“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).

We saw yesterday that our joy in the Lord ought to enable us to be cheerful even on a dull day, or when things were not going smoothly for us. Our joy in Christ should show people that we belong to Him. However, there is something else that is needed when we speak to people who are not saved, and we find it in our verse today—salt. What is salt, in a spiritual sense?

Salt does many things for us naturally: it preserves food, it prevents infection, and it seasons food. But we all know that the right amount of salt in food is most important. Too little makes it bland and tasteless, and too much makes it impossible to eat, as the salt overwhelms the food. Perhaps you have seen your mother taste food which she is preparing, and then add a little more salt. She knows by tasting just the right amount of salt to use.

Spiritually, salt could be said to be “holy grace.” Grace is a wonderful thing, but salt brings in God’s holy claims. We should show the grace and love of God to unbelievers, but also remind them that they are sinners, and need to be saved. The Lord can show, by His Spirit, just how much “salt” to bring into every conversation.