Bakolose ba etsa eng? 4:6 bolela, A puo ya lona e be ya mohau kamehla, e nokiloeng ka letsoai, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Is your speech with grace?
In the previous article, the walk of the saints were discussed. The walk of the saints not only contains the conduct and works, but also the speech; mantsoe, which are spoken. What words come out of your mouth? Is your speech with grace, e nokiloeng ka letsoai?
When people speak about a speech with grace, many times they think about a form of speech that pleases people. The people like the words you speak, because they are pleasant to hear and they want to hear these words.
But does the Bible also mean this by a speech with grace that is seasoned with salt?
What is a speech with grace seasoned with salt according to the Bible?
A speech with grace seasoned with salt originates from the renewed heart and understanding of the popo e ncha and contains the truth, knowledge and wisdom of God, and knows how to answer every person.
A speech with grace is speaking words of grace. Speech with grace is translated from the Greek words ‘logos’ (G3056) which means word, and ‘charis’ (G5485) e bolelang (ho.) mohau.
A speech with grace contains words that are spirit and life and gives what every person needs.
Jesus spoke words of grace
Ho Luka 4:22, we read that Jesus spoke words of grace. Ka hona, Jesu’ speech was with grace. But to whom was Jesus’ speech with grace?
Because when we look at the people, who spoke these words, we read that they were the same people, who drove Jesus out of the synagogue and city and wanted to cast Him from the steep hill. But Jesus escaped their fury and anger, which incite murder.
That was the effect of Jesus’ words of grace that were seasoned with salt.
That’s the result of God’s words of grace in the corrupt lives of people, who are alienated from God. While these people were religious people, who were in the synagogue and acted piously as children of God.
People can act religiously and go to church and can even be appointed as leader in the church, but that doesn’t prove whether they are tsoaloa hape mme ke ba Modimo.
The words of grace, which Jesus spoke and derived from the Father, were not the words that the people wanted to hear. Che, these words were not pleasant for everyone.
Jesu’ words of grace didn’t bring forth love and peace in the synagogue, but anger and rage, which led to an attempted murder.
Ho the Old Testament we also read that the words of God were not always the words that the carnal people wanted to hear.
The words of God are not always pleasant for carnal people
God is good, gracious and full of mercy and His words represent His nature and who He is.
Selekaneng sa Kgale, we read about the many people of the house of Israel, who were saved by God and to whom God revealed His love, boholo, and protection, through His word and the many signs and wonders, but didn’t consider the words of God gracious and loving, but rather an obstacle for the will, takatso le takatso ea nama, whereby they didn’t submit to the molao oa Moshe, but rebelled
God wanted His people to love Him and consider Him as their God and trust upon His word. He wanted His people to get understanding through His words, and speak His words, and act according to His word, and keep Litaelo tsa hae.
But since the origin of God’s words were spiritual (coming from the mind of God and contained His wisdom and knowledge) and the people were carnal, the words of God opposed the natural mind, human knowledge, bohlale, insight and logic, whereby the people not always believed God and trusted Him and obeyed His words. Tlohella, to speak His words.
God’s words of grace were rejected by many people
God’s words of grace, which delivered the people of Israel from Egypt, kept them in the wilderness, and led them to the promised land, were not believed and obeyed, empa a hanoa. As a result of their unbelief almost a whole generation didn’t enter the promised land.
Even the prophets, whom God chose, kgethile, and sent, and boldly spoke the words of God, were not always loved and received by the people. That was mainly because their words not always aligned with what the people wanted to hear.
Although their words were gracious and hopeful in God’s eyes, because their words answered the people’s questions and gave the people what they needed, and contained the solution (remedy) and way out for the people, their words were not always considered as words of grace, hope, le poloko, empa e le bobe, hostile, ka thata, and relentless.
That’s why many prophets, whom God sent, ba ile ba bolawa.
Jesus went the same way and spoke about it in the Parable of the wicked vinedressers. (Mattheu 21:33-45; Tšoaea 12:1-12; Luka 20:9-19).
And in all that time, nothings has changed. The words of God still lead often to persecution.
The goodness of God and His words of grace, which call to repentance and a change of life and give salvation and life to every one, ya dumelang, and keep the people from evil and corruption, are not always considered as pleasant, but as obnoxious, e hlokang lerato, interference, and judgmental.
Bakreste ba bua mantsoe a Jesu, which derive from the Father
Even Christians, who decided to lay down their own lives and latela Jesu and speak His words (which derive from the Father) shall experience persecution.
