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"Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." (Colossians 4:6NKJV)

A wise old philosopher once said, "Give not thy tongue too great liberty, lest it take thee prisoner." The tongue - how small, and yet, how deadly. Words - how useful, and yet, how damaging. Speech - how indispensable, and yet, how destroying. Have you ever thought about it that way before? Well, if you haven't you should for the sake of yourself and other people.

To be sure, the Apostle Paul was keenly interested in this matter of the Christian and the use of their tongue. So much so, that he takes time out in this letter to show these Colossians that there was a Christian way to speak and carry on a conversation. Paul knew that there were those Colossian believers who had to discipline their tongues and make their speech Christian in everything they had to say.

I ask, what should be the responsibility of every Christian regarding their tongue? Let us notice what the text has to say about the use and abuse of the tongue.
I. Consider, to begin with, a form of speech according to Paul that must be PROHIBITED. We hear this first-century Apostle state quite emphatically these words: "But now you also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth" (Colossians 3:8). Weymouth renders these words to read: "But now you must rid yourselves of every kind of sin - angry and passionate outbreaks, ill-will, evil-speaking, foul-mouthed abuse - so that these may never soil your lips." Here, then is a command for every one of us to follow.

Have you ever given thought to some of the different ways that men hire out their tongues to the services of Satan? Here are just a few.
Some use their tongue for profanity. Now the prohibition for not using this kind of speech is found in the Ten Commandments. The third commandment states: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). Jesus Himself declared: "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head...But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." (Matthew 5:34-37).

Without question, every person whether they be a Christian or not, should realize that nothing is more repulsive, more disgusting, than this way of sounding off. The profanity, the cursing, the swearing that is being carried on by many today is enough to make one sick.
To those of us who are genuine disciples of Christ, I say, we had better watch the stream of words that flow from our lips for it was Christ who said, "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:37). The prohibition is: "Thou shalt not swear."

Others engage their tongue for lying. The prohibition for this is found in the ninth commandment: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Exodus 20:16). Or take the words of Paul to the Colossians: "Lie not one to another" (3:9). We have people today, even professing Christians, whose tongues have become instruments of shame because of the false notion lodged in the back of their heads that it is permissible to lie on occasions, especially, if the conditions and circumstances demand it. I assure you, such an idea is not found in the Bible.

Ah, my friend, if you want to be serious with yourself, and with your God, then stop playing with the truth by changing it to fit the situation. Start today being inwardly honest and outwardly truthful in your relationship with people. Here, then, is yet another kind of speech which is prohibited. "Thou shalt not lie."

Then, also, there are those who hire out their tongue for gossiping. Now we certainly don't have to wonder where the prohibition is found for such talk. The command of God to Israel was: "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people" (Leviticus 19:16). Moffart renders it: "You shall not go up and down slandering people." The Living Bible is to the point: "Don't gossip." Or as Solomon put it: "He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets; therefore, meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips" (Proverbs 20:19). Again: "Talebearers let out secrets; have nothing to do with a gossiper."

Such has been the shabby business of a great number of people. The wounding words, the thoughtless tales, the sordid stories that are being spread behind the back of many, not only end up hurting those who are being talked about, but such action cheapens the very one who is responsible for it.

God grant that you and I may never participate in this shabby business. May each one of us bring our tongue, our speech, our talk and our very words under the Lordship of Christ and mastery of the Holy Spirit. How we who claim to be disciples of Christ need to be careful in not giving an ear to rumor and discreet in not being too ready to pass such a rumor on to others. A. B. Simpson has some words for us at this point: "I would rather play with forked lightning or take in my hands living wires, with their fiery currents, than speak a reckless word against any servant of Christ, or idly repeat the slanderous darts which thousands of Christians are hurling on others, to the hurt of their own souls and bodies." And to this truth add the words of an old spiritual song:

Before we dismiss from our minds this thought of gossiping, let me suggest three questions which you might ask yourself before speaking out about another person. First, is what you're going to say genuine? Is it true? Secondly, is it for the person's good? Is it going to help him? Thirdly, is what you're going to say gracious? Is it lovable? Let this be our guide and may it govern us accordingly.

