Gossiping is a sin against God and one we all need to guard against. If you them, don’t expose their private business.
Continuing in the series on what proper love is, 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that Love beareth all things. “Beareth” defined in the Greek (stego G4722) means: to cover, to protect or keep by covering, preserve, to cover over with silence. To keep secret, to hide, to conceal (of the errors or faults of others).
So from this definition I can come up with two conclusions: 1) If we love someone we protect them from emotional and physical harm and 2), which is the focus of this article, if we love someone, we cover their errors and faults; we stay silent about them, in other words: Love doesn’t gossip.
Gossip is: idle talk or rumors about a personal or private affairs of others whether true or false which leads to the damage of that person and their reputation. “Gossip” comes from two words: go and sip. People would go and sip at the local pubs and it was over this activity that they would “share information” about their neighbors in the community.
Gossip comes from Satan
Jesus said, “He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). How was Satan a murderer from the beginning? Well, he murderer God’s reputation with gossip. Satan told Adam and Eve that they would not surely die if they ate from the tree, thus implying that God was a liar (Gen 3:1-4).
What God says about gossip:
Don’t tell lies about your neighbor:
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (Exodus 20:6).
Instead of covering, the gossiper digs up dirt
An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire (Proverbs 16:27).
Gossip destroys people
An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered (Proverbs 11:9).
Gossip shouldn’t be in the church of God
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings [gossip], whisperings [gossip], swellings, tumults… (2 Corinthians 12:20).
Gossip hurts
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Proverbs 18:8
God will destroy the gossiper
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer (Psalm 101:5).
What causes of gossip
Gossip is a natural tendency of the flesh, it’s something we like.
Gossip comes from idleness
And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers [gossipers] also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not (1 Timothy 5:13).
Not having anything to do, no job, no kingdom purpose, and no nothing leads to a person falling into gossip..
Gossip comes from people who are proud and envious
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer (Psalm 101:5).
Notice the last part of the verse: proud heart. When people compare themselves to others this is out of pride, and when they find that they don’t measure up to that person, they begin to envy them. To uplift themselves they degrade the other person through gossip.
Gossip is done for Jesus’ sake
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you (Matthew 5:11-12)
False Christians and the world will gossip about the real saints to attempt to ruin their reputation. These people hate Jesus so they attempt to degrade the reputation of his saints in order to feel better about their sinful lifestyles; but praise God because great is our reward in heaven.
Remedy to Gossip
The gossiper must think about how they would feel if someone did the same to them.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them (Luke 6:31).
The gossiper must recognize the damage they caused
- Gossip damages trust and morale between friends and community.
- Gossip hurts people emotionally and damages their reputation.
- Gossip interferes with productivity and efficiency in church and on the job.
- Gossip distorts truth and brings about assumptions about a person.
- Gossip is a violation of privacy.
The gossiper must recognize themselves as a tool of Satan who will be destroyed
As stated before, Satan is the father of gossip (John 8:44, Gen 3:1-4) and he uses gossip to persecute the saints of God (Matt 5:11-12). The gossiper must know that their actions are worthy of the death, and they will be cut off (Psalm 101:5) if they don’t repent:
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers [gossipers] … Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Rom 1:29, 32)
Therefore the gossiper must repent
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth [gossip]. (Col 3:8)
The gossiper must confess their sins
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9)
Until the person agrees and acknowledges their sin, they’re in danger of hell. Confession can wipe their sins away. The gossiper mustn’t allow pride to hinder them — they must confess.
The gossiper must clean up his mess
Simply saying, “I’m sorry” to God and man is not good enough after they’re destroyed the reputation of the person. It’s best that the offender go to those who they’ve gossiped with and retract their statements and then formally apologize in humility and sincerity to the person they’ve damaged.
Stop listening to gossip
Turn off hollywood gossip shows, blogs and facebook threads. Walk away from conversations that are clearly gossip. Rebuke gossip within your Christian community.
Replacing gossip with things of good report, virtue and praiseworthy
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Phil 4:8).
What we think about is we talk about. The above scripture tells us what to think about.
Some will say that gossip is OK if it’s true, but the word above says otherwise. Ask yourself the question: Is what is being said of good report? Dirt on your brother or sister isn’t something you should be discussing with others — it’s not of good report.
When you should gossip
If I seen brother so-n-so coming out of a motel with the pastor’s wife, is that something I should be blabbing it around to the entire congregation? No. I should go to my brother and discuss the matter and exhort him to repentance (if that was in fact what he was doing there). Gossiping throughout the church doesn’t help those two repent and it damages the relationship between you and them. Love bears, love covers.
If a friend tells you of a secret sin and asked that you pray for them (James 5:16). Should you then go and tell the entire prayer meeting on Wednesday about your friend’s issue? No. Love bears, love covers.
If a sister in the Lord tells you of an issue she and her husband are having, should you tell everyone else? No. That was between you and her. Some people say, “This is between you and me, or, this doesn’t leave this room” to convey that the matter should be kept private, but even if a person doesn’t make those statements, certain information just shouldn’t be blabbed around.
Learning not to gossip is simple. It’s the golden rule in effect: Would you want certain true information of a sensitive nature public, or half truths or a complete lie told about you? No. Then don’t do it to someone else. The problem is: gossip comes from selfishness in which the person is too into themselves to care how their actions will affect others.
I don’t “cuss”
It’s funny how many church folks pride themselves on having a clean mouth, they say, “I don’t cuss.” But they lie and gossip about their neighbors — what hypocrisy!
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. (James 3:4-10)
Many folks will be in hell for gossiping, slandering, lying and cursing their neighbors and their reputations, not for saying, “fuck, bitch, and shit.” Christians ought to understand how God feels about gossip.
Love doesn’t gossip. Love covers. True brothers and sisters in Christ must bear each other’s errors and faults especially if they’ve confessed and changed. If we call ourselves Christians, we don’t gossip.
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