Do you consider slander a "little sin"? What does God say about the use of slander?
Transcript
[Gary Petty] We all look at the Bible, we say, "Well, there's things that the Bible says we should not do." Sin. Well, we know there's big sins like committing adultery, or murdering somebody, or going out and stealing. As Christians, we'll say, "Well, we don't commit those kinds of sins." Then we talk about other things, and we'll say, "Well, yeah, the Bible might mention that, but those are little sins." You know, little sins like, well, cheating on your taxes – that's not really a big sin. I mean, the government's evil anyways, right? Or gossip. Gossip, you know – that's just a little sin. That's not really a sin. What about slander? Slander's when we talk about somebody and spread something bad or evil about somebody whether it's true or not, and we do it to harm them, to destroy them. And slander is a very serious sin. Oh no, it's just a little sin.
Asaph wrote some of the psalms in the book of Psalms, and in Psalm 50 he says this: "But to the wicked God says, ‘What right have you to declare My statutes or take my covenant in your mouth?'" He goes on, he talks a little bit about how they're partakers with adulterers. Well, that would be terrible, right? That'd be a terrible thing, to be a partaker with an adulterer. Or, "You saw a thief, and you consented with him. You take evil in your mouth, and your tongue frames deceit." Well, that's a pretty serious sin. But listen to this next statement. "You sit and speak against your brother, you slander your own mother's son." Which would be your brother. You know, he's mentioning all these big sins, and he mentions slander. To slander someone, to try to tear down their character, to maliciously and viciously try to hurt them by words, by telling other people. Destroying their reputation. He says, "These things you have done," and God says, "I have kept silent. You thought that I was altogether like you, but I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes" (Psalm 50:16-21).
Slander is not a little sin. Slander, to God, is – well, it's breaking the spirit of murder. It is the attempt to murder, to destroy someone's reputation, to hurt them. So next time you're about to spread that little juicy piece of gossip that will hurt somebody, that would turn people against somebody – maybe it gives you a chance to feel superior, or get revenge on somebody – remember, slander isn't a little sin. It is very serious to God. It's a big sin.
