“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” — Colossians 4:6 (NASB)
I guess it has become the everyday norm to wake oneself up and sharpen the edges of one’s tongue. I mean, you don’t have to turn on the TV anymore to hear the ugly use of words. Sometimes all you have to do is go to work, go to school, go to the grocery store or go to church (oops did I let that one slip out?) In any case, you get my drift. We are walking around in society that runs without a filter. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes that ain’t a bad thing. We could be stuck with plastic people in a plastic society making plastic expressions, but instead we’ve got ugly people in an ugly society making ugly expressions. How…deplorable!
Anyway, for the Christian the ugly use of words is like a major no-no. We are advised to let our speech be as salt to the listener. Now salt has it’s many uses like getting stains out of a coffee pot or de-icing the sidewalks. If ya gargle with salt water when you have a sore throat it will alleviate the discomfort somewhat. You can use it to bring flavor to your food and if you use it as a preservative you can keep meat from decaying. It can also eliminate odors, so I dare say that if you use a little salt in your speech you’ll keep the stench of decay from penetrating the ears of someone who needs to hear the words of Jesus Christ.
And speaking of Jesus, here’s what He said about salt, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matthew 5:13). Hmmm…the ionic compound formula for common salt is NaCl, so if you take the Na or the Cl outta of it you’ll get sodium or chloride by themselves, and that is kinda toxic to put on French fries… so what does Jesus mean when he says, “if salt becomes tasteless?” Well from a secular standpoint, in a book titled “The Land & The Book” there is an account of a time when salt was stored right on top of an earthen floor and spoiled in a few years so it became “good for nothing” and was “trampled under foot” when it was thrown out into the streets.
So, what’s the idea behind being as salt and speaking with salt? Well it doesn’t take a lot of salt to make food taste better and check this out, only 3% of sea water contains salt and whole ocean is salty, so with this in mind here’s what I come to… (kindly swiped from my boy Matt Henry).
“The doctrine of the Gospel is as salt; It is penetrating, quick, and powerful (Heb 4:12); It reaches the heart (Acts 2:37). It is cleansing, it is relishing, and preserves from putrefaction. We read of the savour of the knowledge of Christ (2nd Cor 2:14); for all other learning is insipid without that. An everlasting covenant is called a covenant of salt (Num 18:19); and the gospel is an everlasting gospel. Salt was required in all the sacrifices (Lev 2:13), in Ezekiel’s mystical temple (Ezekiel 43:24). Now Christ’s disciples having themselves learned the doctrine of the gospel, and being employed to teach it to others, were as salt. Note, Christians, and especially ministers, are the salt of the earth.”
Our job, in a Great Commission kinda way, is to sprinkle the Gospel upon all who we encounter. Granted, we’ve got folks out there that think dumping the payload on the unsaved will do the trick, but the idea is to flavor what is out there…not preserve it. A little salt will go a long way in making things better, but too much of it will go to waste because it isn’t being spread evenly. The intention is that all come to a saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ not just one big lump and we’re done.
In closing today, I hope we can realize that we are God’s salt shakers. We may have those times where we, ourselves, are in need of salt… salt shakers do get emptied from time to time, but so long as we are constantly going to the source, we should do well. For everything the world is offering from their podiums, the one thing they aren’t offering is a peace that surpasses all understanding. Their words are seasoned with pepper and at times they dump the whole payload on people. Jesus was clear, “Salt is good, but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Amen?
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two adult children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.
The Daily Bible Reading: Amos 1-4| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here
Daily Quote: “Sine sale, vita humana non potest degere’ — “Without salt human life cannot be sustained.” — Pliny
This Week’s Verse to Memorize:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
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