Have Salt in Yourselves

and Peace with One Another

By Dale M. Sides

When the Word of God says that Jesus called “the twelve” together, because the twelve were called apostles, it means they were having an apostles fellowship. The account in Mark 9:33–50 is such a record. It was a meeting designed for apostles. When Jesus sat down and called the twelve to Him, it was a serious time to deal with a serious subject. This subject is just as crucial today as it was then, and the teaching He gave to the original twelve apostles should be as though the ink is still wet on the page.

The following article is a textual exegesis of Mark 9:33–50. It is a lesson on unity—the benefit of having it and the consequences of not striving for it. The conclusion emphasizes what Jesus wanted the apostles to have and to remember.

Have salt [lasting commitment] in yourselves, and have peace [unity] one with another. Mark 9:50b  

This instruction is directed to apostles and must be specifically applied to them, but because it is recorded openly in the scriptures, it is for everyone to read and know. The truths included here are for all believers to know and to be able to hold all apostles accountable. The conclusion is simple but the context in which it is set should burn a hole in the heart of every apostle and believer. These are words of warning and caution given to the highest office in the church. Jesus taught the apostles of His day and time and is also teaching those of today the promise of eternal rewards for properly fulfilling this calling. He also levied the threat of gehenna for those who selfishly abuse this office.

It seems that “apostle” is a major buzzword within the Body of Christ now. There is no doubt that this ministry is alive and functional within the Body of Christ, but there are also self-appointed individuals claiming this office who only see it’s given recognition and prestige. When the requirements and threats are clearly spelled out, it may cause those particular people to reconsider their claim to this function. For those genuinely called to this office, this word from the Chief Apostle will serve as a reminder that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and He will tolerate no selfishness or rebellion in the army, even among His generals.

This is a prophetic word given to apostles. Unlike some delivered today, this message is from the Prophet of all time and none of His words have ever fallen, or will ever fall, to the ground—since He is the Incarnate Word. Be prepared and be forewarned—these are hard words coming from a Hard Man (Matthew 25:24) directed toward potentially “hardheaded” leaders in the church. Jesus does not pull any punches in this teaching and discourse. Generals in the army must give orders but they must also be able to take them. Regardless of how many stars are on someone’s shoulders—only One has a crown on His head. Jesus is in charge!

This is a lesson on unity. It is not a request; it is a command. It does not come from an underling; it comes from the King of Glory, the Commander in Chief, the Chief Apostle and the Judge—the One Who has the power and authority to grant eternal rewards or cast His servants and apostles into gehenna (Matthew 10:28).

The Enemy—Ambition

And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. Mark 9:33,34

The word “disputed” is the Greek word dialegomai. It means “through discourse,” or in common language, “argued.” The twelve argued about who would be the greatest. In the context, going back to verses 1–10 and 30–32, we can figure that they were discussing who would be in charge after Jesus died. Who would be the Big Man?

And he sat down, and called the twelve [to an apostles meeting], and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. Mark 9:33

The word “first” here is protos. This means “foremost in importance” not “foremost in rank.” In other words, they were not arguing about who would be the most responsible. They argued about who would have the most prestige.

(While I was in India, I taught these same truths to some mighty men of God—apostles to the church in India. It was not unlike any other leaders fellowship. Beforehand, these men were walking around sizing themselves up, comparing themselves among themselves, counting churches and assessing the “pecking order.” It is predictable in an apostles fellowship. At this time within the teaching, however, the same strange silence hung over this group in India just as it did with the original twelve apostles.)

This place in Scripture, perhaps more so than any other, demonstrates the greatest enemy of the apostolic ministry—ambition. Each ministry has an imposing enemy: apostles—ambition; prophets—rejection; teachers—intellectualism; evangelists—recognition; and pastors—security. The devil targets each ministry with its particular vice. Ambition is the major enemy of the apostolic ministry. Jesus knew this and was trying to “nip it in the bud.”

An apostle is a visionary. He or she dreams about places where no man has gone before. It is not a weakness; it is a strength. But in the visionary places where he or she may ponder, they must remember that the whole army must move in unison, and that it is composed of the Lord’s people—not theirs. Though apostles may be first in vision, they must be last in ambition and put others above themselves.

