For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.
This difficult saying has a deep, mysterious meaning. In the Old Testament every sacrifice was offered with salt (Leviticus 2:13), and salt symbolized the firmness of the covenant, purity, and incorruptibility. Here the Lord shows that the life of His followers also must pass through a purifying fire. That “fire” can mean trials and sufferings through which God purifies the believer, humbles his heart, and strengthens him in holiness. Just as the sacrifice was prepared to be offered to God, so also the believer is prepared to belong to God through the path of sanctification. This saying is connected with the previous warnings: whoever is ready to fight against sin radically, his life becomes a living and purified sacrifice to God.