In Colossians 4:5, the scripture admonishes Christians to walk in wisdom with non-Christians as each and every opportunity presents itself, and 1 Corinthians 4:6 it specifically tells them to let their speech be full of grace and seasoned with salt.
In this sermon, therefore, we are going to dive deeper into what it means to be full of grace and seasoned with salt, and while doing so we will also endeavor to help us understand how we can walk in wisdom toward outsiders in order to attain that.
So without wasting much time, let us outline the whole bible verse, that is Colossians 4:5-6 before we move on to treat the subjects that formulates it.
Colossians 4:5-6 KJV.
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
To help us understand the bible verse above better, let us also outline the amplified version of
The amplified version of Colossians 4:5-6.
Conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity [treating it as something precious]. Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one [who questions you].
What does it mean to be full of grace, seasoned with salt?
To be full of grace, seasoned with salt simply means that Christians, also known as believers, must ensure that their attitude, behavior, conduct, actions, etc with those who are outside (unbelievers) must always be good, peaceful, and convincing enough to convert them to the Christian faith.
Full of grace as used in this scriptural context simply implies good manners, while seasoned with salt is an idiomatic expression that is used as a descriptive phrase to classify a speech as good, or as the amplified version will put it “gracious and pleasant”.
The biblical meaning of grace.
In the Bible, grace is seen as a favor that comes from God, notwithstanding the behavioral patterns of human beings. The scriptures state categorically in Ephesians 2:8-9 that Christians are saved by grace through faith and it is not their own doing or because of how upright they are.
It also helps us to understand that grace is a free gift from God to us humans. And for that reason, no one should boast that they received God’s grace because of how committed they are to God.
The spiritual importance of salt in the bible.
Throughout the Christian sacred scriptures known as the Bible, there are numerous references to salt, and even though most of the context seems to use it as a mineral used for several purposes like seasonings, preservations, etc, especially during the Jewish ceremonial offerings and preparing food at home, the spiritual importance of salt can be seen in several lights as used in the Bible.
In the context of this sermon, the writer admonishes Christians to let ehe speech be seasoned with salt while they are interacting with unbelievers especially if they are asking them any questions concerning the Christian faith.
And when we go back to the times of the early church, we will discover that there were so many controversies surrounding the new religion which raised lots of questions from those who on one side were eager to learn about the religion as well as those on the other side who were kind of mocking the believers whose behavior were sometimes seen as foolishness.
Thus, it was up to the early believers to try as much as possible to give accurate answers to those who either inquired about the Christian faith or even used it as a means of mockery.
In the book of Luke and Acts of the Apostles, we see how Luke the evangelist wrote two lengthy letters to Theophilus, a government official who inquired about the Christian faith.
And from what we believe, there is no way that Theophilus would finish reading those two letters and ignore the Christian faith. So even though the scripture has not revealed whether he was converted or not, we believe that Luke’s letters were seasoned with salt that converted Theophilus to a Christian.
Luke himself even recounted an event where Philip had to go into an Ethiopian Eunich’s chariot to explain Psalm 53 to the point that the Eunuch repented and asked for a baptism which Philip did not hesitate to give to him before they parted ways.
At this point, I believe we can understand the spiritual importance of salt as the knowledge that will enable a believer to bring an unbeliever to the understanding of the Christian faith to the point that he is able to convert that unbeliever.
The message of Colossians 4:5-6.
The message of Colossians 4:5-6 is that Christians must be able to use the knowledge they have about the scriptures to convince those who are outside, that is the unbelievers, to the point of converting them to the Christian faith.
As the amplified bible sheds more light on this matter, Christians must be able to convincingly use the scripture to provide answers to whatever questions they are being asked by an unbeliever.
For example in John chapter 3, we see how a man named Nicodemus went to Jesus at night and asked Him if being born again implies a grown-up man like himself entering his mother’s womb and going through another process of birth.
But Jesus explained to him that being born again implies repenting of his sin and being baptized in order to receive the Holy Spirit that will enable him to do good deeds as Peter later on confirmed in Acts 2:38-39.
What does it mean to walk in wisdom toward outsiders?
Walking in wisdom toward outsiders means that believers must be able to explain or interpret the scriptures as well as also be able to practice what they preach so that coupled with their lifestyle and the answers they provide to unbelievers about the Christian faith, they will be able to convert them.
Who was Colossians 4 written to?
Traditionally, Colossians 4 was written to the early churches in Colossae and Laodicea by Paul the Apostle and his godson Timothy while he was in prison in Ephesus, but from what we have learned in this sermon so far, Colossians 4 was also written to the modern day Christians as a means of instructing them on how to behave with unbelievers.