Caring for People, Not Position

The Master Teacher used a visual aid to communicate about this enemy—ambition, and the danger of magnifying an apostolic function over the children of God.

And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. Mark 9:36,37

Notice that He took the child in His arms. Then He said, “Whosoever shall receive one of such children, receiveth me.” The emphasis was on the one child. Holding the child in His arms, He reproved the apostles by bringing them back to the basics of the ministry—it is about one person being cared for—not about fulfilling your ambition.

At this point, the Apostle John interrupts the Master with a question. On the surface it may seem out of context, but Jesus utilizes this as a perfect illustration of the deceit of ambition.

If They Are Not WITH Us, They Can Still Be FOR Him

And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. Mark 9:38–40

John’s question illustrates exactly this enemy called ambition and the effect it can have on someone’s judgment. Who in his right mind would rebuke someone for doing the work of the Lord? Yet, it is done time and again in places all over the world. When someone does not have the “right” title or is not sanctioned by the “right” group, then judgment often is passed on them as being “against” the inspecting group. Remember that it was an apostle who rebuked a servant of the Lord. Why? Because the man who was casting out demons was not with their group.

Did it occur to John and does it occur to modern day apostles that the Lord might be doing something they do not know about? Jesus obviously had commissioned others to do work that were not of the twelve. He had sent out seventy others with commensurate authority.¹ The Commander of the Army does not need to confer with the leaders in the army to make a decision. He may have things going on in different areas that does not pertain to a particular leader. In this army, we operate on a need-to-know basis. Sometimes, gentlemen and ladies, you do not need to know.

For example, there may be evangelical movements that are not charismatic. There also may be an intercessory army that does not affiliate with ministries sent to feed the poor. There may be family-oriented ministries that do not have direct fellowship with deliverance ministries. Remember that someone who does a miracle in His name is with us, not against us.

This is the curse that comes with ambition; it causes someone to think that they have the “corner on the market.” It caused division among the twelve and it can spread to the whole Body of Christ. Jesus said that whoever is not against us is for us.

The context of unity is beginning to build and will culminate with “have salt in yourselves and peace with one another.” Yet before Jesus brings the teaching to a conclusion, He introduces the reward/punishment or benefit/consequence motivation into the explanation.

Rewards or Punishment?

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.² Mark 9:41,42

There are rewards given to people who serve other Christians (Hebrews 6:10). Oftentimes we think about our witness to the unbelieving world, and forget our duty to each other. Because this verse speaks of giving water to those who belong to Christ, it is talking about service within the Body of Christ. Be especially good to the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

When a little one is offended (back to the context of the children of God) by an ambitious man or woman who is “merchandising” one of them for self-gratification, punishment will come instead of rewards. Merchandising little ones (inclusive of any of God’s children) happens when fulfilling a ministry becomes someone’s focus instead of helping people and building God’s kingdom. This is very dangerous evidence of the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (Revelation 2:6), meaning someone—nike (conquerer) laos (person)—who dominates people for his or her own gain. “Offend” is the Greek word skandalizo and means to purposely use someone for personal gain—again demonstrating the fruit of ambition.

Jesus now heads toward the conclusion of His instruction to the twelve. Remember that it is specified for apostles—the twelve. These are the generals in the army who have the most committed to them and will have the most required of them as well. This is where the sayings get hard.

The Punishment of Gehenna

In verses 43–48 of Mark 9, Jesus Christ discloses a punishment for apostles who are consumed with ambition and do not strive for unity. Before we discuss these offenses that gain someone entrance to this punishment; it is good for us to briefly mention what this place is.

Gehenna is without a doubt a place of punishment. The flames of fire directly demonstrate this.

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell [gehenna], into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:43,44

Even though the purpose of this article is not to doctrinally discuss the existence of gehenna, rest assured, you do not have to believe in it to go there. Isaiah 66:24 definitely shows that this is a place of punishment.

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and  they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Isaiah 66:24

Doctrinally, there is a dispute over gehenna.³ Some equate it to hades—another word translated “hell”—while others believe it is a separate place of punishment. Some believe that hades is the place of punishment of the unrighteous or unsaved dead, while gehenna is the place of punishment for the righteous, or saved dead. Wherever or whatever it is, it is certain that the righteous dead may be there if they do certain things. Mark 9:43–48 is one of the most convincing sections of scripture to document this truth.

