What does the bible say about gossip? Anything? Is it one of those “acceptable” sins that is often overlooked?
WHAT IS GOSSIP
Gossip is the intentional act of vomiting negative or harmful personal information, true or untrue, about one person to a third party. The information regurgitation is done in secret and usually under the ruse of helping the victim of the abuse. The victim is often unaware of the damage being done to them until it’s too late.
Do you remember playing the “Telephone Game” in your adolescence? The game seemed innocent and innocuous enough. Often, the goal was to teach us about the toxic nature of gossip. The teacher would whisper a phrase into Suzy’s ear (peanut butter) and by the time it got around to the last kiddo it had devolved into Enoch’s Mother.
Regrettably, that game is still in play and it’s more devastating than ever. Social media has accelerated the demise of thousands of persons through the sin of gossip.
Gossip is regrettably viewed as a tolerable sin in many corners of the Church. Pastors rarely address its insidious and ubiquitous nature in their fellowships.
Sadly, the sin of gossip often gets a free pass in the Church.
God sees it differently, though. He actually hates it.
GOSSIP DEFINITION
Dictionary.com defines gossip as:
Idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.
The dictionary definition seems harmless enough. Gossip is anything but harmless.
BIBLE VERSES ABOUT GOSSIP
The Bible, both directly and indirectly, addresses the nefarious activity known as gossip. We in the church have often sanitized it and welcomed it into our lives, homes, and churches.
This has been detrimental to our spiritual well-being.
Most of us have been burned by gossip but for some strange reason, we don’t crucify it as we should. It’s tolerated and in some cases even celebrated.
God still hates it and we would all do better to follow His example.
Proverbs 16:28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
Exodus 23:1 You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
Proverbs 20:19 A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Proverbs 11:9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge, the righteous are delivered.
James 3:8 But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
THE DANGER OF GOSSIP
Pick your cliche: You can’t unring a bell and an egg cannot be unscrambled. We are incapable of “unhearing” gossip, slander, backbiting, and other malicious forms of communication.
When we gossip, we’re willingly participating in a game of Death by 1,000 Cuts. Perhaps our cut did not do the victim in, but it contributed to the pain, agony, and misery of another person who was created in the likeness and image of God.
According to James, these things should not be this way.
James 3:9-10 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.
Romans 1:29-31 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, and malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless.
Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Matthew 12:36-37 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GOSSIP IN THE CHURCH
Overweight doctors rarely discuss the issue of obesity with their patients. It’s kind of obvious why, right? Pastors and ministers rarely, if ever, broach the subject of gossip for similar reasons.
There is an infestation of gossip in many churches. It’s often disguised as concern and shared for “prayer purposes” but it’s still the same old gossip.
Lipstick on a pig doesn’t change a thing.
2 Corinthians 12:20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.
Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOSSIP AND SLANDER
These two terms are interchangeable. Gossip is often given a pass as a harmless repetition of something heard. Slander is viewed as repeating lies or rumors about another to intentionally do harm or damage to them.
How does one know what is true or what is rumor? Without asking for clarification we will not know.
It’s best to refrain from repeating a matter — any matter — to another person. The only exception is if the other person can truly help in the matter.
If they cannot help then do not share it.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT SLANDER
James 4:11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
Leviticus 19:16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
Proverbs 10:18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.
Psalm 101:5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; I will not endure one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart.
Jeremiah 6:28 They are all stubbornly rebellious, going about with slanders; they are bronze and iron; all of them act corruptly.
HOLLYWOOD GOSSIP
There are still plenty of gossip and scandal magazines in circulation. Each time I go to the supermarket the racks are still filled with the latest whispers about what is happening in Hollywood, New York, London, and more.
Why?
Proverbs 18:8 The words of a gossiper are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
Why? Because there still is a market for salacious rumors and innuendo.
GOSSIP QUOTES
“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” — Marie Curie
“Isn’t it kind of silly to think that tearing someone else down builds you up?” — Sean Covey
“Whoever gossips to you, will gossip about you.” — Spanish Proverb
“What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t witness with your mouth.” — Jewish Proverb
“It is just as cowardly to judge an absent person as it is wicked to strike a defenseless one. Only the ignorant and narrow-minded gossip, for they speak of persons instead of things.“ — Lawrence G. Lovasik
Gossip is what no one claims to like, but everybody enjoys. — Joseph Conrad
If you gossip here, I will fire your butt! — Dave Ramsey
IS GOSSIP A SIN
The Apostle Paul included gossip along with the sins of murder and hating God. Obviously, it’s serious business and something that we should not take lightly.
Few of us would tolerate a person thumping a helpless person on their melon with a stick. Far too many of us permit a person to assassinate the character of a helpless person without a second thought. We silently watch and occasionally participate in the verbal assault of a helpless victim.
Gossip is not an acceptable sin. No sin is acceptable. We must take it as seriously as God does. It’s time to kick gossip out of our hearts and churches.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
VOMIT AVOIDANCE
If we know that a friend is about to puke we immediately get out of the splatter zone. We would all do better if we treated gossip the same way we treat vomit.
When a person is ready to share a juicy tidbit of information, visualize that they have a severe case of stomach flu!
Do you really want THAT on your shoes?
God will help us eradicate this sin in our lives. His grace is sufficient for us. Let’s agree to confess and forsake this diabolical sin and crucify it once and for all!
DOXOLOGY
Jude 24-25 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time[a] and now and forever. Amen.
ENJOY!