What Does The Bible Say About Gossip?
Are you gossiping? What Does The Bible Say About Gossip? Did you find yourself surprised at the answer to the Gossip Quiz? We live in a social society where we participate in each other’s lives. We are also curious people, always wanting to ‘know.’ Still, gossip isn’t helpful. Gossip really works to break the trust of the people around you. NS Bible There are a lot of important statements regarding gossip.
What’s Wrong With Gossip?
Everyone loves a good story, right? Well, not necessary. What is the story about that person? Does that person like to tell you their story? Maybe not. Spreading rumours only hurts others and destroys our credibility. Who will trust us when they think we’ll tell everyone?
Gossip is also a way we judge others, which is not really our job. God supervises judging people, not us. Gossip really only breeds greed, hatred, jealousy, and murder.
Gossip is also a sign that we are not active in our beliefs and lives. If you think about it, the busier we are, the much less time we need to gossip. Now we don’t have time to get wrapped up in someone else’s life. Gossip is born out of boredom. It can start as a simple conversation about people and then rapidly progresses. The Bible clearly tells us to do more than just discuss other people’s lives.
Leviticus 19:16 – ‘Do not go out to spread slander among your people. Don’t do anything that puts your neighbor’s life in danger. I am Jehovah.’ (VIN)
Proverbs 11:13 – ‘Gossip breaks the spirit, but the one who trusts keeps it secret.’ (NIV)
Romans 1:29 – “They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, covetousness and corruption. They are full of jealousy, murder, discord, deceit and malice. They are gossipers. (NIV)
1 Timothy 5:13 – ‘Besides, they fall into the habit of being lazy and going from house to house. And not only do they get lazy, but gossipers and busy people also say things they shouldn’t.” (NIV)
Matthew 7:1 – ‘Do not judge, otherwise you will also be blamed.’ (NIV)
Proverbs 18:8 – “The talk of gossip is like a good bite; They go into the heart of man.” (NIV)
Also know About: What Does The Bible Say About Jealousy?
So What Do I Do About Gossip?
First, if you find yourself falling into gossip – stop. If you don’t pursue the gossip, then it has nowhere to go. This includes gossip in magazines and television. Although reading those magazines may not seem ‘sinful,’ you are contributing to the gossip.
Also, when you’re faced with a statement that may or may not be gossip, check the facts. For example, if you hear that someone has an eating disorder, go to that person. If you do not really feel comfortable talking to the individual on your own and the rumor is something severe, you may want to most likely to a parent, pastor, or youth leader. Helping someone in a critical situation isn’t gossip as long as the information remains with you and the person you turn to for help.
To avoid gossip, focus on making helpful and encouraging statements. Let the gossip end with you, and remember the golden rule – if you don’t want people to gossip about you, don’t participate in the gossip.
Proverbs 26:20 – “Without wood the fire goes out; A quarrel is averted without gossip.” (NIV)
Deuteronomy 13:14 – ‘Then you shall investigate, investigate and investigate him.’ (NIV)
Matthew 7:12 – ‘Therefore do to others in everything as you want them to do to you, for this is the essence of the law and the prophets.’ (NIV)
Ephesians 4:29 – ‘Let no unpleasant word come out of your mouth, but only that which helps others to increase according to their need, so as to benefit those who hear.’ (NIV)
What Is Gossip, And Why Is Gossip Such A Dangerous Sin?
Yeah, gossip is oftentimes well. First of all, gossip itself is a sin, and it’s speaking against someone behind their back. It’s saying behind their back what you would never say to their face, typically speaking. Whereas flattery is saying something to someone’s face that you would never say behind their back, and both of those are sinful.
So we should not be someone who uses flattery to impress people, and we should not be a gossiper, so the tail bearer or the slanderer of the Bible uses that language with specificity for a purpose, and it’s to talk about the evils of that type of mindset, so the person that always wants to get around and talk about that juicy gossip or they often will phrase it like this I want to tell you something about Jeremy, but I want you to do so so that you can pray for him and then they’ll go on to talk about you in a very negative vein.
Often this happens in the church towards the pastor or the elders, or it’ll be towards another Christian in the church. Well, that’s a very unhealthy thing.
We need to remember that Spurgeon once said that the devil himself places a greater value upon unity within the church, far more so than we do oftentimes.
Because you can see that when you see the devil attacking the church, he often does so in the sense of keeping Christians apart.
So he values unity often more than we do, and we need to see the severity of dividing brother and sister in the church over these issues of slander or gossiping against someone demeaning someone, or, you know, attacking or assaulting their character. ‘
Yeah, you know, once you talk about someone and you damage their character, it’s very difficult to undo that damage. And so gossip is a very dangerous sin, but it’s a private thing that’s very attractive it’s sometimes entertaining people that are just gossip mongers that’s what they do as a pastime some people like to watch football or baseball they like to get together with a good strong cup of coffee and gossip against you know other people and it’s very dangerous it’ll divide a church it’ll hinder a pastor’s leadership in the church if people are always gossiping and slandering him in the church.
Definition Of Gossip
Gossip is speaking negatively about someone to someone else who is not part of the problem, not part of the solution, or is not an immediate danger.
Again not a part of the solution, so you have someone that’s gossiping using information that’s attractive or entertaining to talk about someone else so that you can just engage in a good lively conversation. Why not talk about someone for their good why not spend so much time building someone else up in the faith rather than tearing them?
Down doesn’t it come down to love? It does. Doesn’t it come down to wanting out of love motivated by love wanting to preserve the reputations of others?
Yeah, we are called to love one another. You know, first, John talks about love more so almost than I think any other book in the New Testament. And we see that language of letting us love one another for lovers of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God, but he that loves not knows not God for God is love that’s straight from Scripture.
So we need to think about the fact that if we’re always gossiping if that’s what attracts us if we’re like the garbage disposal for other people to sit around over coffee and to receive that type that should tell us something about us first of all.
And then it tells us a lot about our soul and the health of our spiritual life, and if we don’t love people, if we love to tear down rather than build up, then that should give us a good indicator as to where we stand with Christ.
And we need to examine ourselves and see if we’re in the faith. It’s a good point you brought up that gossip and participating in gossip is not only speaking, but it’s also the open ear we are ready to receive.
Yeah, if you’re someone’s trash can for, you know, gossipy slanderous type of language, you need to think about what that person thinks about you.
Apparently, they think that you’re okay with it because they’re constantly bringing it to you, and so at some point, you’re gonna have to stop that by just being honest with the person that thinks that you can be their trash can to dump all of this gossip in it doesn’t smell good it is not good for you, and you need you just need to be really honest brutally honest with that individual and then call them to repentance confront them because what they’re doing is sinful it’s not only hurting them, but it’s hurting you it’s hindering you in the faith.
