“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
Colossians 4:5-6
When it comes to meals, certain things are communicated by a dish, particularly when it is served on regular or special occasions. Usually, there’s Turkey for Thanksgiving, hot dogs at a ball game, popcorn for a Friday night movie, and more. Indeed, there’s also meat and potatoes, communicating many things, the least of which is ordinary comfort (but not in a cheesy way, no pun intended). In other words, meat and potatoes, which come in a variety of forms (as in the image above), may mean basic or ordinary, but definitely not indulgent. Most of the time, when I have meat and potatoes, I get a sense of comfort. It’s like an old friend. It just hits the right savory note, has the proper texture, especially when served at the appropriate temperature.
Now, meat and potatoes, though primarily referring to a meal we might consume, may also be used figuratively to communicate a lesson. I remember times in the past on certain Sunday mornings when Tommy Nelson would introduce a sermon as a “meat and potatoes” message. He usually did this, as I recall, after Christmas and New Year’s holidays. His message centered around simple, ordinary truths communicated clearly and directly. It was comforting then, as it is now. Do you know what I mean? There’s just something in the ordinary truths of God’s Word that settles an anxious mind and reorders a distracted heart.
We see this also with the apostle Paul. As Paul brings his letter to the Colossian Church to a close, his focus is somewhat surprising. On the one hand, his intent throughout his letter was undoubtedly to exalt Christ by explaining His supremacy. At the same time, Paul also shared how this truth relates to everyday life. The passage above is no different. Here, we see Paul explain, in the simplest terms, how the church ought to relate to those on the outside.
Paul instructs the church to relate to those outside with wisdom. He says that wisdom is expressed in conversations guided by grace, seasoned with salt. The basic interpretation of this concept follows three lines of thought:
First, this biblical wisdom is rooted in trusting God, which means entrusting the opportunities and outcomes to God’s sovereign care. It is easy to use our words to be clever, funny, and much more. Paul does not say to deploy any of those strategies, which does not necessarily mean they are wrong. Instead, he provides a foundation for all conversations between Christians and those outside the Christian church: wisdom.
Second, the frequency of our conversations is always to be guided by wisdom. Paul does not say, “Sometimes, speak wisely.” No, he says, “…let your speech always be…” a certain way. This is an important point because of familiarity, complacency, people-pleasing, and more. Depending upon our circumstances, we’re often tempted to deal with non-Christians in one way and our church-friends in another way. For instance, how easy is it for people to be Christianly at church and then on the jobsite use language that would make a sailor blush? Paul says that our speech is always guided by wisdom.
Third, Paul states that our manner of speaking or speech is to be guided by grace and salt. Practically, grace is the divine resource God provides to His people through faith. Grace is the unmerited gift that enables Christians to apply gospel-truth to their words and conversations. The gospel compels us to build up rather than tear down, and to heal rather than wound. Second, our speech is also guided by salt. This is an ordinary, everyday mineral with at least three purposes: (1) purifying, (2) preserving, and (3) flavoring. What Paul is saying by adding salt to our speech is that we seek to bring holiness, faithfulness, and depth to our conversations. Our words are to be guided by a divine dynamism.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- Align your faith with your speech. Seek alignment with what you believe and what you say.
- Pray for divine enablement: grace.
- Speak with an eye toward holiness, preservation, and depth.
God help us in our speech. Amen.
— December 3, 2025