The Sin of
Slander
Richard Salbato - June 2, 2011
In
this month on teaching people how to get to Heaven the most important thing is
to teach sin because all sin is forgivable if we admit it and repent of it. If
we sin and do not think it a sin we do not repent, we do not ask for
forgiveness and God cannot forgive us. That is why it is so important to know
sin. If I preached in a Church sin would be my weekly subject.
The
most prominent and unrecognized sin of today is Gossip – Slander. It is more prominent today because of new
communication. In years past we would talk with others one or two hours a day.
Now because of phones, cell phones, emails and personal web sites we talk
almost all day long and most of the time with nothing constructive to say.
This
is so commonplace we fail to see that most of what we talk about is not
ourselves but other people. I am going to show below that Gossip is just as
much a sin as murder because it kills the reputation of others and it does not
matter if the gossip is true or false.
Before
doing this I must explain that there is a time when you not only can but must
expose the sins of others. An example of this is
I
think that is clear so all other slander is wrong. Even when telling the truth
we cannot gossip about another unless he is doing harm to others by his sin.
Gossip,
definition and Bible
Gossip is a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts. Gossip is a rumor or report of an intimate nature. Slander is defined as the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation. Many of us think that false refers to anything obviously untrue. However, according to definition, it is also something that is adjusted or made so as to deceive, is tending to mislead, is not faithful or loyal, or is inconsistent with the facts.
Proverbs
11:13 states, A gossiper reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit
conceals a matter.
Whoever
spreads slander is a fool. (Prov. 10:18a)
A
truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.
(Prov. 12:17 NIV)
Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false
testimony against his neighbor. (Prov. 25:18 NIV)
A man came up to Jesus and asked, Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?' …Jesus replied,…If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.
Which ones? the man inquired. Jesus replied,
Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give
false testimony,
honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew
19:16-19
Clearly
Jesus taught that giving false testimony (e.g., gossip and slander) is a moral
sin.
Owe
no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has
fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You
shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,'
'You shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up
in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does
no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”(
The
hypocrite (or the godless) with his mouth destroys his neighbor. (Prov. 11:9a)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue… (Prov. 18:21)
Listen
and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but
what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' For out of
the heart come evil thoughts, murder,
adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These
are what make a man 'unclean….” (Matt. 15:10,11,19,20 \)
Note
that false testimony and slander are included with murder, adultery, and
stealing.
To
the wicked [which include supposed
Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossipers, 1:30 Slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;1:31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they know God s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them.”
In the scripture above, the Apostle Paul
paints a grim picture of reprobates -- those who have rejected the Lord and
have embraced a lifestyle of sin. He makes it clear that God condemns such evil
behavior. They persist in doing these things, knowing that those who do such
things deserve death. (Rom 1:32).
Does this come as a surprise? Paul said that
gossips and bad-mouthers were in the same league as
murderers, sexual perverts, and God haters -- and that such sins were worthy of
a death sentence!
Slander
is a word that has an interesting origin. It comes from the word Devil. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
slander means malicious talk; to spread damaging information; to defame; to
speak ill of. Is it no wonder where slander derives it’s
name? Slander is the work of the Devil, and those who slander
are on his team. In fact the Bible says that Satan is called the
“accuser of the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). Are you an accuser of the brethren too?
If so, even though it may not be your intention, you are being used an agent of
the Devil! According to scripture, any
By now I’m sure that you realize that
anything which is placed in the same category as murder must be a serious sin
-- something that should not be taken lightly. But unfortunately,
Things to Remember about Gossip
·
Gossip is as sinful as murder and will
suffer the same consequences unless there is repentance (Rom. 1:32).
·
God holds you accountable to your words
(Matt. 12:36-37).
·
The person who gossips to you about others,
also gossips to others about you.
·
Gossip & slander disqualifies persons
for spiritual leadership (1 Tim. 3:11, Jas. 3:2).
·
Gossip often masks as pretentious concerns
for others.
·
Gossip often thrives upon secrecy. Where
secrecy is removed, gossip is hampered.
·
Gossip always contributes to a problem and
never to a solution.
·
Gossip always distorts and exaggerates, and
is never a reliable source of truth.
·
Those who gossip & slander are not in
right fellowship with God (Rom. 1:28-32).
·
Those who gossip rarely get answers to
prayer, and often face persistent, unexplainable problems (Psalms 66:18, Prov.
21:23, Prov. 6:12-15).
What to do about Gossip
·
If you have been a gossiper, confess this as
sin and ask
·
Keep your nose out of other people’s
business.
·
If you can’t say something good or
encouraging about others, then keep your mouth shut (Eph. 4:29).
·
Never criticize another person, except to their
own face with an intent to help. Criticism can never
be “constructive” if expressed to anyone else.
·
If your friends start bad-mouthing others
to you, stop them in their tracks -- refuse
to be a partaker of their sins (1 Tim 5:22).
·
Avoid
association with persons who gossip (Prov. 20:19).
·
Expose works of darkness by reporting gossip
to the pastor that he may confront and offer correction. Gossip should be
treated as any other vile sin (Eph. 5:11).
“I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle
on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence” (Psalms 39:1).
(Latin calvor,
to use artifice, to deceive)
Etymologically
any form of ruse or fraud
employed to deceive another, particularly in judicial proceedings. In its more commonly accepted signification it means the unjust damaging of the
good name of another by imputing to him a crime or fault of which he is not
guilty. The sin thus
committed is in a general sense mortal, just as is detraction. It is hardly necessary, however, to
observe that as in other breaches of the law the sin may be venial, either
because of the trivial character of the subject-matter involved or because of
insufficient deliberation in the making of the accusation. Objectively, a
calumny is a mortal sin
when it is calculated to do serious harm to the person so traduced. Just
as in the instance of wrongful damage to person or estate, so the
calumniator is bound to adequate reparation for the injury
perpetrated by the blackening of another's good name. He is obliged (1) to retract
his false statements,
and that even though his own reputation may
necessarily as a consequence suffer. (2) He must also make good whatever other
losses have been sustained by the innocent party as a result of his libellous
utterances, provided these same have been in some measure (in confuso) foreseen by him. In canon law the phrase juramentum calumniae
is employed to indicate the oath
taken by the parties to a litigation, by which they
averred that the action was brought and the defense offered in good faith.