Seasoned With Salt

I am fascinated with the Old Testament.  If you have ever been in one of my classes or read any of my articles, you know I love the applications that can made from the experiences of the Israelites to our  lives, as Christians today.  Remember Paul's words in Romans 15:4, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perserverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."   Studying the Old Testament deepens and strengthens our faith in that it provides insight into the nature of God, His plan of salvation, His love for mankind, and the importance of obeying His laws.  Although we no longer live under the law of the Old Testament, reading it will undoubtedly enrich our understanding of its fulfillment through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Last fall, our congregation sponsored a Ladies' Day with the theme, "How to Train Your Dragon".  (The dragon, of course, being the tongue).  We used Colossians 4:6 as a key verse:  "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."  The greek word for grace here is "charis", which translates to mean "that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, or loveliness".  In other words, our conversation should provide the hearer with those feelings or experiences.  Even more, in this context as Paul was speaking to the Colossians about praying for opportunites to teach others about Christ, he was emphasizing to them that the words coming from their mouths should be reflective of the kingdom to which they belong; and the same is true for us today.

The next phrase, "as though seasoned with salt", can be better understood by first defining the use and purpose of salt.  "Halas", the greek word for salt in this text, refers to "natural salt which purifies, cleanses, seasons, preserves from corruption".  In Bible times, putrefaction of food was prevented through the use of salt.  Salt prevented rotting!  I find it interesting that Paul spoke against "rotten speech" in his letter to the Ephesians.  He said, "Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)  The greek word for unwholesome here is "sapros" which translates "rotten or putrefied".  To prevent "rotten speech" we "season our words with salt" so that what falls upon the ears of the listener is pure and uncorrupt, and as Paul writes "edifying and gracious".  I love that!

But wait!  There's even more to this idea of "seasoning with salt" as I learned from reading the second chapter of Leviticus the other day!  Under the Old Law, the Israelites were required to make sacrifices to God as atonement for their sins.  That ritual was abolished through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the one and only perfect sacrifice that would cover man's sin throughout all time.  In Leviticus 2:13, God commanded Moses saying, "Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt."  The concept of "seasoning with salt" had a special meaning to the Jewish Christians as they understood the application of salt to sacrifices in order to make them acceptable to God.  The salt included with their sacrifices represented the incorruptable covenant that God had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, referred to in this verse and several others instances in the Old Testament as the "covenant of salt" (Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5). 

Now, here is the amazing and faith-building application:  We learn from Paul's letter to the Romans that we should "present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1).  As Jews under the Old Law added salt to their sacrifices representing God's covenant with the Israelites, so we, as living sacrifices, season our speech with salt representing, through pure and uncorrupt conversation, the everlasting promise God has given to us through the gospel. 

Isn't it remarkable that this concept of "seasoning with salt" as I've discussed it here, comes from three different letters of Paul, written to three different groups of Christians, at three different times, and includes references from the writings of Moses, over 1400 years earlier....yet it all comes together to create a perfect message to the Christian, even today.  That is the awesome work of the Holy Spirit, who guided the pens of the men who wrote the scriptures and who continues to guide us today through our knowledge and application of the Word of God.