Flames of Destruction - Part Two - Gossip/Slander

What is the difference between gossip and slander? They are closely akin. Lets begin with slander. Slander means to defame, insult, or to backbite in a false fashion. Here is a more formal definition: 1) the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame or damage another’s reputation 2) a false or defamatory oral statement about a person. In the legal realm this is referred to as libel.

Basically, if I misrepresent you falsely in what I say about you in an open and public fashion which causes damage to your character in the minds of the people I am speaking to…that is slander. In other words, the things I say about you may be true to me…as far as my opinion…but if they are not actually true, and they cause damage to your character…that is slander.

So, what about gossip? Gossip is basically the same thing as slander. It is more wicked and more vicious than slander because it is done in secret. Gossip is slander for the spineless and the weak. The Greek word for “gossiper” is defined by The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament as “A whisperer, a secret slanderer.” The thing that makes a gossiper so wicked is that gossipers pirate their opinions in a secret and cowardly manner. They often begin their statements with “don’t tell anyone this” or “don’t tell anyone I said this” or “keep this between you and me” or “you didn’t hear this from me”. They want their negativity and their slander kept in the darkness and they want to use others as instruments to camouflage their wickedness.

Very often, in the Christian realm, you hear gossip presented as a “prayer request” or maliciously disguised as coming from a “heart of concern”. Don’t use the deception of a prayer request as a venue for gossip. Just because you end your comments with “lets pray for them” does not make it any less devilish.

To avoid gossip – never make a secret comment or have a secret conversation about another person or group of people. If it is said in secret it is probably not good.

Here is a litmus test for gossip:
Would I want everyone in the church to hear this comment/conversation?
Have I said what I am about to say about another person TO that person?
If not, what is my motivation of sharing it with others?
Am I 100% convinced that what I am saying is true and accurate?
Is this statement negative? If so, why do I want to share it? Will it honor Christ?
Will this statement/conversation lead me and those involved in a deeper relationship with Christ and a greater love for others?

Gossip is really very simple: Person A says something to person B which is negative about person C. Person C has no knowledge of the conversation. Person B thinks less of person C as a result of what person A has said.

If I seem to be a little harsh on Gossip and Slander it is because the Bible speaks so clearly about it.

Romans 1:28-32 – talks about a depraved mind and the wickedness which results from it. Slander and gossip are sins listed right next to greed, murder, malice, and hating God! I will not make an attempt to explain this verse. I think it speaks for itself…

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy,  unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

“God forgive me of my sin of gossip and slander. I know that I have betrayed you as well as my fellow believers in the things I have falsely said about them in private. Lord, I know that I have become so comfortable with gossip I barely even notice it anymore, much less recognize it as sin. Send your Holy Spirit to convict me of my sin and to help me to correct my manner of speech so that I may honor you more faithfully with my life” Amen