The Sin of Slander
The Sin of Slander
There is, in the Book of Jeremiah, an arresting word spoken by the enemies of the heroic prophet. "Come," they said, "and let us smite him with the tongue" (Jer. 18:18). On the surface the threat is absurd. A man would have a hard time killing a fly with his tongue! In actuality, however, that threat of Jeremiah's enemies expressed a terribly real danger. With the tongue, a career may be smashed, a reputation blasted as by a charge of high explosive, or a life withered, shriveled, and finally killed.
We have called attention more than once to the danger of evil-speaking among Christians. Let us use this vivid phrase from Jeremiah to bring up the subject once again. It is a sad fact that the tongues of professing Christians are often all too busy doing the devil's work. There is, for instance, a self-righteous use of the tongue that is particularly deadly as it smites the reputation of others. Take slander; some people think that as long as they are technically truthful in talking about another, they are not guilty of the devastating sin of slander. This matter appears in an entirely new light, however, when seen through the words of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. This paragraph appeared in The Bible Today:
"To slander a brother means talking about his faults - or 'what may be considered his faults' - to his brethren or to others, and talking about him when there is no necessity to do so, or when no good end will be served by it. Many think that, in order to slander a man, something that is false must be said about him, but in that case it would be lying as well as slander. Slander is a very serious sin. By one hour's slander, a man may inflict a greater injury on the Kingdom of Christ than he will do good by twelve months' hard work. Slandering is very cruel. It is very unkind to spread forth a man's faults and infirmities, thereby doing him incalculable injury, merely from envy or some other uncharitableness, or for the mere pleasure of talking evil. Slander is cowardly. No one should say behind a man's back what he dare not, or would not, say to his face. Slander is unscriptural. It is in direct contradiction to the command of our Lord, who said, 'Speak evil of no man.' Slander is senseless. The Devil and his fol
lowers will be ready enough to revile, and persecute, and say all manner of evil falsely against (true Christian) soldiers, without their comrades joining in this vile business.,,
Few things could work toward more true unity in the Lord's service than for every Christian worker to read these words, ponder them, and make every effort to live accordingly
1. In Matthew 12:33-37 Jesus talks about our speech. How does this passage affect our thinking on the topic?
2. Do you think Dr. Barnhouse is right in saying that anyone who uses their tongue falsely is following the devil?
