"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." -Colossians 4:6
In this day and age for Christianity, especially within the context of more conservative Christians, we have gotten into this habit of condemning people to Hell, throwing Scripture at them, and running away - never to see them again. I've been equally guilty of this. My sin feasts on hearing about men who are not preaching the right gospel, who are misleading congregations seating thousands upon thousands of people. Instead of praying for that person and desiring their heart be radically changed by the Word of God, my heart's default setting goes on and I instead - whether subconsciously or intentionally - condemn them to Hell. We love - and I'm included in this - to gossip about fellow believers in Christ. Our brothers and sisters in the faith who we will be spending eternity with!
While God certainly uses our weak vessels for the spread of his glory and fame, Paul reminds us in Colossians 4 that our words are to be gracious and "seasoned with salt". Sin needs to be pointed out certainly. We need to be called out by our brothers and sisters when they see sin rising to the surface. But our natural tendency when conversing tends to go toward the condemning route as opposed to the gracious route. I love to think of myself as better than others because of the church I go to or how many times I've shared the Gospel with someone - but that's all wrong! Jesus' death on the cross was sufficient to cover every insufficiency in every human being. When I start thinking I need to perform, that's when I've misinterpreted why Jesus came to die on the cross. Jesus performed for us! We are made righteous in the sight of God ONLY because of Jesus! When we understand that, that is when we long to see people saved instead of writing them off as doomed for an eternity. That may be the case, but may our longing be for these people to hear and believe the true Gospel of Jesus Christ so that they may teach it to others and continue to make disciples. That's what I'm praying for all of us.
In Christ,
Kurt