If you know of a brother's sin, it is not a time of gossip but a call to prayer. If you repeat a believer's sin without going directly to that person yourself according to Matthew 18:15-17, yours may be the greater sin. Dr. Herschel Hobbs, in his book, An Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew, was right when he wrote: "But even if the report be well grounded, to talk about it to others is the action of one who is least in the Kingdom, not the greatest." Who can disagree with him?

Still yet, there are others who lease out their tongues to filthy talk. Paul the Apostle spoke about this when he said in verse 8 of chapter 3 these words: "But now you too must once and for all put them all aside...abusive filthy talk from your lips." This includes all of the dirty stories which have a way of creeping into one's speech. Every one of us must stop listening to such stories and stop telling such stories. May God deliver us from this form of vile habit which ministers not our edification, but only to our condemnation. We must remember what Christ said: "That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment"(Matthew 26:36).

"There's not a sin which we commit,
Not a wicked word we say
But in that dreadful book are writ
Against the Judgment Day."

II. The second thing I want to say in this message is this: if there is a speech which is prohibited, there is also a form of speech which is PERMITTED. Permitted that is within our ordinary day by day conversation with people. This is set forth by St. Paul in our text: "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Colossians 3:6).

Now here were Christian who had not taken seriously this matter of putting off the old life with all of its passions, and putting on the new life which comes by faith in Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, there were still those in the Colossian Church who had not given over their tongues completely to the Lordship of Christ. They still thought it was all right on certain occasions to speak their minds no matter how inconsiderate and reckless their words might be about someone else. But Paul realized, even though many of these Christians did not, that words do destroy and many times go beyond the reach of repair. It was now Paul's desire to show them that there is a Christian way to carry on a conversation, and he encourages them to do so.

In your speech, says Paul, make sure that it is always "clothed with grace." In other words, whenever you open your mouth to speak, make certain that whatever comes out will manifest beautifully the charming spirit and gracious style of Jesus Christ. This, of course, means that we must permit God's indwelling Holy Spirit to mould and sanctify our speech according to His holy will. Let me ask you this: Have you allowed the Spirit of God to do this in your conversation with others? Can it be said of us as it was said of Christ that "never a man spake like this man?"

But Paul goes on with this discussion about our speech. He encourages these Colossian believers to make certain that their speech is "seasoned with salt." The meaning here is that of being pleasant to the taste. Dr. Alexander MacLaren has a comment on this worth noting. He says: "Put into your speech that which will keep it from rotting," or, as the parallel passage in Ephesians has it, "let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth." Salt has in it that which preserves and purifies. Never let your speech become corrupt or lose its integrity.

Now when you do that, says Paul, you will catch something of the tone of the words of Christ throughout His life upon the earth. His words were neither vile nor vicious, but good and gracious. Let us take to heart the words of the poem:

"A little word in kindness spoken,
A motion, or a tear,
Has often healed the heart that's broken
And made a friend sincere."

III. Now that brings me to my final point. There is a form of speech which is PREEMINENT. Now what do I mean by this? Simply that type of speaking that is above all others. That form of speech which is superior to everything else. To Paul, it was all right for words to flow from our lips in mere social conversation, but this was not the highest form of speech.

Paul now desires to get his Colossian friends to realize that one of the greatest gifts which God has given to His Church was that of prophecy, which we find him mentioning in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians. In verse 10 we read: "to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy..." And as G. C. Morgan says: "Such prophecy does not mean foretelling future events. It is the forthtelling of truth." How true!

Now there you have the form of speech to which we ought to hire out our tongues. Not that of destroying, but that of declaring - declaring with the authority of the Holy Spirit the truth of the Gospel of God - that Jesus Christ died for our sins, He rose again for our justification, and that He will one day come again to receive us up into glory.

Ah, if you want to speak, says Paul, if you want to say something edifying, if you want your words to be helpful, then speak about that place where the worst in man meets the best in God. That, says Paul, is worth talking about. I wonder: Have you given your lips to herald and broadcast this message? If not, may I remind you that there are literally millions of people who are starving to death for some hopeful word which you can give them. I say, away with the idle-chatter, the wounding words, the gossiping and let us get on with this business of proclaiming the message of God's salvation in Jesus Christ. Let us begin to do this at this very moment.