Lesson for March 27, 2024
Mental Attitude Sins
Slander
I Peter 2:1, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”
The Greek word for slander is “diabolos,” meaning false accusations, evil speaking, or malicious gossip. It is the same word translated devil. The evil that can be perpetuated by slandering another person is poisonous. Attempting to ruin another’s reputation is so harmful that it can cause a person to sink into a state of depression to the point of taking their own life.
James 3:7-10, “For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles, and creatures of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God;from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.” Mankind has devised ways to control, to subdue, and to tame animals. But people have not yet devised a way to control their tongue one hundred percent of the time. Tongue refers to the organ of speech in these verses.
But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. But is a conjunction of contrast; the contrast between mankind being able to subdue and control wild and dangerous animals, and not being able to subdue, tame, or control their own tongue. The Greek word for restless is “akatastasos,” meaning unstable. The Greek word for deadly is “thanatephoros,” meaning death-carrying. Poison is the Greek word “ios,” meaning venom.
In this analogy, the mental attitude sin of slander is the venom, while the tongue is the fang which carries the venom to the victim. The sins of the tongue demonstrate the instability of a believer’s thinking while in a state of reversionism. Remember, in reversionism there are wide emotional swings and mental swings. For this reason, a reversionist praises a person one minute and curses them the next. The spiritually mature believer avoids the sins of the tongue (like slander). Rather, the spiritually mature believer’s “tongue” does that for which it was designed, which is to express the character of Jesus Christ.
With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. The same tongue that we use to bless God for all He has done for us, is the same tongue we use to curse those who are made in His likeness. The Greek word for likeness is “homoiosis,” which means essence and hasa double connotation. First, it means everyone has the same essence of soul, invisible but real. Secondly, each member of the human race, with the same soul essence, has a different personality and a different character so that they are distinct from all other members of the human race. In other words, all members of the human race are one in essence but many in personality and character, just as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in essence but are different in personality.
However, regardless of a person’s personality, their tongue can speak both words of blessing and words of cursing. Words of blessing mean to wish benefits toward another person, which can be comforting, encouraging, and motivating. Words of cursing mean to wish evil against a person, and this can stir up all kinds of evildoing. Therefore, advancing believers are to be controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit and accurate Bible doctrine so their speech is always a blessing to others.
The sins of the tongue come from the lack of control of the sin nature. (Psalm 34:13; James 3:6) Of the seven sins mentioned in Proverbs 6:16-19 that are an abomination to God, three are sins of the tongue. The habitual function of the sins of the tongue is a sign of a Christian who is perpetually out of fellowship with God in reversionism. This can be a deadly sin that eventuates maximum divine discipline – the sin unto death. (Psalm 12:3)
Control of the tongue is a sign of spiritual maturity. The tongue in reversionism can produce enough slander, gossip, maligning, and judging to destroy an entire congregation of believers. (I Timothy 3:11; II Timothy 3:3; Titus 2:3; James 3:5-6) Since sins of the tongue can destroy an entire congregation of believers, it is the duty of the pastor to constantly warn against them. (II Timothy 2:14-17) Troublemakers are often characterized by sins of the tongue. (Psalm 52:2) Believers are specifically commanded to avoid such troublemakers and separate from them. (Romans 16:17-18) A believer can actually lengthen their life and find great inner happiness by avoiding the sins of the tongue. (Psalm 34:12-13)
Slander often takes the form of gossip. The definition of gossip is rumor or talk of an intimate nature that is personal and sensational. Gossip is something spoken by a person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts. Conversations that involve talking about another person’s personal business may include things that are malicious or damaging, like rumors or even actual facts.
Whether true or false, divulging information that a person has shared with you can be damaging to that person. James 3:5-6 says the tongue is like a wildfire that can spread rapidly and become a raging forest fire, spreading to a great many people in a short amount of time. As the gossip spreads, so does the information, often becoming embellished or distorted. Spiritually maturing believers should never allow themselves to become involved in any form of gossip!
James 3:5-6, “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life and is set on fire by hell.”