The Sin Of Slandering
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Introduction
Please turn to . If you weren’t here during the early part of 2019, we have been going through the letter of James and studying it verse-by-verse. As your pastor, I strongly believe that teaching and explaining the Bible is my responsibility and my calling. I am responsible for me to be faithful to God by feeding you God’s Word so that you would gain a deeper understanding of God and to live a godly life.
Text
Please turn to . If you weren’t here during the early part of 2019, we have been going through the letter of James and studying it verse-by-verse. As your pastor, I strongly believe that teaching and explaining the Bible is my responsibility and my calling. I am responsible for me to be faithful to God by feeding you God’s Word so that you would gain a deeper understanding of God and to live a godly life.
I think
Doing verse-by-verse is known as Expository Preaching or Expositional Preaching.
We don’t want to have a superficial or shallow understanding of the Bible. We should go deep and discover the truth.
We are returning to the book of James to learn about the sin of slandering. READ.
We are returning to the book of James to learn about the sin of slandering.
Expositional (verse 11a)
James begins by giving us a very clear instruction, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.” James is addressing to the Christians by referring to them as “brothers.” He’s commanding them not to slander one another, speak ill of one another, speak degradingly of one another, OR defame one another.
James knows clearly that there are Christians who are slandering each other. Why is that?
You may remember that there were some problems happening. For instance, there were Christians who were favouring the rich over the poor; there were Christians who had issues with their language and words and not knowing how to control their tongue; there were Christians who wanted to be teachers or in authority, but they could not; there were Christians who were fighting each other because of selfish desires in their hearts.
When Christians are fighting and quarrelling (or arguing) with each other over a lot of issues, they usually end up including personal attacks and judgmental attitudes.
For instance,
This sometimes happens in debates. When both sides of the debate are making their case, and one side is losing the debate badly and do not know how to defend his/her position, that side could start attacking the other side personally by putting labels on them. This is known as “Ad Hominem.” People who have little to no experience with debates sometime resort in personal attacks because they do not know how to distinguish the difference between attacking the IDEA vs. attacking the PERSON.
What Is Slandering?
People who have little to no experience with debates sometime resort in personal attacks because they do not know how to distinguish the difference between attacking the IDEA vs. attacking the PERSON.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines slandering as:
“The utterance of false characters or misrepesentations which defame and damage another’s reputation.”
The definition of slandering could broken down into three ideas:
To speak false about someone.
To destroy someone’s character, integrity and reputation.
To publicly proclaim this message
Slandering is a destructive speech. And it comes in...
Three Ways Of Slandering
1. Gossip Secretly
Gossip is talking about a situation with somebody who is neither a part of the solution nor a part of the problem. If we’re honest with ourselves, what we’re doing is making ourselves feel a little more important at somebody else’s expense. We’re talking about their hurts and their problems to make us feel like we’re morally superior to them. That’s the danger and the hurt of gossip. (Rick Warren)
Gossipping happens everywhere. Talking behind a person’s back. Spreading false rumours and false information about this person.
2. False Accusation
Accusation
False Accusation is making a claim or allegation of someone who did something wrong that happens to be untrue or otherwise not supported by facts.
This person may have misunderstood something about the person he/she is accusing. This happens when someone misreads and misunderstands something this person wrote on a blog or email, for instance.
This person has a malicious intent to destroy a person’s character and reputation. Why would a slanderer want to do that? Perhaps he cannot attain to the same level of the individual? Perhaps he doesn’t have what the individual has? Perhaps he couldn’t have the same lifestyle that this individual has even though he tries.
This happens to politicians. In recent case, our prime minister was exposed, again. In his yearbook, he was dressed up as a middle eastern person and had his skin painted black. Without understanding why he did, people started smearing him and saying, “Oh he must be a racist.” Of course, this happened when he was young and maybe he was unwise during that time, but remember that there is a specific context of why he’s being exposed. It is election time and some political leaders of a party are trying to attack his character so that he would lose voters.
Criticism
3. Destructive Criticism
Criticism
Destructive Criticism is someone who is being overly critical about everything and questioning authority. This is someone who constantly points out problems and complains that there are problems without attaching a positive tone to the criticism. The goal of this criticism is perhaps to tear down the idea and the person.
