The Common Cold - rhino virus - is something you don’t want to give away, and you don’t want to receive it. To avoid it, you limit exposure and cleanse your hands regularly.

All too often the Church has a disease - the disease of playing God.

"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it."  James 4:11

Definition of Slander:  to speak against one, to criminate, traduce

Law: Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation.  A false and malicious statement or report about someone.

The verb "do not slander" is written in the present active imperative - which is to prohibit one from doing it, or if you are doing it - stop!

In the Jewish mind, words that were spoken could never be taken back. Like an irretrievable arrow— once out of your mouth cannot really be gotten back. 

Slander slays three persons: the speaker, the spoken to, and the spoken of.

"He who is guilty of slander never can repair it. A false report spreads where a recantation never reaches, and an accusation flies faster than a defense."    Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Three reasons slander is wrong. 

1. When we slander we hurt our family and God's creation.

2. We set ourselves above God's law.

3. We displace God's purview God alone judges.

First - We hurt our family and God's creation.

Its happening in house—a "brother." A brother or sister is a member of the body of Christ.  You don't do that to family!  You also don’t do that to those who were made in God's image.

What else does the Bible say about slander?

In Psalm 50 God is addressing the wicked in verse 20:  "You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother's son."

•    It is the behavior of a wicked person. 

(Psa 101:5 NIV)  "Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure."

•   God finds slander intolerable and will take action against the slanderer. 

Paul lists slander in the list of disorders in the dysfunctional New Testament church:

 (2 Cor 12:20 NIV)  "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 quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder."

There is great necessity for this warning. People are slow to realize that there are few sins which the Bible condemns as the sin of irresponsible and malicious gossip. There are few activities in which the average person finds more delight than this; to tell and to listen to the slanderous story—especially about some distinguished person—is for most people a fascinating activity.  

Second - We set ourselves above God's law.

It is a breach of the royal law.  Love your neighbor as yourself.

(Lev 19:18 NIV)  "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."

(James 2:8 NIV)  "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right."

Obviously a man cannot love his neighbor as himself and speak slander about him. And when a man breaks a law knowingly, he sets himself above the law. That is to say, he has made himself a judge of the law. But a man’s duty is not to judge the law, but to obey it.

So the man who speaks evil of his neighbor has appointed himself a judge of the law and taken to himself the right to break it, and therefore stands condemned.

Third - We displace God's judgment.

To slander our neighbor is, in fact, to pass judgment upon him. And no human being has any right to judge any other human; the right of judgment belongs to God alone.  It is God who is able to save and to destroy. This great prerogative runs all through Scripture.

Jesus warns that we should not fear men, "who at the worst can only kill the body, but should fear him who can destroy both body and soul" (Matthew 10:28). As the Psalmist said it, "It is to God alone that the issues of life and of death belong" (Psalm 68:20). To judge another is to take to ourselves a right to do what God alone has the right to do; and it is reckless to deliberately take upon one's self the rights of God.

Finally,

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."  James 4:17
 

Don't let yourself get caught up in slanderous gossip.  Do the right thing - don't listen to or repeat slander.  If you're already doing it - STOP! 

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."  1 Peter 2:1

Replace bad behavior with good behavior.  Instead of running people down and condemning them, let God do the judging.   

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."
1 Peter 1:22

Remember the guidance taught us in Philippians 4:8:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."
 

- Sermon delivered by Rev. Larry D. Kirby, July 2008