On listening to and spreading gossip- Satan, the archenemy of Christ, seeks to distract, discourage, divide, devour, and destroy the true church. One subtle way he divides the people of God is through the tongue. James 3:6, "The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body."
The Word of God has much to say about gossip, slander,
and bearing false witness against one’s neighbor (Proverbs 6:16-19; Exodus 20:16). Pastor Mike Riccardi provides a helpful biblical
overview concerning these "respectable" sins and explains why
Scripture describes gossip and slander as serious transgressions against
God and man (James 3:9; Proverbs 17:4). I've expanded Pastor Mike's post turning
it into a full article. In effort to “keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” we humbly ask that you prayerfully
consider the following biblical precepts.
Riccardi writes: "Scripture calls those who give
false testimony 'worthless’ (NASB, ESV) or 'vile' (1 Kings 21:10, 13). So also
the one who devises evil and spreads strife (Proverbs 6:12-14), and who digs up
evil (Proverbs 16:27). 'Worthless.' 'Vile.' Severe language in Scripture is reserved for
serious sins.
It also calls the one who 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴
to gossip “an evildoer” and “a liar” (Proverbs 17:4).
In a fallen world, it does seem unavoidable that there will be vile people who happily
publish (spread) hearsay in an attempt to stir up dissension and attract
attention to themselves. But it’s especially grieving to see so many who name
the name of Christ eat up the dainty morsels without a moment’s hesitation or
discretion. And even worse, to pass them along as if it were biblically
permissible to give them any consideration at all! Still worse: to treat them
as if they were settled fact!
Refusing to give heed to unsubstantiated claims is not optional, or some
application of advanced Christian maturity. It is a basic, ground-level
principle of Christian decency."
You could call it Christianity 101 with respect to receiving reported
information:
1) Should I involve myself in this conflict? Proverbs 26:17
teaches, "Like someone who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who
rushes into a quarrel (conflict) not their own." Much wisdom from above is
needed before entering a battle zone. Prayerful consideration and sound
judgment are essential (Prov. 3:5-6).
2) Confirming facts via biblical
corroboration. "In general, every matter is to be confirmed
by the mouth of two or three truthful witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew
18:15-16; 1 Timothy 5:17-19)." Sometimes you may not be in a
position to receive all the relevant facts.
3) Proverbs 18:17, "Be careful, one seems right until
another comes and examines him." There’s often two
(or three) sides to a story/conflict/dispute.
20+ years ago a pastor-professor told a seminary class
of a time when a neighbor lady came over during a family yard sale with bruises
on her wrists. This man and his wife were naturally very concerned. "What
happened to you? Are you ok?" Their neighbor went on to explain that her
husband was responsible. "Last night he grabbed me and hurt my
wrists!" This loving pastor quickly marched over to his unbelieving
neighbor's house believing he needed to courageously confront this tyrant of a
man. “Someone needs to hold this guy accountable for his actions.” But after
interacting with his neighbor he heard the complete story (Prov. 18:17). He found out that this man's wife had been
drinking before this incident transpired. When the husband confronted his wife
over her drunkenness, she angrily came after him with two kitchen knives. When
his wife raised her right and left arms to stab him, the husband grabbed unto
her wrists, and did not let go until his wife dropped the kitchen knives. This
pastor apologized for sinfully rushing to judgment. He then circled back to confirm that these
new details were true. The neighbor lady said, "Sadly, what my husband
shared is true." She then apologized for misleading them. She
also noted, “I'm actually very grateful my husband did not call the police. Had they, I would have been the one arrested.”
For another example of why applying Proverbs 18:17 and 26:17 is so important,
compare and contrast Netflix's, "Making a Murderer"
docuseries with the Daily Wire's, "Convicting a Murderer"
docuseries. Liberal, lesbian activists seemingly duped millions of Netflix
viewers into believing that Steven Avery was a good man. A victim that was wrongly convicted of kidnap,
rape, and murder by a corrupt legal system. Once all of the pertinent
facts were presented many humbly admitted that they had drawn the wrong
conclusion. They wrongly assumed Netflix was presenting the evidence fairly. Suffice it to say, if you do not have access to
the pertinent facts, it is difficult to draw just conclusions, especially
if/when it involves judging a fellow believer?
In church disputes, there are generally three sides to a story: 1) Person 1 or group A; 2) Person 2
or group B; and 3) The position of your shepherd-leaders (1
Thess. 5:13-15). For many reasons, a believer must join a local church
that has biblically qualified, pastors and elders; (hence 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1:5f).
It’s essential because these human shepherds
are called by God to serve as the “overseers” and human “guardians of the flock”
(Hebrews 13:17). When moderating conflicts, church leaders often make difficult
decisions based on private information and facts that the entire church is not
privy to. Malicious gossip and serious
slander sometimes forces leadership to share details that they’d rather not
trouble the entire congregation with.
4) Be discerning and cautious before rendering judgment.
Proverbs 18:13, "To give an answer before you hear is folly and shame to
you." See points above.
Note Matthew 7:1-5.
5) “Do not associate with a gossip (Proverbs 20:9)."
Puritan Thomas Watson said, "The scorpion carries poison in its tail, the
slanderer in his or her tongue."
Pastor Riccardi concludes with some cautionary words
of wisdom- "Therefore, when someone makes disparaging claims about anyone
or anything without meeting the biblical standards of corroboration, that
person is displaying his own wickedness and discrediting his reputation. To
people of Christian character, such behavior should be like a blinking neon
sign that reads: Don’t take me seriously. I refuse to meet ground-level
standards of Christian behavior and speech.
Such a person has disqualified himself from being
taken seriously.
But
when Christians of good conscience fail to do that—when they do lend credence
to unsubstantiated accusations and claims of secret knowledge—they culpably
(even if unknowingly) participate in the worthless man’s wickedness.
But understand, dear brother or sister: to do this is to expose yourself—not
only as one who fails to grasp the basics of Christian conduct, but also as one
whom Scripture calls an evildoer and a liar (Proverbs 17:4).
Why? Because with his 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 the godless man 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘴 his neighbor
(Proverbs 11:9).
If a good name is to be more desired than great wealth (Prov 22:1), then
maliciously acting against someone’s good name—speaking 𝘰𝘳 listening—is to act against his very life
(Leviticus 19:16)."
Serious
sin that impacts the unity and health of the Body OR that unfairly destroys
someone’s good name, demands a serious, biblical response.