Through faith and regeneration in Christ they are born of God. They have God’s nature and through the ho nchafatsa likelello tsa bona with the Word they shall speak the same words as their Father. Joalo ka Jesu feela, who spoke the words of His Father and did His works. (Oh. Johanne 5:20-30; 8:17-59; 10:32-38; 14:23-31; 17:14-19).
A child of God never contradicts and reproves the words of God or uses the words of God to approve sin (borabele le ho se mamele Molimo).
But a child of God submits to the Father and believes, mamela, mme o etsa mantswe a Hae.
The words of God are reliable and bring forth life in the lives of people, who submitted to God and believe and mamelang mantsoe a Hae.
The words of God don’t please the flesh, but kills (the lust and desires of) the flesh and cause the spiritual man to mature.
God’s words are the truth and chastise (nepahala), eletsa, and judge man (Oh. Pesaleme 94:12; Liproverbia 3:11-12; 7:1-2; Jeremia 23:29; Johanne 5:22-27; 12:44-50, Baheberu 12:5-10).
Bebele e re, that the words of God are quick, e matla, and sharper than any two edges sword, ho phunya le ho isa ho arola moea le moea, le ya manonyeletso le moko, mme le lemoha menahano le mehopolo ya pelo (Baheberu 4:12).
Do the words of God still contain life and power?
The words of God are still the same and posses the same life and power, hope and result in people’s lives. Therefore the speech of Christians, who speak the words of God, will be with grace, e nokiloeng ka letsoai, so that they know how to answer every man.
E ngotsoe, that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, Bakeng sa khalemelo, Bakeng sa khalemelo, Bakeng sa thuto ka lebaka la ho loka: That the man of God (monna le mosali) may be perfect, e hlomelloa ka botlalo bakeng sa mesebetsi eohle e molemo (2 Timothea 3:16-17)
But as God and His Word have not changed, neither has the world changed.
The world still can’t hear and bear the uncompromized and unadulterated words of Christians, tse tsoang ho Molimo.
And because more and more people abandon God and His Word and belong to (the ruler of) the world and stay carnal and unregenerate, a growing number of people don’t consider the words in the Bible as positive, Tšepo, encouraging and gracious words that are spiritual, 'nete, and contain God’s life and power, but as annoying words that are relentless, mpe, thulana, offensive, and judgmental.
Due to the increasing resistance of the world, Ba bangata ba Christians keep silent and compromise. They say what the people want to hear, whereby their speech is powerless and ineffective and doesn’t bring about any change, but fuel wickedness.
They speak what the people want to hear and do what the people want, e leng, no interference with their lives, staying silent, and let them continue their sins.
Do Christians dare to be different?
Batho ba bangata, ba ipitsang Bakreste, no longer want to be different. They don’t want to distinguish themselves and feel rejected and be condemned by society, but they want to be loved, fit in, and join the world.
There are only few Christians, who know the words and will of God through the abiding of the Holy Spirit and the ho nchafatsa likelello tsa bona ka Lentswe. Tlohella, dare to speak the words of God boldly.
Ka lebaka la seo, not many Christians are spiritual equipped and able to answer people’s questions and their needs, and refute their earthly knowledge and wisdom with the words of God, e ngotsoeng ka Bibeleng. Their words are no longer with grace and seasoned with salt, but spiritless and powerless.
Christians ought to be the salt of the earth, but many are no longer the salt of the earth. The salt has lost his savor and power and become useless for God.
Let Christians wake up and rise and return to the Word
Ka hona, it’s time for Christians to wake up and rise and return to the Word. It’s times to study the Bible through the Spirit and believe and obey the words of God.
Let the words of God cause Christians to return and become familiar again with God’s words and will, and keep ditaelo tsa Jesu and speak and do His words.
If Christians return and become born again and renew their mind with the Word and fill their hearts with the words of God and believe that the words of God are the truth and the life, and contain the way out for every person to be delivered from the power of darkness and be restored (fodile) and escape the judgment of God, they shall (through the Spirit and the knowledge of the Word) be able to answer every person.
Whether the receiver appreciates, believes, and accepts the answer is up to them and not up to Christians. No one can force another person to believe and repent.
When the day comes that you stand before the throne of God, you shall not be held accountable by God for what others have done with your words. But you shall be held accountable for what you did and didn’t say and what you did and didn’t do (Oh. Mattheu 12:36-37, Baroma 14:10, 2 Timothea 4:1; Tšenolo 20:11-15).
‘E be letsoai la lefatše’
