Speaking With Grace And Salt

[Minister Monardo]

What is this Salt that enhances Grace?

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with Grace, seasoned with Salt,
that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Mark 9:
49 Everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?
Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall
its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out
and trampled under people's feet.

 

[Lion IRC]

Great question.

I take it to mean...
Don't deliberately avoid adding 'salt' (trying to be a people pleaser,) lest your message comes across as bland, boring, insipid, lukewarm, flavourless, etc etc.

Frank Turek rightly observed that if, as a Christian, you've never been mocked or ridiculed or persecuted for your beliefs, it's probably because nobody knows what you believe. (Lack of salt.)

 

[Minister Monardo]

I take it to mean...
Don't deliberately avoid adding 'salt' (trying to be a people pleaser,) lest your message comes across as bland, boring, insipid, lukewarm, flavourless, etc etc.

Another idea I was pondering since I posted is the idea of people that have a favorite 'pitch' that
they use over and over. For example, I knew a brother who would approach people and always ask
the same question: "Have you had the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and
Savior". I admit, it is catchy and probably a "conversation starter". But...our sufficiency is not of
ourselves. I noted Paul saying

that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

that tells me that even in evangelism, the Holy Spirit can give us the right words to speak for every
individual. I realize that the Lord was speaking of trials and persecutions when He said:
Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

For this reason I was thinking, hopefully lead to believe, that the salt could be the wisdom
from above that James speaks of in chapter 3.
James 3:17
Thanks for your response. You gave me plenty to think about. The scriptures speak of not being
slothful, nearly a dozen times in Proverbs alone, so you make a solid point for sure.

 

[Lion IRC]

Instead of saying...I don't want to debate religion with you
I will often tell the other person...
"You don't want to debate religion with me."

Apologetics
What is apologetics? William Lane Craig's light-hearted introduction to apologetics.

"I think everybody knows that apologetics is not the art of saying you are sorry that you are a Christian!
No, apologetics is the art of making the other guy sorry that you are a Christian".

 

[Minister Monardo]

No, apologetics is the art of making the other guy sorry that are a Christian".

Is this supposed to be "sorry they are not a Christian"?

 

[Lion IRC]

Is this supposed to be "sorry they are not a Christian"?

Typo. Thanks for spotting it. I've fixed original.

 

[BrotherJJ]

What is this Salt that enhances Grace?

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with Grace, seasoned with Salt,
that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Mark 9:
49 Everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?
Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall
its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out
and trampled under people's feet.

For people of OT times salt was a valuable provision who's primary purpose was to preserve/extend.

Salt was a necessary commanded ingredient to be put in all sacrifices offered to the Lord & eaten by the priests (Lev 2:13)

The LORD called these offerings a covenant of salt (preserved) forever before the LORD (Num 18:19, Ezr 6:9).

Abijah 4th king of the House of David & 2nd of the Kingdom of Judah. Called the everlasting kingdom the LORD promised David a covenant of salt. (2 Chron 13:5)

To the posts referenced verses:
Matt 5:13 I speculate Jesus salt of the earth comment meant they were to be a valuable Word preserving influence.

Mk 9:49 The context beginning vs 38 is serious warnings. Fire often speaks of judgment or testing.

Mk 9:50 If salt looses its flavor/purpose ability to preserve what value remains?

Col 4:6 I speculate Paul's reference to is to speak spiritual wisdom excluding corrupt communications.

My thought in answering the OP question: The salt that enhances grace: To speak with & be preserved in spiritual wisdom. JJ