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Hello World,

I decided on a new series called “Memory Scriptures.” I love memorizing scriptures and have been using the biblememory.com website as a tool to help me memorize scripture. I was doing my memory scriptures when I decided that instead of memorizing scripture, I should dive deeper into it. As you may or may not know, my blogs are for me and anyone who wants to join in. I use it as a public journal where I can detail my studies and share them with the world. Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to do the same with my memory scriptures.

I use a free app with biblememory.com. And I highly recommend it as I’ve been using it for years! There is a pro version, but you may want to try out it for free first. Regardless I will place a link >>>HERE<<< If you are interested.

Today’s Scripture is Colossians 4:6!

Colossians 4:6 NIV “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

This is from the book of Colossians. Colossians is considered one of the Prison Books. Prison Books are books that Apostle Paul wrote to different churches while he was in prison in Rome. He wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon while in prison as well. Specifically, for Colossians he mentions it in Colossians 4:3, just three verses prior: “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison — (ESV)”

Here he is encouraging the Colossians on how to speak!

I. “Let your conversations be always full of grace…”

This could mean multiple different things. When we think of someone doing something with Grace or gracefully, we think of smoothness and elegance, kind of like a ballet dancer, or professional ice skater, or a bird flying. But I do not think Paul means grace in that logic.  The word that Apostle Paul uses for grace in Greek is χάριτι  or charis. The link on the word “charis” will send you to the Blue Letter Bible (BLB), a resource used to see the Greek/Hebrew meaning of the word. As you can see, this Grace pertains to something that causes joy or pleasure, or favour given by God through Christ, or something of thanks.

According to Apostle Paul, all of our conversations, need to be full of joy or pleasure, it needs to be full of God’s love for his people, and God’s earnest to reach his people. If I look at all my conversations since I woke up this morning, I already failed. I hope I can make my conversations be full of love, joy, pleasure, and hope, in relation to what God has for each and everyone of us.

II. “…seasoned with salt…”

Apostle Paul, wants our conversations to be “seasoned with salt.” But what does that mean? Do we literally have to season our words with salt? Is that even possible? Of course not, but let’s discover the meaning!

Again, we will use the BLB. The Greek word for salt here is ἅλας or halas. In the KJV this word only appears 8 times, all in the New Testament. And this is an interesting look. In the Old Testament, the word for salt in Hebrew was מֶלַח or melah.

The Old Testament “salt”” was literal salt. Salt in salt pits, salt in the sea, salt on food. The same salt we use today. Literal salt or sodium chloride. However, the New Testament changes that. The first time Salt or halas is mentioned is when Jesus was teaching a sermon.

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

Jesus calls his followers the “salt of the earth.” Perhaps Apostle Paul (before he was an apostle), heard this teaching. The “salt” Jesus used here was halas, which was only used regarding this sermon and when Paul mentions it in our memory scripture above. With all this being said what does our conversations being seasoned with salt means?

I think it means that our conversations need to reflect who we are. We can say one thing but be completely different. Jesus called us the salt of the earth, but he does note that we can lose our saltiness. Our “salt” represents our transformation to become more like Jesus. Just like real salt, it preserves us (salt preservation of food), enhances us (salt enhances food), and it serves as a source for an important nutrient (Salt serves as a sodium nutrient source).

The main difference is that too much real salt can destroy us. Table salt aka NaCl (sodium chloride), can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. However, real salt can never lose its saltiness. (For example, if NaCl breaks up into Na+ and Cl- ions, it’s no longer salt, but it’s 2 separate elements on the periodic table).  It’s purpose can be affected by its surrounding.  Say we put salt in water to make the water saltier. If we add more water (adding solvent to a solution), we will dilute the saltiness of the water. The water is less salty, but the table salt still has its purpose, it’s just diluted.

The spiritual salt or halas, that Jesus speaks of is a salt that does not destroy us, it enhances us. The more salt we have, the more we are preserved, enhanced, and become an important nutrient to the world. Unlike table salt, this spiritual salt can lose its saltiness. Jesus does not specifically say how, but he does say it’s possible. And as Christians who have become the salt of the earth, we have to make sure to maintain our saltiness. We may not know how to lose our Christianity, but we can all relate to when we feel far from God, we fall into sin more, we don’t have the charis (grace mentioned earlier) towards people. In that aspect, we may be “losing our saltness.” Jesus mentions that if we lose our saltiness, it’s hard (or impossible), to be made salty again. He said this to encourage us to fight to maintain what he has already given us. How do we do that? It goes back to our memory scripture. By sharing our saltiness and relying on it, even in every conversation, we can keep our saltiness and build it up. This leads to the last part of the scripture.

III. “…so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Apostle Paul is encouraging his brothers and sisters, sons, and daughters, and his future relatives (Us!) that we need to control our conversations. By controlling the tongue, we can “answer everyone.” The Greek word here is ἀποκρίνομαι or apokrinomai . But good news! This one we all know what it means. It simply means what is says. Because of our saltiness, our faith, the way we walk, and the way we talk, people will come to us with questions. If we follow, Paul’s recommendation, we will learn how to respond, with or without words. It starts with grace, then we season with salt. If we do not know what the words to say, just remember to start with grace, and then add a little salt. The right words will come to you and will be good.

Apostle Paul writes this scripture as the final instruction to the Colossians. In verses 7-15, he gives greetings to some of his brothers who are doing the mission Jesus commanded of them. In verse 16, he encourages the Colossians to share this letter with Laodicea. In verse 17, he encourages Archippus. And finally, in the final verse he says that he wrote the letter himself. And reminds them that he is in chains while still writing it.

Even in jail, imprisoned for doing what was called to him by God, he encourages us to speak with grace and faith. If he can do that in chains, how much more can we do who are free?

With Love,

Ayodeji Alaketu