It is my personal belief that gehenna is a place for apostate ministers. I believe it will exist in the heavens along with the outer darkness, while the millennial kingdom takes place on the earth. The outer darkness is a place of separation where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth while missing the millennial kingdom. This is reserved for people who did not know any better or were just lazy. Gehenna, on the other hand, is a place of punishment for people who knew better and actually transgressed the commandments of God with full knowledge.⁴ Without question, gehenna is a real place and the authority on this is not I, but Jesus Christ the Judge.

The far better place to be is not there and the way to not be there is to obey the Word of God. To help you accomplish this, along with preserving the strength and purity of the Body of Christ, is the purpose of this article.

I mentioned to you before that these are hard sayings from a hard man. Jesus is a Hard Man when it comes to someone dominating His people and building himself up as “another Jesus” and a false apostle (Revelation 2:2). Please do not receive these words as a statement of condescension from me, but as a word of warning from the Chief Apostle. I likewise am in the same possible condemnation. Personally I would hope that gehenna is a figure of speech, but I cannot apply private interpretation of the scriptures by my own choosing. (It will not change the truth anyway.)

If we respond with maturity and humility, it would be better to be safe than to be sorry. We therefore need to respond to the instruction given in Mark 9:43–48 and either repent for being disobedient or be instructed to not be disobedient.

The Lord warns against three conditions where ambition can lead an apostle into deception. These admonitions are clear and need to be avoided for the sake and safety of the Body of Christ, for the rewards of apostles to be preserved, and for punishments not to be incurred.

The Offending Hand, Foot, and Eye

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:43–48

The offending hand, foot, and eye are likely ways that an apostle is deceived by ambition. The hand refers to what he or she is doing. The foot refers to the way he or she is walking. The eye refers to the way he or she is looking at others. All of these are tainted by ambition.

The offending hand will be discussed first. The hand pertains to the way you are doing things. If you as an apostle imagine that you and you alone are the only one doing the “proper” works of God, remember that the Lord has not called you to be His counselor. This kind of prejudice is apparent in those who think that they have “the” power of God—while they are living in sin. Others look at fellow apostles and think “how deceived they are” because they are doing the wrong thing. Remember that your Brothers and Sisters were not called and commissioned by you.

Cut off your hand and enter into life of the kingdom to come. This does not mean to stop your works (we will see this as the exhortation is given to “have salt in yourself”) but rather it means to quit exalting your works above others. Quit rebuking others, inwardly as well as outwardly, for being different. Remember our Brother, the Apostle John, who rebuked the man casting out demons. Jesus said that those who are not against us are with us.

Second is the offending foot. The foot refers to the way you are walking. Do you think you are walking on an inside track to heaven and are in the good graces of the Lord while others have been led astray? Maybe you have a beam in your eye and your fellow apostolic brethren have a splinter in theirs.

Do you think that your doctrine is the pure doctrine while all others are deceived? If so, you are deceived. We all have errors in our doctrine and desperately need God’s mercy. Jesus said that it was by their fruit and their love that others would know them (Luke 6:44, John 13:35).

There are specific demons trained in particular church doctrines to try to keep the Body of Christ divided. They are called religious spirits and are anchored in the stronghold of pride––the pride of being right and being better than others.

It is better to cut off your “stronghold” of doctrine and humble yourself instead of being thrown into gehenna. Once again we see that the issue is ambition; wanting to be better than others and have an inside track to God’s favor. Humble yourself and realize that a point of view is just that—a view from a point. To have the whole view, you need others’ views in order to get the whole picture. Have you ever heard about the seven blind men trying to describe an elephant? It must have been funny when one declared it was long, flexible and had air coming out of it; and another said it was stiff, unmovable and flat on the bottom. We are in serious deception when we think that because we have one point of view, we understand the whole thing. All we have is our own point of view.

Lastly is the offending eye. The eye implies how you are looking at others. Do you think that you are better than others because you have more responsibility or more success? If you have more success in measurable numbers, it is only because you have been given more grace (and mercy).

Are you looking at others with a glare of disdain—thinking you are better than they are? A friend of mine once jokingly said, “The key to unity is simply for everyone else to repent of his or her wrong doctrine and come over here and have fellowship with me.” Are you looking at others through the eyes of love or through the eyes of scrutiny? Eyes of love are wide open but eyes of scrutiny are squinted closed and looking through narrow slits of self-righteousness.

