Christian communication - what are the keys?

Next, he reverts to their own need of walking wisely, considering those outside, and seizing the fit opportunity, though I doubt not the service of prayer such as we have seen, would have issued in their own blessing as truly as in good to others. "Walk in wisdom with those without, buying up the time. Let your speech be always in grace, seasoned with salt, to know how ye ought to answer each one." vv. 5, 6. Grace gives us the rich glow of divine favour to the undeserving, the display of what God is in Christ to those who belong to this guilty ruined world; salt presents the guard of holiness, the preservative energy of God's rights in the midst of corruption. It is not said, "always with salt," seasoned with grace, but "always with grace, seasoned with salt." Grace should ever be the groundwork and the spring of all we say. No matter how much we may differ, righteousness must be maintained inviolate.

It is this combination of divine love in the midst of an evil world, with uncompromising maintenance of what is due to God's holy and righteous will, that teaches the Christian not merely what but how to answer each one as he ought.

It is one thing, however, to seize an opportunity, and another to use it to best advantage. Words not fitly spoken are often more to be deplored than no word being spoken at all. Our words are to be always with grace. Never are we to descend to the censorious, or the bitter, or the cutting remark. But then on the other hand our words, while full of grace, are not to aim at merely pleasing men. They are to be seasoned with that which salt represents — the pungent quality of truth. Grace and truth were found in our Lord and they should mark those who are His, even characterizing their words.

We carry a message of grace, to be expressed in words of grace; at the same time our speech is to be seasoned with the salt of holiness. Thus speaking, our grace will not degenerate into lightly passing over sins, nor our faithfulness into mere hard condemnation of sinners. For this combination of grace and "salt" we need the wisdom of Christ Who, not only knew the right answer to give every enquirer or opposer, but, how to answer so as to meet the need of each one.

(2) Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving; (3) praying at the same time also for us, that God may open to us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am also bound, (4) that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. (5) Walk in wisdom toward those without, buying up the time.* (6) Let your speech be always in grace, seasoned with salt, to know how ye must answer each one.

How important for any disciple of the Lord is the use of the tongue! James has a good deal to say about it in the heart-searching chapter 3 of his epistle. The marked feature of our Lord's life that astonished the Pharisees and Pilate was his silence. And when He did open His mouth only 'gracious words' came forth. His 'lips were like lilies dropping sweet smelling myrrh' -What a perfect example is our blessed Lord! For us the exhortation of Scripture is something we should really 'take heed to': 'Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man' (Col. 4:6). We need the Lord's wisdom to know the 'right mixture' of grace and salt-to know when to be silent: 'Set a watch, o Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips' (Ps. 141:3), and when to open our mouth in praise and testimony as well as to 'reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine' (2 Tim. 4:2).

We have to go through a world full of experiences, and christian life in it thus, with which as ministering we have to do. Our great affair is so in our own souls to have Christ formed in us, and so to know Him experimentally in the little world of our own souls, that all that is of self being judged, then only Christ may come out, whether as testimony of life in the big outer world, or in that which we apply to others in ministry; and to wait on Him so that we may be guided in doing it. I often find the question arise in my mind in service, whether I was enough in the spirit of unitedness - that is, with Christ - the sense of His presence - so as to have had the right thing come into my mind: for "a word spoken in due season, how good is it!" At least we must seek this, and be continually looking to Him so that there may be nothing hasty in our words. I have no doubt that if we kept close to Christ, His Spirit would guide us in our intercourse with others. We are not always conscious of divine guidance, even when it is there; but the word comes from Christ to the souls we have to say to, even if rejected - as we see with the Jews. But our part is to keep close to Christ, so that it should be "not I, but Christ lives in me," and thus He acts in our thoughts and ways without our, at the moment, thinking of Him directly; but we always have the consciousness of speaking for Him, and of His presence. "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt," "which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers."

Verse 5: "Walk in wisdom." As "dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth an ill savour, so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom" - godly wisdom; to give no occasion to the enemy. A foolish word, a rash expression, may hinder a person receiving the gospel. It may be a slight thing; if it is a stumbling-block to hinder the gospel, that is not slight. You have to carry Christ, and it behoves you to be fit carriers of Christ in the relationship in which you are. "Let your speech be alway with grace" (v. 6). If Christ is dwelling in my heart by faith, and my habitual habit of mind and thought is with Christ, Christ will come out. How many words - not bad or evil - but idle, for the moment without harm meant, do we speak in a day? It is not Christ, and mark, if it is not Christ, it is something else - the flesh. It is not that we are not to be happy, Christ makes us happy, and that will be seen; but our speech is to be "alway with grace." If we carried Christ in every word, what a life we should live! The joy of heaven to me is, I shall not want my conscience at every step. Here I cannot let myself loose, there are snares everywhere, and I require to keep a wonderful check on myself.

The law said, “Thou shalt not covet.” Paul, in his address to the elders of Ephesus, says, “I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). What a contrast between the negative act of “not coveting” and the positive act of “giving.” The law said, “Thou shalt not kill.” The apostle John writes, “And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” The motive-spring of this is—that Christ laid down His life for us. But He died for us when we were enemies. Some might dare to die for a good man; but He died for His bitterest foes (See Rom. 5:10). The city which cast out Christ was to be the place where the sweet sound of the gospel was to be first heard. They took His life; He offered them everlasting life. Here, where the cries of bitterest hate had scarcely died away, were to be heard the offers of eternal life. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). The law said, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Colossians 4:6 gives us the positive blessings of speech: “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” A man who did that would more than fulfil the law. Many read this verse as if it were, “Let your speech be with salt, seasoned with grace.” But how the grace should shine in our speech, albeit there would be the preserving element of truth in it! This would preserve against the honey of flattery. The grace of the Lord’s words was such that they wrung from the lips of men this confession: “Never man spake like this Man.” Yet His speech never lacked the seasoning salt of truth; for when He brought out the truth of over-abounding grace to the Gentiles, the Jews of Nazareth were filled with wrath, and cast “Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong.”

There is nothing so much to be deplored, so much to be guarded against, as the disposition that keeps a watchful eye over its own interests, but is blind and unbelieving to the interests of others. The Christian is saved by grace, he stands by grace, and ought to be the witness of grace in his spirit, words, and ways, at all times, and in all things, from the least to the greatest. His speech is to be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Grace is never to be absent; the whole bearing of the Christian is to be in grace, and "always." Salt to be introduced occasionally. The needed faithful word must not be withheld; but even then grace must shine. (Col. 4:6.) If we would faithfully express the spirit of the blessed Master, we must be gracious and generous in word and deed, and that, as far as possible, without partiality. But we shall soon find out that in nothing are we so feeble as in sympathy. The blessed One of John 11 only can fully meet the need in sympathy.

The Lord's instruction to His disciples, and to us, was, "Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another" (Mark 9:50). Then we have the Apostle Paul writing, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt" (Col. 4:6), and again, "Speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15). These Scriptures make plain what "salt" is, when it is applied to us. Healthy regard for truth preserves from that compromising attitude, which is so sweet if only human amiability be in question. In us, all this is only found in measure. In Christ, all was perfection.