Pastor Roger Snow How We Speak
Colossians 4: 6 says; “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (KJV).
It is said that first – century Jewish rabbis referred to wisdom as “salt” – something that is both a preservative and tasty or attractive. 2 Chronicles 13: 5 says; “Ought ye not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? (KJV). A “covenant of salt” suggested a permanent (preserved) bond between the parties. Jesus as a Teacher, may have been using that metaphor when He said that His followers were “Ye are the salt of the earth.”
Paul was likely combining all these ideas when he wrote the Christians’ speech toward outsiders should be gracious and “seasoned with salt.” He said something something similar in Ephesians 4: 29, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (KJV). What that is saying is that our speech should be edifying and a source of grace to those who hear our words.
He warned about the opposite of such speech in Colossians 3: 8 which says; “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” (KJV).
This is crude carnal speech, not befitting a follower of Christ and a speech that neither of permanent value nor attractive.
How do we talk when around a non – believer? Do we speak like the world, trying to fit in? Or do we speak graciously in ways that build up our hearers? Are our words attractive, conveying love and grace? How do we speak to non –Christians is important as what we say to them.