Pluck out your critical eye and look to build others up instead of promoting yourself. If you must look at yourself, imagine how God sees you. Think about the mercy He has had on you to allow you to even be born-again, much less to serve Him.

These three things, the offensive hand, foot, and eye, are the fruits of ambition. All of these started with the apostles disputing over who would be the greatest. Ultimately, the harvest of ambition is gehenna!

Repentance is not just for people who apostles preach to—it is for the apostles also. Apostles are being tested now too. The test does not stop when you are ordained. Actually, it really begins then. The most difficult scenario to handle in ministry is success. Are you looking at your works as being better than others? Do you think you are walking on an inside track to God’s favor? Do you spiritually squint when you see another brother who is not “with” you?

Your works would be tried by the test of fire—the fire of gehenna.

Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day [at the Judgment Seat of Christ] shall declare  it, because it shall be revealed by fire: and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 1 Corinthians 3:13,14

Your work as an apostle will stand if it does not burn. If you have faithfully built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and not the platform of man’s institution, your work will stand. What a pity it will be to see a man or woman of God fall to their face in tears and anguish when they stand before the Lord and see their whole life go up in smoke. As bad as that is, He will then say, “Depart into Gehenna! You destroyed that which you were sent to build.”

We all know that this will happen, but we need to be forewarned so that it does not happen to us. Peter, James, John, Matthew, Joseph, Thaddeus, Thomas, etc. were not immune to this possibility, and neither are we. We need to repent of our ambition and serve the Lord who called us.

The concluding exhortation from the Incarnate Word will summarize what everyone, especially apostles, need to do.

Have Salt in Yourselves and Peace with One Another

For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Mark 9:49,50  NKJ

Jesus said that salt is good. Salt is a preserver⁵ and thereby conveys a lasting commitment—your lasting commitment. You may have done well; you may have been at the ministry a long time. That is good, but if your salt has lost its saltiness, you have lost your flavor. In other words, if your commitment has lost its meaning, what good is the commitment?

Jesus concluded by saying, “Have salt in yourselves.” This means that your commitment is good. Your vision and desire to accomplish things for Him is good. You are faithfully discharging your office in zeal. This is His exhortation to you—you are doing well.

Then He said, “Have peace with one another.” The peace with one another is not just to get along with your neighbor. The context is to have peace with your fellow apostles. Repent of your self-righteousness. Cut off your hand—the works whereby you think you are better than others. Cut off your foot—the way that makes you think you are more special than others. Pluck out your eye—the way you are squinting at others and thinking that you are better than they are.

Have peace with one another. The key to unity in the whole Body of Christ is unity among apostles. If apostles embrace other apostles, the members of each army will embrace each other. If we speak only those things that edify one another, then the Body of Christ will be stronger. This is a lesson that can be learned by all.

To have peace with one another—look for those things that you agree upon. Admire the goodness in each other and the godliness of each other’s character. Admire each other’s commitment and offer to help.

Don’t look to be better than others. Look for ways to make them better than you. Refuse to offend the little ones. Bury ambition. Cut out the part that offends. Maintain your rewards and negate gehenna.

Have salt in yourselves and have peace with one another.

Endnotes

1. Jesus gave authority to the twelve and also to the seventy to cast out demons and to heal the sick, etc. The twelve represents the apostles and the ministry to the whole universal church, but the seventy represents the number of elders in the nation of Israel and relates to authority given to elders in a local congregation. Both have authority and need to work together to see the church built and be properly administrated.

2. The word “sea” is figuratively used at times to represent the other darkness—a place of separation during the millennial kingdom for those not earning rewards. Gehenna (verses 43, 45, and 47) will exist during the same time frame but is not just a place of separation; it is a place of punishment. See Dale M. Sides, “The Outer Darkness,” Episkopos Tape #16, Bedford,VA: Liberating Ministries for Christ International, October 1997.

3. The Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 2, pages 670-672.

4. Dale M. Sides, “Salvations of Man” series, tape #14, Bedford,VA: Liberating Ministries for Christ International.

5. Webster’s Living Dictionary of the English Language, Chicago, Illinois; copyright 1977