In school, when you are slandering someone, do you know what else you may be doing? You are being a bully. Slandering is not acceptable. Slandering destroys and recks people’s life.
I have personally seen a church closed down because someone slandered or accused the pastor for being a liar. The members of the church lost trust in this pastor. Subsequently, people left the church. Eventually, this church had to close down.
Marriage, friendships, life-long legacies and companies could be destroyed because of slander and defamation.
Hence, James warns us about the impact that we can have with our tongue:
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
James 3:5-
Expositional (v.11b)
Notice what else James says afterwards. READ.
So, we just talked about slandering against a brother (or speak against), but James also adds in another phrase, “Or judges his brother.”
Simply put, judging probably takes “slandering” even further. What he is saying is that criticism of a Christian involves standing on the throne of judgment over that person whom you are slandering.
James clarifies what he means by judging at the end of verse 12.
Judging someone in a slanderous manner makes you feel more superior and the other person more inferior.
Judging someone in a slanderous manner makes you feel more superior and the other person more inferior. For instance, you slander a Christian for being “lazy” when you also struggle with laziness. OR you slander and judge a Christian for being so unloving while you are also using unloving and harsh tone. You capitalize other people’s shortcomings so that you can make yourself look better and feel better.
Again, this happens in politics. When a political party leader is allegedly exposed of a wrongdoing, the other political party leader would jump in and take advantage of that opportunity to gain votes.
But, James has another reason for mentioning slander
James is not done here yet. James does not just say slandering is wrong because it hurts people’s feelings and destroy people’s lives, although that’s the consequences. He says, “The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil agains the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”
Slandering someone actually undermines the law on what it says about loving your neighbour. When you slander someone…gossip secretly, false accusation and destructive criticism…you have failed to love your neighbour as yourself.
Slandering someone is a prideful attitude because it makes you feel and look more superior than someone who is inferior. You make yourself look like a judge who stands above the law.
That is what happens when the Jews judged the Gentiles (non-Jews).
1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
Judging and slandering someone equals to slandering and judging the law. You are necessarily saying that the law is not good enough. You are necessarily saying that you are better than the law. You are necessarily saying that you are a judge of the law. Failure to obey the law may imply that you deny the authority of God’s Word or do not care about listen to what God has to say.
Judging and slandering someone equals to slandering and judging the law. You are necessarily saying that the law is not good enough. You are necessarily saying that you are better than the law. You are necessarily saying that you are a judge of the law. Failure to obey the law may imply that you deny the authority of God’s Word or do not care about listen to what God has to say.
Expositional (v.12)
Slandering and being a judge over the law and over someone else is also wrong. In this verse, this judging is more specifically elaborated. READ.
What is James talking about here?
This is the type of slandering that transitions to condemnation. It is slandering to the point of declaring an ultimate judgment upon someone’s eternal destiny. Since only God can save and destroy, we have no right to make judgment of someone’s ultimate destiny. This is judgmentalism.
Perhaps, there were some Christians wrongly pointing fingers at someone, falsely accusating that person of wrongdoing…and because he’s has allegedly done something sinful, he must be doing to hell, but Christians do not have the right to make that determination against a brother in Christ.
By calling someone
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Only God who is the lawgiver and judge can determine someone’s eternal life destiny. Only God can grant salvation and only God can destroy.
This is alluding to Jesus’ statement
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Slandering is a sin because it bears false witness (or lying). This is breaking one of the Ten Commandments.
Slandering is a sin because it bears false witness (or lying). This is breaking one of the Ten Commandments.
Slandering is usually grouped with other sins.
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Slandering is a terrible sin because it sins against the law of love. James made it very clear.
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
Clarification
Is judging someone always wrong?
Again, this is speaking in a context of slandering with a malicious and sinful intent. In a different context, judging is not always wrong. If judging is always wrong, then I cannot and should not correct a person’s sinful behaviour.
If a Christian sins against you, then you should confront that person privately.
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Jesus never forbid judging.
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
People only quote verse 1 as if to say that Jesus always forbid judging, but they fail to understand the context. Jesus only spoke of hypocritical judgment. Don’t judge someone for lying if you yourself have a habit of lying. Don’t judge someone for having anger management when you yourself have that same issue. Deal with your own sins first before you correct other’s sins.
