Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)
by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz
I think every time I step onto the campus of UCSD, there is a strong desire in my heart that many would come to know and hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And fortunately, I have had those opportunities come during my time in college. One thing I miss is how much free time people had in sitting down outside and conversing about matters of life and death. Yes, many were opinionated and unafraid to share their views, especially when they heard me reveal myself to be a Christian. Sometimes I was speechless at what people told me they were willing to believe, and yet did not find Christianity a plausible worldview in their eyes.
Post-college, however, if God grants you the gift of a job and allows you to form friendships with those around you, there is opportunity after opportunity that the Lord will give to those who see. With the encouragement of the local church as well as focused prayer to God for Him to open doors, many opportunities may come to speak with our co-workers about the lordship of Christ over all.
This is the kind of prayer Paul writes about in his letter to the Colossians, the church at Colossae while in prison. After instructing them in putting off the old self and putting on the new self, Paul explains practically how this looks in the community of faith and also in the home. There is a way of living and speaking that is consistent with how the Gospel changes a rebellious heart. Paul is quick to remind the Colossians that he is in prison not for committing a crime, but for being faithful to the task that God has called him—proclaiming the mystery of Christ in the Gospel (Colossians 4:3). He asks the Colossians to pray that there would be doors opened for him to bring the good news of redemption to those imprisoned for committing crimes against both God and man.
Under the umbrella of prayer, Paul instructs the Colossians to walk and talk in a certain way that will show Christ is working in them, allowing Him to shine in Colossae as He was in Paul’s life. They are to walk in wisdom, not in foolishness. They are to no longer walk in an earthly manner, which he commanded them earlier to kill: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (Colossians 3:5). This was how the believers formerly lived and what they are to withhold in their flesh. This is how those outside of the faith are currently living, which you are to distinguish yourselves from.
How you are to live among unbelievers is this: with “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Even though this verse specifically relates to other believers, there is overlap.
You also are to talk with “grace” and “salty seasoning,” which doesn’t mean you look for salty food to consume. According to Paul, your credibility means more than good deeds (which refutes the notion of “preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words” approach). Paul does not qualify this; we are to speak graciously “always,” with speech that is purposeful, loving, truthful, and thoughtful (Ephesians 4:29-31). How you speak in the office (or wherever you work) is to be “salty;” in other words, preserving or delaying corruption in other people. Indirectly, Paul is condemning the kind of speech that is common among unbelievers-which many of us are guilty of-by commanding gracious and salty speech. This is not natural for us to do. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in helping us put off ungracious speech and put on gracious speech. He ends this exhortation with the result of following this command: “that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Speaking graciously and with a salty flavor is the way a follower of Christ ought to speak to non-Christians. You have been commanded long ago to walk in wisdom. How have you been in both areas? Would you consider your walk to be influenced by the wisdom of God at work? How does your family view your walk? Does your faith actually affect the way you walk? Our life should make Christ look attractive to them. When an opportunity comes up and you are asked to give your view on any given topic, your response should not be a garbled message if your life does not show the power of the Gospel in changing your life.
This is where the two areas come together. Not only must your walk be consistent with your talk, but your talk must be consistent with your walk. One does not supersede the other, but complement each other in a beautiful way. Walking in wisdom does not mean only letting your actions speak. To walk in wisdom makes you reliant on someone else who has spoken: God. If He lived under the philosophy of showing but not speaking, we would not know anything about Christ and salvation. One must not crowd out the other; our talk must match our walk, and our walk must not negate our talk.
How does this relate to you post-collegians? For starters, you have already been through what collegians currently go through. Do you not have wise words to impart to them about how you were able to live Christianly throughout your undergraduate studies? Aren’t some of you currently pursuing grad school, and have some growth in that area right now that would be of benefit to them? Do you know any collegians?
What convinces you that a person cares about you? When you know that someone is listening to you, and isn’t looking for an opportunity to jump in and correct you about what you just said. One way of reciprocating this to others is by showing that you are willing to listen to them, and not assume things constantly about them, or think they don’t know what they’re talking about, so you can demonstrate your superior knowledge in any given area. When you know that Christianity is true, and speak with someone who is not a Christian, the temptation to ignore or listen on a surface level to them is great. Understanding what they are actually saying or asking can make it easier to know how to answer them, when the time comes. If you have gracious speech, seasoned with salt, generally people will be more willing to say more and also to listen to what you have to say, because…you will be speaking graciously and with a salty flavor.
We need to remember that the Christian faith is more than doing good deeds, though it includes that. Our faith has within it good works, which God has created our new nature for (Ephesians 2:10). And yet, at the same time, we are not given leeway to stop short of saying something to someone about why we do anything good. If someone sees us being courteous and kind to others, they will conclude that we are good people. That is the OPPOSITE of what we want them to know. It is because of our wickedness and God’s mercy and grace that we would do ANYTHING good…because it is in honor of the One who saved us. That is what those around us need to know, and they can only know that if someone tells them. So will you?