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
Here is a piece of advice that is rarely given the weight it deserves. When we think about the things we say, we seldom stop to consider how significant our words actually are. We tend to assume that our actions carry far more weight than our speech, and so little thought or effort goes into the words that come out of our mouths.
The Power of the Tongue
James was right to highlight just how disproportionate the power of the tongue is to its size:
So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
— James 3:5
If we are not careful to exercise self-control over our speech, we can find ourselves — and others — in very difficult places very quickly.
Speech Shaped by Grace
It is against this backdrop that Paul instructs the Colossians to let their speech be full of grace. To understand what that means, we first have to understand grace itself. Grace is unmerited favour — a kindness shown to someone who has done nothing to deserve it. We see this most clearly in the grace of salvation:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
— Ephesians 2:8-9
Every believer who has truly tasted the goodness of God understands this — that we were undeserving sinners, that the wages of sin is death, and yet instead of receiving what we deserved, we were shown mercy.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.
— Ephesians 2:4-5
Paul draws on this very understanding when he calls believers to speak with grace. Our speech should reflect the grace we have received — meaning we speak as people who have been shown grace, and in turn, we extend that same grace to others in how we speak to them.
Seasoned With Salt
Paul adds a further image — that our speech should be seasoned with salt. This is a cooking metaphor. Salt does two things — it makes food taste good, and it acts as a preservative, keeping it from spoiling. Applied to speech, this means our words should be both wholesome — incapable of corrupting or tearing down — and genuinely good, tasteful, and edifying. Speech that builds up rather than erodes. Words that are sweet and beautiful, not bitter or careless.
Knowing How to Respond
Paul tells us the purpose of this kind of speech — so that you will know how you should respond to each person. The Christian is to understand that they represent something far greater than themselves. Paul calls believers ambassadors of Christ:
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us.
— 2 Corinthians 5:20
As ambassadors, we represent the kingdom of God in every conversation we have. We represent our Lord and Saviour, who rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into His marvellous light. This is a significant responsibility — it means the way we respond to people, the tone and content of our everyday conversations, should reflect how Christ Himself would respond. We are His witnesses, sent to deliver the good news entrusted to us.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
— Acts 1:8
Representing the Kingdom Through Our Words
May we be a people whose speech is full of grace — seasoned well, so that we know exactly how to respond to each person who comes our way. And in doing so, may our very words be a faithful representation of the kingdom of God, as children of God.
Amen.
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