“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. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbor?” - James 4:11-12

I am sure that this passage has the potential to make us all uncomfortable. It does me, because I know I have violated it too many times. We like to focus our attention on big sins that we don’t commit so that we can feel good about ourselves. But this particular sin has the power to dissolve friendships, create division, divide families and even split entire congregations. It is the sin of gossip and judgement, and they are connected.

Slander is usually done in the form of gossip. It is sharing unnecessary information about another individual. It may be direct slander, where we let others know of our disgust toward an individual and share salacious or negative content about them. Or, it can be indirect and even spiritualized and presented as “you really need to pray for so and so because they are” - and you fill in the blank. Any time we talk to others about an individual who does not need to know negative details, we slander them. The sad thing is that, in many instances, our information is second hand and not accurate, so the damage is worse. 

Slander and gossip are character assassination. It is to damage someone who is made in God’s image. And in doing so, says James, we also judge them. And he asks, who are we to judge our neighbor? God is the judge. We are not. He knows the heart of those we judge, but we do not. Usually our assumptions about their hearts are inaccurate. That is why we are hard on others, but not ourselves. We assume the best in our motives and often the worst in others. Many people have been deeply hurt by gossip and slander from fellow believers and there is nothing they can do about it.

The next time we are tempted to say something derogatory about another, we ought to ask ourselves if it is necessary to share that information and whether it fits the definition of slander. Make no mistake: Gossip is slander. There is a better way. Paul tells us in 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. This is a life giving conversation, rather than a life taking conversation.

PRAYER

Father, I know that I have been guilty of slander and gossip and I ask for Your forgiveness. Help me to eliminate both from my conversations and not to judge the motives of others. I have enough to worry about. Help me focus where I need to focus and bless others. Remind me often to build others up, rather than to tear them down. Amen.