Salt is grace in spiritual energy; that is, the saints are to be witnesses in the world of the power of holy love, instead of selfishness. Salt is the consecrating principle of grace: If that is gone, what is to preserve? Salt is rather grace in the aspect of holy separation unto God, than in that of kindness and meekness, though, of course, these are also inseparable from grace. If the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? If I have meat without salt, I can salt it, but if there is no saltness in salt, what can I do? What a character we have here of an unspiritual church, or an unspiritual saint! Like the vine which represented Israel, good for nothing at all but to dishonor the Lord (who is its owner) and be destroyed. Mercy, it is true, may recover us, but as saints we should have the savor of Christ. Whatever enfeebles attachment to Christ destroys power. It is not gross sin that does it, which, of course, will be met and judged, but it is the little things of everyday life which are apt to be chosen before Christ. When the world creeps in, the salt has lost its savor and we show that a rejected Christ has little power in our eyes.
J. N. Darby