Colossians 4:6 — Knowing How You Must Answer

6 your word being always with grace, seasoned with salt, perceiving how you must answer each one.

This verse connects seamlessly with the preceding one. There Paul called upon us to walk in wisdom toward those outside and to buy up the opportunity. Here we see what such an opportunity often consists of. What is striking is that Paul does not talk about speaking, but about answering. An answer is a response and presupposes a question. We often see this in the book of Acts as well. The speeches of Peter, Stephen, and Paul are usually not self-contained addresses, but responses to a question, an accusation, or an event.

Our word should be “always with grace.” First of all, that says something about the content of our message. Everything we bring forward, including serious and confrontational truths, must always be set within the radiant perspective of God’s grace.

Paul then further clarifies the imagery of salt. A word that is “seasoned with salt” knows how it must answer each person. Just as salt is not added to every dish in equal measure, not every question calls for the same answer. Yet it remains the same good news of God’s grace, rich enough to provide each person with the fitting answer.

Share: