, or honoring your body with sacred self-care—you are living salted.
✨ Let your health reflect your holiness.
Let your meals be made in reverence.
Let your movement be an act of worship.
Let your words be like salt—gracious, wise, and restorative.
Let your faith be flavorful, and your wellness be a witness.
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” — Colossians 4:6
Salt is sacred. Salt is scientific. Salt is seriously helpful.
Jesus called you the “Salt of the Earth” for a reason.
Stay salty—on purpose, with purpose, for His glory.
📖 Scriptures for Meditation
1. Leviticus 2:13 — Salt of the Covenant
"You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt."
— Leviticus 2:13 (ESV)
2. 2 Kings 2:21 — Healing with Salt
"Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.’"
— 2 Kings 2:21 (ESV)
3. Matthew 5:13 — Salt of the Earth
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet."
— Matthew 5:13 (ESV)
4. Mark 9:50 — Peace and Salt
"Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
— Mark 9:50 (ESV)
5. Genesis 19:26 — Judgment Through Salt
"But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
— Genesis 19:26 (ESV)
6. Colossians 4:6 — Salted Speech
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."
— Colossians 4:6 (ESV)
7. Romans 12:1 — Your Body as a Living Sacrifice
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
— Romans 12:1 (ESV)
Sources:
The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 130, Issue 8p 893-899 August 2017. https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(17)30326-1/fulltext
Mente, A., O'Donnell, M., Yusuf, S., et al. (2018). Associations of urinary sodium excretion with cardiovascular events in individuals with and without hypertension: A prospective cohort study. The Lancet, 392(10146), 496–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31376-X
Strazzullo, P., D’Elia, L., Kandala, N.-B., & Cappuccio, F. P. (2009). Salt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease: Meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ, 339, b4567. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b4567
(2021). Sodium intake as a cardiovascular risk factor: A narrative review. PMC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8470268
1. Salt as Detox (Healing with Salt - 2 Kings 2:21)
The Expositor's Bible Commentary, "2 Kings," Zondervan, 1990.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary, "2 Kings 2:21," Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.
2. Salt as Influence (Matthew 5:13 — Salt of the Earth)
John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes, "Matthew 5:13," Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1997.
France, R.T., The Gospel of Matthew, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007.
3. Salt as Peace (Mark 9:50 — Peace and Salt)
The New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), "Mark 9:50," William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, The Gospel According to Mark, Cambridge University Press, 1896.
4. Salt as Covenant (Leviticus 2:13 — Salt of the Covenant)
The New Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon, Salt as Symbol of Covenant, Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, "Leviticus 2:13," Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
5. Salt as Judgment (Genesis 19:26 — Judgment through Salt)
The Genesis Apocryphon, "Genesis 19:26," Biblical Archaeology Review, 2005.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary, "Genesis 19:26," Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.
