Why are we told to "let your words be seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6)?

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.

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.

Finally, apart from the direct preaching of the gospel, we are to "walk in wisdom towards those that are without, redeeming opportunities:" for in a world under Satan's power there will not be always such. For this reason one must be ready when the time comes. At all times, also, the speech is to be characterized by grace, the "salt" of divine holiness preserving this from passing over into mere laxity and inability to stand for God. This in fact alone is grace; but the holiness of grace is as far as possible from that of law, though law is holy. A Christian, as one who owes all to grace, falsifies his testimony if he shows a spirit of legality; nor will there be wisdom found in this way to "answer," or meet according to their need, the various conditions of those around. We must be in the spirit of Christ (which grace is) in order to do His work.

Our conduct toward others is to be wise, and we should be wise in taking advantage of occasions that may arise to "redeem the time," that is, make use of every opportunity to present Christ in some way. In doing so, our words should be "with grace seasoned with salt" (v.6). Salt crystallizes at right angles, and speaks of righteousness. Grace is to be predominant in our speaking, but always seasoned with righteousness. The Lord Jesus graciously spoke to the woman at the well, but he also told her that she had had five husbands and the man she now had was not her husband (Jhn.4:13-18). This was seasoning His words with salt, so that both the woman's heart and her conscience were reached. How good if we have wisdom to deal with souls in such a way! -- knowing thus how to answer each individual according to his need. True balance in this is a delicate matter that requires wisdom from God. But we ought always to be ready with an answer for every inquirer. To do so will require both a knowledge of the Word of God and practice in gracious, honorable speech.

In Leviticus 2:13 it is said, “Every oblation of thy meat-offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat-offering; with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt”; and the preservative character of what it signifies is clearly emphasized by the Holy Spirit in the precious words of Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt.”

In this beautiful God-given type, the meat-offering was mainly in view, the salt in it was the seasoning. So now, graciousness of speech is the main thing regarding those who are saved by grace, but it is to be seasoned with salt, with the moral savour of the truth. This must not be lacking, though it be but the seasoning and the grace principal. Grace and truth subsist by Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord; and of His fullness His own have received “grace upon grace.” We can readily see why it reads thus in John 1:16, and not “truth upon truth.” Men wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. To be like Christ, His redeemed ones need to remember that the provision of grace is one thing and the seasoning of salt another. There must be grace in abundance and the powerful salt of the truth, wisely limited, lest it be harmful. A supply of nourishing food may be rendered nauseous by a too abundant supply of the otherwise good and useful salt.

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.”

Then of course we should also speak in the Lord's work, and our speech should be characterised by two things. Firstly, we do not speak by giving orders, we speak in grace. Secondly our speech is to be seasoned with salt. Salt has the property of working against corruption and gives spice and taste to food. This is what our speech should be like, always in grace but also with some spiritual power which works against corruption and which gives a divine seasoning to our whole speech.

Finally Paul tells us, not what we should respond to every one, but how we should do it. Our French speaking brethren have a nice phrase, 'the tone makes the music'. This is true in the Lord's work as well. It is not only a question of what we say but of how we say it. We should ponder this if we want to be involved in the Lord's work.

Besides this inner circle of the interest of Christ, there are those without. They were to walk in wisdom towards them. This was to be their general bearing, but they were to seize any opportunity (which is the true sense of "redeeming the time") which might be given them, through circumstances or otherwise, in order to use it on Christ's behalf towards those still characterized as "without"; but always the speech is to be with grace, yet not grace in laxity, but seasoned with an inward preserving power (for we are to have salt in ourselves, Mark 9:50) which will keep us from being affected by the evil around, and enable us by an inward consciousness to answer every man graciously and holily.

In verse 13 of our chapter we find that salt was also a component of the meal offering, or indeed of any of the offerings and it is spoken of as the "salt of the covenant". Salt is a preservative and would be in keeping with this description, for it would remind us that the promises of God as revealed in His covenants are enduring. The thought of the salt in its preservative character can be applied in two ways, firstly that the promises of God are vouchsafed to us and secondly that the offering of Christ will preserve us from a coming judgment such as the offering itself had to pass through when it was consumed by the fire. Then in Colossians 4:6 the believer is exhorted to let his speech be always with grace, “seasoned with salt”. Grace and truth are often linked together, as we find for instance in John 1. There it is recorded that the Word was full of grace and truth (v. 14), and then in verse 17: “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ". Salt in these two contexts would correspond to the truth which was always perfectly exemplified in our Lord in manhood. His words were always uttered in grace, but when necessary with the salty application. For instance when the scribes and Pharisees brought before Him the woman that had been taken in adultery and urging the Lord’s condemnation of her because it was the law of Moses, after He had dealt with these men He asked her: "Hath no man condemned thee?" She replied: "No man, Lord". Then His reply was: "Neither do I condemn thee". Here were His words of grace, but immediately He adds: "Go and sin no more" (John 8:1-11). Here was the use of the salt.