The Book of Colossians Pt. 51 Watch How We Walk And Talk!

Paul is at the point of wrapping up his letter to the believers at Colosse. He has some final instructions for them regarding prayer and his own needs as an apostle and minister of the gospel. 

Walk in wisdom & use your time wisely.

Colossians 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 

The church Jesus is building is formed to live a holy life of separation from the corrupt culture, usually identified by the designation, the world. 

Walking in wisdom means walking by the light and guidance of wisdom from God. Thus, it is God who commands us to come out from among the world and be separate from them (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Wisdom is practiced when we obey what God says to us. 

Those who are unbelievers, are consistently referred to as being "without" or outside of the local church family (See 1 Corinthians 5:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:12). They are unbelievers who need to hear the gospel of Christ and be converted, before it is too late for their conversion. 

The idea is twofold. First, be careful not to be caught up in whatever the wicked culture is doing. Guard your conversation or behavior while you interact with unsaved people, so that you remain pure and separated to Christ. 

Second, it is the idea of believers in Christ, showing Christian love and doing good to unsaved people, when opportunities arise and it is appropriate to do so. 

Redeeming the time means using our time for God's kingdom purposes. In the context of this phrase, it means when we are interacting with those who do not know Christ, we should model what it means to be in Christ. It means extending them Christian love and respect as we seek to do good to them without becoming like them.

Walk with precision according to the Word and use our time rightly.

Ephesians 5:15,16  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16)  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

This is the parallel passage to the text from Colossians. The word "circumspectly" means to walk with precision, accuracy and exactness according to the scriptures. We hear and heed what God says. We listen and obey Him. 

In the parallel text, Paul commands believers to redeem or use their time in a right manner that honors God, because the days are evil. Our lifestyle of living for the glory of God is a testimony about God's righteousness, holiness and mercy, to a world that is waxing worse and worse. 

Let us speak with grace filled words seasons with God's salt. 

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 

What does it mean to let our speech be always with grace? It means not allowing any corrupt communication to come out of our mouths. It means speaking with grace in us that reminds us that we too, were once lost sinners, when we converse with an unsaved person. 

Even in a vocational setting we can speak about work issues with a gracious spirit.

We may not always be talking to them about the grace of God that appeared bringing salvation to mankind, but our speech can always be filled with grace and compassion for others.

Grace is heavenly salt that seasons our speech, so  what we say is sweet and savory in the sight of God, and not corrupted, in the eyes of the world.

Let all our conversation be such that it exemplifies and recommends Christianity. Let our words be holy, wise, gracious, and intelligent. 

Harshly proposing or defending the doctrines of Christianity only repels men from those doctrines, and from the way of salvation. 

Salt, from its use in preserving food from corruption, and rendering it both savory and wholesome, has always been made the emblem of wisdom. 

Each person in the world that we speak with is unique.

Proverbs 26:4,5  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5) Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. 

The idea Solomon communicated is that one answer is good for one man, and another answer is good to a different man. You don't want to answer a fool by stooping to his viewpoint, yet you also want to correct a fool to help them see their error. Each situation will dictate what kind of answer is appropriate. 

Little wonder that Paul said to walk with Divine wisdom in our hearts so that our conversation is seasoned with God's grace. Discernment is needed in order to give a right answer to every person in the world that we interact with. 

Keep God holy in our hearts so that we can be His witnesses.

1 Peter 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

Sanctifying God in our hearts refers to the daily, ongoing sanctification that we need. It involves the action of the Holy Spirit with the word of God in the heart of man. It involves crucifying our old man and denying fleshly lusts. It involves putting off the things we are commanded to discard, and putting on those things of God that we are commanded to wear.

When God is sanctified in our hearts, then we are spiritually prepared and ready to answer anyone who asks us why we have hope, while living in such a hopeless world. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

There are three main thoughts that are communicated to us.

First, we must be reading and studying God's Word so that we build a store of His truth in our minds. We need to walk with His wisdom and this is accomplished when we learn and obey His Word. 

Second, we need to use the time God gives us wisely. Use it to advance His kingdom purposes. Use it to live for His honor and glory. Use it to love others enough to share the gospel with them.

Third, Christians are in the world of necessity. We have to earn a living, to provide food, clothing and shelter for our families. Yet, we are not of the world. What we think about, talk about and even how we talk, should be quite different from those who live in darkness. 

May each of us give ourselves over to Christ with childlike faith, simply obeying what He says to us through His apostles. 

Bob