Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.

As I mentioned in the previous verse, this verse continues with the coded language of unleashing the people to proclaim the truth of Christ.

Now he said the church should know how to answer everyone. On the face of it, you wonder what he is talking about. But when seen as a coded message about evangelism, it makes sense.

This is a parallel of the prayer that Paul asked the church to pray for him for open door to proclaim the mystery of Christ and for him to make it known as he should.

Here, he is showing them that they should also do the same thing, use their speech to communicate the message of the grace of Jesus Christ, as they should.

“Let your speech alway be gracious” sounds like a lecture on communication skills, but it is not, when seen in the context of the purpose: so that you may know how to answer everyone, specifically outsiders, while “making the most of the opportunities.”

Again, there is an apparent vagueness to what Paul meant, but when seen as a coded message for evangelism, it makes sense to me.

There is the conduct (manner) and then there is the speech (message). It’s not just about conduct and it’s not just about speech. It’s about both when it comes to evangelism. We need to put that in mind.

Again, it is about the presentation of the gospel, making the most of the time that you have, the open door, the opportunities that you are supposed to seize.

Even the slave can reach fellow slave, right?

“Making the most of the opportunities” is about time dedicate to helping others see the truth, exploring the opportunity to speak to others, with the consciousness that we are emissaries of grace, communicating the message of God’s grace.

“Seasoned with salt”

Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Seasoned with salt is coded language for your transformational quality you carry as you serve others with the truth of Christ.

The point is Paul is telling people to be evangelistic in mindset and be well-versed in answering the objections that people might pose to the message of Christ and his lordship.

Now you have received the grace of Jesus, now go and share it, Paul seems to be saying.

How? Just as they pray for an open door for Paul, Paul wants them to recognize open doors (opportunities) and use their speech accordingly.

Paul said: I am everything to every man, so perhaps I may win some (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Jesus, at a well, spoke with the woman who has had five husbands, and did not put her down for them, rather lifted her up (John 4), drawing her to a revelation of Himself.

“How to answer everyone” is also about the right kind of engagement.

Again, the kingdom advances with speech. A lot of the parables of Jesus were about the seed growing, starting small and growing. And in one of them Jesus said clearly, the seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11).

And James wrote about the tongue as very small but able to set fire (James 3:5-6).

And when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of pentecost, it was as divided tongues as of fire (Acts 2). Peter did not use financial power, or political power or any form of authority to bring thousands of the kingdom of God, to be part of the church, he used the tongue.

There was opportunity, and his speech was gracious, seasoned with salt and after he spoke the people asked question, “what shall we do now,” and he knew how to answer that question. Can you see that?

An angel freed imprisoned apostles and did not tell them to try the use of force to expand the kingdom, or to form a resistance, they were told to go and stand in the temple and continue speaking the message of the truth (Acts 5:17-20).

Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and Paul was clear that God is pleased to save some through the foolishness of preaching (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Without the preaching of the gospel, nothing would move. Jesus said if you are ashamed of me and my word in this world, he would be ashamed of you in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:26). How do you become ashamed of his word? By not speaking it to others.

Jesus said it this way: He said that the sower goes out to sow, and the seed is the word of God. It is speech speech speech and then more speech.

Like I said, Paul is not saying in this verse they should just be good gist-ers, and spend their day chatting with people, this two verses are about preaching the gospel, preaching Christ, speaking about Christ.

In this book, Paul had effectively presented the gospel and answered possible objections of people who might think that whatever religion they were involved in was okay.

The Book of Colossians could also serve as an evangelistic training. The people are equipped with the knowledge of Christ, taught the knowledge of Christ and are assured of his supremacy and therefore they confidently go on and proclaim him.

The people in the church can speak the truth based on the knowledge of the truth he had already shared with them.

Jesus said go into the world and preach the gospel to all creature after he had been with the people for some time (Mark 16:15). Paul is saying the same thing.

Remember this injunction in this verse is for how we relate with outsiders, the unbelievers in Christ.

He wants them to proselyte the outsiders. It was possibly an hostile environment. Nevertheless, the last thing he wants them to do is to hide, but he said they should use tact, what is what he meant by wisdom. Conduct yourself with wisdom.

Understanding that the word is fire, the word is seed. It’s about the inherent ability to multiply.