This kind of judgment is not the kind of judgment that tears people down, but helps others and builds them up to become better followers of Jesus.
What Happens When Someone Slanders Me?
How should you react and respond if/when someone slanders you? This could happen anywhere as well. Being slandered is emotionally painful and hurtful, so I want to offer you advice from the Bible.
1. Lift The Situation Up To God
1 In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. 2 Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
Trust that God is good and He is just. Pray or cry out to Him. Ask Him to give you wisdom and ask Him to deliver you from this difficult situation.
2. Continue to live in integrity
Prove them wrong by showing them that what they’re falsely accusing you of is dead wrong.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
Don’t compromise your integrity and your values. Eventually, when the truth comes up, the slanderers would be put to shame.
3. Don’t listen to them
If what they are saying is not even true, then don’t listen to them. You know yourself better than you do and your God knows you.
4. Don’t be malicious an don’t retaliate
This is probably very common for us to do. IF someone attacks us, then we fight back. But don’t. Don’t slander back against slanderer in return. Instead, love them in return. Give them a big smile and respect them even though they do not deserve it.
How To Avoid Slandering?
If you have the habit of slandering others, then you need to repent of your sins and confess your sins to God that what you’re doing is sinful in the eyes of God. There is forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.
Now that you are a follower of Jesus, how do you avoid slandering others?
1. Don’t participate in gossip.
Your friends who are non-Christians may like to gossip, but don’t join them in gossiping and talking behind people’s back. If someone wants to talk to you about someone’s back, then you could tell that person:
Sorry, I’m not interested in talking behind’s people’s back.
If that person persists, then you can say, “Is what you’re telling me the truth or facts? Can I verify that with the person’s whom you’re gossiping?”
If you have a problem with that person, then you should speak directly to that person.
2. If you have a problem with someone, approach this person privately.
It seems much easier to talk behind someone’s back than to approach this person privately.
It takes courage and boldness to approach someone. Approach this person with a loving and gentle attitude, and try to speak gently about the issue you have with this person.
Hopefully, this person is reasonable and would respond graciously. If not, then you did what was right and you did what you can. But don’t go slandering afterwards.
but I hope this person is reasonable and would
3. Get your facts checked
Don’t make assumptions about a person and don’t judge a person until you get to know this person and get your facts checked. Don’t slander someone when you don’t even know if what you’re saying about this person is remotely true.
How to get your facts checked?
Where did I get this information from?
If from a friend, how did your friend get this information?
Is this information verifiable?
If this information is from one source, then are there other sources?
If this person said or wrote something, then try to understand what this person meant.
Gospel
Our Lord Jesus Christ was slandered during trial time.
55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. 57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” 59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.
Mark 14:55-
Illustration / Story
Our chief purpose in life is about glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. We are to honour God and please God in all that we say and do.
We live in a society where there is a lot of finger pointing, shift-blaming and slandering others This is especially true with politicians. You might be aware that political party leaders usually slander other party leader for being: a racist, a fascist, a nazi, a sexist, a bigot, a sexual assaulter, and so forth.
I don’t know what the atmosphere is like at school, but I can imagine that bullying happens.
Pastor Scott Sauls from Nashville spent five years working with Pastor Tim Keller at New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Sauls writes that there are many ways that he saw Keller model the gospel, but there is one thing that really stood out to him. Sauls writes:
Tim [Keller] is the best example I have ever seen of someone who consistently [models] the gospel. Never once did I see Tim tearing another person down to their face, on the Internet, or through gossip. Instead, he seemed to assume the good in people. He talked about how being forgiven and affirmed by Jesus frees us for this—for “catching people doing good” instead of looking for things to criticize or be offended by. Even when someone had done wrong or been in error, Tim would respond with humble restraint and self-reflection instead of venting negativity and criticism. As the grace of God does, he covered people’s flaws and sins.
Forms Of Slandering
Gossip
Accusation
Criticism
Where might you find people slandering others?
Newspaper
Gossip Magazines
Blogs
Comment section of a social media or media outpost
Internet
How To Know If You Are Slandering Someone? (Examples)
John must be have cheated on his test because he usually does not study.