Colossians 4: Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious, Seasoned with Salt
Colossians 4 is the closing chapter of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae, written during his imprisonment in Rome around AD 60-62. After three chapters of doctrine and household instruction, the chapter turns to two brief but enduring exhortations, persistent prayer and gracious speech toward outsiders, before spending its final two-thirds on personal greetings that name nine of Paul’s coworkers and companions. It is the fullest roll call of ministry partners in any of Paul’s letters, offering a rare, concrete window into the team sustaining his gospel work from a prison cell.
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Quick Answer
Colossians 4 instructs believers to persist in watchful, thankful prayer and to season their speech with grace toward outsiders, then closes the letter with Paul’s personal greetings to nine named coworkers who carried on the gospel work around him during his imprisonment.
About Colossians 4
Paul wrote Colossians from prison, most likely in Rome around AD 60-62, as one of his four Prison Epistles alongside Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Chapter 4 is the letter’s practical close, following the household code of chapter 3 with two short exhortations before turning almost entirely to personal correspondence. Verses 2-4 ask the Colossians to “continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving,” specifically that God would open “a door for the word” so Paul could proclaim the mystery of Christ despite being “in bonds” - a request that echoes Acts 28’s account of Paul preaching in Rome “with all boldness, without hindrance.”
Verses 5-6 instruct believers to “walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time,” and to let their speech “always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” The salt metaphor draws on its ancient double use as flavoring and preservative: speech that is both winsome and substantive, gracious without being empty. The verse has become a touchstone in Christian teaching on evangelism and apologetics, cited for example in Greg Koukl’s widely read book Tactics as the model for engaging skeptics with both grace and clarity.
The remaining verses (7-18) name nine coworkers - Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus called Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, and Nympha - plus a direct charge to Archippus to “fulfil” his ministry. Several of these names, Onesimus, Archippus, and Mark, also appear in the letter to Philemon, which scholars believe Tychicus and Onesimus carried to Colossae at the same time as this letter, making Colossians 4 one of the clearest links between the two documents.
Read today, the chapter’s closing greetings function as more than administrative bookkeeping. They show a church movement built on named, particular relationships rather than an anonymous institution - Paul’s imprisonment did not stop the gospel’s advance because it was carried by a team, not a single man, a model of shared ministry that continues to shape how churches think about partnership in mission.
Full Chapter Text
Colossians 4 (Berean Standard Bible)
1 Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,
3 and pray for us as well, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4 Pray that I may declare it clearly, as I should.
5 Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord.
8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.
9 With him I am sending Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. You have already received instructions about him: if he comes to you, welcome him.
11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in the full will of God.
13 For I testify about him that he goes to great pains for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nympha and the church that meets at her house.
16 After this letter has been read among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
18 This greeting is in my own hand - Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of Colossians 4?
Colossians 4 closes Paul’s letter with two brief but practical exhortations, persistent prayer for gospel opportunity and gracious, wise speech toward outsiders, before turning to personal greetings that reveal the team of coworkers sustaining his imprisoned ministry.
Who wrote Colossians 4?
The Apostle Paul wrote Colossians, most likely from house arrest in Rome around AD 60-62, as one of his four Prison Epistles alongside Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. Some scholars propose an earlier Ephesian imprisonment, but the traditional Roman dating remains the majority view.
When was Colossians written?
Colossians is generally dated to around AD 60-62, during Paul’s imprisonment referenced in Acts 28. It was carried to Colossae along with the letter to Philemon by Tychicus and Onesimus, and was written to be read alongside a letter Paul also sent “from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16).
What does “let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt” mean?
Paul pictures Christian conversation with outsiders as food seasoned to be both palatable and preserving - words marked by grace rather than harshness, yet purposeful enough to answer honest questions well. The verse has become a foundational text in Christian teaching on evangelism and apologetics.
Where is “let your speech be seasoned with salt” in the Bible?
This is Colossians 4:6, part of Paul’s brief instruction on how believers should walk in wisdom toward outsiders, immediately following the command to “redeem the time” in verse 5.
What does “redeeming the time” mean in Colossians 4:5?
The phrase pictures time as a limited resource to be bought back or used wisely, urging believers to make the most of every opportunity to act and speak wisely toward those outside the church rather than letting occasions for gospel witness pass by unused.
Who are the coworkers named in Colossians 4?
Paul names nine coworkers and companions: Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark (the cousin of Barnabas), Jesus called Justus, Epaphras, Luke “the beloved physician,” Demas, and Nympha, plus a direct charge to Archippus regarding his ministry.
How does Colossians 4 connect to the letter to Philemon?
Onesimus, Archippus, and Mark all appear in both letters, and scholars widely believe Tychicus and Onesimus carried Colossians and Philemon to Colossae together, making Colossians 4’s greetings one of the clearest links tying the two documents to the same moment in Paul’s imprisonment.
What is the “letter from Laodicea” mentioned in Colossians 4:16?
Paul refers to a letter he had also sent “from Laodicea” that the Colossians were to obtain and read, but its identity is uncertain. Proposals range from a now-lost letter to the view, held by some scholars, that it may be an early circulating copy of what is now called Ephesians.
What is the practical application of Colossians 4?
The chapter models two disciplines for ordinary Christian life, watchful and thankful prayer for gospel opportunity, and wise, gracious speech toward outsiders, while its closing greetings show that gospel ministry is sustained by named, particular relationships rather than the work of one person alone.
How many verses are in Colossians 4?
Colossians 4 contains 18 verses.
Related Chapters
- Colossians 3 - The household code and put-off/put-on pattern this closing chapter’s instructions on speech and conduct build on
- Ephesians 6 - Paul’s parallel request for an open door and boldness to speak the gospel while in chains
- 2 Timothy 4 - Paul’s later references to the same team, Demas, Mark, and Tychicus, years after this letter
- Acts 28 - The historical account of Paul’s Roman imprisonment and his unhindered preaching, the setting behind Colossians 4:3-4
Reading Plans Featuring This Chapter
- 50 Days Through Paul’s Letters - includes Colossians 4 in the epistolary arc
Sources and Further Reading
- Colossians 4 - Berean Standard Bible (BibleGateway)
- Colossians Overview - Bible Project
- Desiring God - Colossians Study Resources
About Psalm Selah
Psalm Selah is the cinematic indie-folk project of Psalmody Press, a male and female duo bringing Scripture into the sonic world of contemporary indie - fingerpicked acoustic guitar, cello-led strings, brushed drums, mandolin shimmer, and two voices used as a per-song lever (a raw male lead, an ethereal female lead, harmony, duo, or solo). The duo works in the tradition of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire,” Hozier, Bon Iver, Sleeping at Last, Sandra McCracken, and Andrew Peterson, with Hans Zimmer’s intimate-to-cinematic dynamic range. Their signature compositional move is build choreography - every song-structure transition is locked 1:1 to an instrumentation event, so the song’s shape is its instrumentation order. Their signature lyric move is the structural Selah - a held silence inside the song, sonic and lyrical, where the listener is asked to pause and consider what was just said. They are setting every chapter of the Bible to song, with particular attention to the wisdom literature, the parables of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, the apocalyptic books, and the chapters of Scripture where careful, lyrical attention rewards close listening.
Published: 2026-07-06 · Last updated: 2026-07-06 Written by: Reid Wender, Editorial Director, Psalmody Press