Post Tenebras 5.08.14 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 peoples feet. Matthew 5:13 Civil Salt Chivalry is dead. Many are the mourners decrying the demise of social courtesy due to egalitarianism or the poor training of youth to become ladies and gentlemen. What do Gods Word and historic, Reformed Theology have to say on the matter of manners? The Holy Bible is not a Miss Manners column. However, Jesus had a lot to say about the way citizens in His kingdom will conduct themselves. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described Christians as the salt of the earth. Commentators often rightly identify the culinary uses of salt to preserve, purify and add flavor. The Holy Spirits influence certainly seeps through Christians to create a tastier culture. Perhaps it is time for us to put savory civility back on the menu of manners. Anarchy is not a recipe for civility. Polite societies cannot exist without the rule of law. Reformed Theology identifies three uses of Gods law for Christians, the second of which is called the civil use (for all three uses see ligonier.org/blog/threefold-use-law/). The Law does not change the human heart, but when a societys laws reflect Gods Law, evil is restrained. It is therefore right and God is pleased when police protect and serve the lives and property of citizens. Society is more palatable when well-salted by civil servants. The road is a great classroom. Recently, my family was walking through our town and a teachable moment with our sons presented itself. Often my boys seem to bounce like a pinball in zig-zag patterns along sidewalks causing other pedestrians to dodge or change from right to left in order to pass. Other times, they tightrope walk the curb stones of busy streets full of oncoming traffic causing unnecessary parental stress. On the particular day in question, the curbside lesson came from historical chivalry. The socially cynical say we are no longer ladies and gentlemen but merely men and women. In the times when social graces were valued, gentlemen were taught to walk between a lady and the street. The reason was one of prevention and protection. It was believed that if a horse stepped into a puddle and splashed muddy water, it would be better for the gentlemans suit to become soiled instead of the ladys dress. Based on the way people dress and comport themselves in public, the socially cynical may be right. Jesus walked along the curb. By the standards of the day, our Savior broke many social conventions in favor of a higher chivalry. He ate with dishonest tax collectors, spoke to an immoral Samaritan woman and healed sick people on the Sabbath. While the righteous were running away from the street to stay clean, Jesus threw himself into the gutter. However, on the cross, Jesus did not simply walk between His lady and a dirty street, He died along the broadway of destruction escorting His Bride to Paradise. When we believe in, preach and practice the dirty chivalry of Jesus, we are the salt of the earth. Pass the salt!
Posted on: Thu, 08 May 2014 22:04:41 +0000
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