Words, from where do they come? James 3:8-10 says from the mouth and tongue! But Jesus said they originate in the heart (Matthew 12:22-37). The word “heart” occurs over 900 times in scripture, and with one exception (Exodus 28:29, 30) it is used figuratively to mean the seat of the intellect such as seen in these examples of figurative uses of the word.
Matthew 5:8 – Blessed are the pure in heart…
Matthew 5:28 – …hath committed adultery in his heart…
Matthew 6:21 – Where your treasure is, there is your heart also
Matthew 11:29 – For I am meek and lowly in heart…
Matthew 13:15 – …should understand with their heart…
Matthew 22:37 – Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart…
Mark 2:8 – Why reason ye in your hearts?
Luke 2:19 – Mary pondered them in her heart…
Luke 24:38 – …and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
Acts 21:13 – Mean ye to weep and to break my heart?
Romans 6:17 …ye have obeyed from the heart…
Romans 10:8 – …the word is nigh thee, …and in thy heart…
2 Corinthians 7:3 – Ye are in our hearts to die and to live…
Philippians 1:7 – I have you in my heart…
Our ears and eyes are the door to our heart, as seen in the words of the “wise man” in Proverbs 4:23. No doubt we all recognize the fact that words are important (Matthew 12:37). With this in mind, let’s give some thought the subject of our speech being “seasoned with salt.”
THE EARS TEST WORDS AS THE TONGUE TASTES FOOD – JOB 34:3, 4 – With this thought before us, how tasteful are our words? We have them, we cut them short, we mince them, we play on them, we hang on them, and we even “eat” them. In Colossians 4:6, the Apostle Paul wrote that the words of Christians should be “season them with salt.” What does he mean when he says “seasoned with salt?” No doubt there is a figurative meaning seen here, because salt is so important (Job 6:6). Let us examine the following qualities of salt to see how we “season” our speech with salt.
Salt is good, as seen in the words of Jesus in Mark 9:50. Today, because of excessive use, salt has gotten a bad name. But the truth is it is good for seasoning. It is good because animals and humans need a certain amount of sodium and chloride found in salt. Salt also had other attributes as well as seasoning. Think of what Paul implied in Colossians 4:6.
Salt saves, it preserves. Before refrigeration, salt kept meat, fish, and vegetables, from spoiling. Spiritually, our words can have a saving influence or a negative influence. Rash, unkind, foul and tasteless words have no saving power, while the gospel does. It is the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).
Salt flavors, so Jesus said in Matthew 5:13. Salt makes the blandness of life flavorful. We belong to Christ, and as such our words should be wholesome and tasteful.
Salt cleanses. Elisha threw salt into the spring to cleanse it (2 Kings 2:20-28). The Israelites used salt to bathe their new born babies (Ezekiel 16:4). This is still done in some regions of the world. Because of this, we need to cleanse our speech. God cannot be pleased or glorified with a dirty mouth.
Salt de-ices. Salt initiates the melting process as kind words melt a hard heart (Mark 9:50).
Salt works internally. When we eat it, we don’t see what happens, but the food that we consume changes us inside. Likewise, our speech flows from our thoughts (Matthew 12:34). What we say and how we say it reveals much about us. Likewise, what we do not say reveals much more.
THE OUTPUT OF OUR MOUTHS DEPENDS ON THE THOUGHTS OF OUR HEARTS – Someone has said: “Be careful of your thoughts. They may break out into words at any time.” Consider what is said in Proverbs 4:23, 24 concerning this. Justin, one of the so-called “church fathers,” said: “By examining the tongue of a patient, the physician finds out the disease of the body, and the philosopher the diseases of the mind.” Think what spiritual diseases lurk behind our words.
Murmuring – a critical heart
Swearing – a sacrilegious heart
Boastful – a proud heart
Gossip – a thoughtless heart
Jesus knew this, and spoke of it in Matthew 12:33-35. We may not always speak our minds, but God knows our thoughts (Psalms 139:4; Hebrews 4:12). There is no way to hide our thoughts from Him. To keep our words clean, we need to keep the heart spotless (Ephesians 5:26, 27). We need to fill up the heart with good, and the overflow will be good words (Philippians 4:8).
Consider the words of the Psalmist found in Psalms 19:1-6, 14. Some words are tasteful; others leave a disagreeable aftertaste in our mouths. Are we seasoning our words with salt? How do our words taste?
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