Common Sense Commentary: One of the least known facts about the Bible is that the sin most referenced, most often condemned in the Scriptures, is the multitude of the sins of the tongue, lips, mouth ... words. Words have caused more fights, divorces, murders and wars than all other transgressions put together. It was words that the serpent, Lucifer, used to entice Eve in Gen.3:1 "...and he said unto the woman...." 3:4 "And the serpent said unto the woman....". When there was only one language, In Gen.11, the people expressed their desire to rebel against God, work their way to heaven and make a name for themselves, "And they said ... let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name...." These words united the people in their rebellion against God's will. Also, it was words of accusation, words of false witnesses and words of condemnation which stirred up rejection of Jesus and ignited their words ... "Crucify Him, Crucify Him", to their own eternal destruction.
Our ability to speak, was intended, by God, to be used for instruction, expressions of love, faith, honor, caution and even rebuke. It was given for witnessing, teaching and preaching God's word ... and praying to Him and praising Him. God did not give us that ability to lie, curse, vulgar jesting, idle talk and gossip, but depraved minds and even backslidden Christians often spew out their abuse of the gift to speak.
It has been said that "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people." There is a great deal of truth in that thought... expressed in words. I would revise the thought a bit to say ... "Truly great minds discuss the mind of God, His word, his Creation. His will and His glory; all other discussion, without recognition of Him, is incidental, or trivial or meaningless."
God's word encourages and commands us to .... "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Eph.4:29.
Therefore, we are to "... put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth." Col.3:8. Yes, this is very difficult and is opposite to what our fleshly minds and tongues often want to say, but we must, in Jesus name, speak as God directs us, not our flesh. Our higher calling is to "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Col.4:6. In this verse, God allows our minds and tongues to question, warn and even rebuke with our speech ... our words, when He said, "seasoned with salt". If it is a "public" evil, stand against it and speak against it "publicly". But if you know something potentially embarrassing or unbecoming about a neighbor, friend or fellow Christian, there is no good reason to spread it around or put it on Facebook, like so many people do. "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." Prov.11:13.
"He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends." Prov.17:9. Such senseless gossip serves no good purpose and only destroys marriages and friendships and causes untold damage to those people and their children. What is usually not seen is the greater, physical and spiritual damage done to the talebearer. He is going to be bitten himself. "He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. " Prov.26:17. If that dog ain't yours, you better not grab it by the ears.
"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth." Prov.26:20.
People who indulge in gossip, talebearing, sowing discord and Idle, vulgar or needless talk are called "busybodies" in 2 Thess.3:11... "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.".... "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." 1 Tim.5:13.
The next time you read such things on Facebook or Twitter, and you surely will, remember the above verses from God's word and don't join in such vile slander or vulgar talk with "busybodies" and "talebearers". They shall not escape the judgement of God. Jesus, Himself warned ... "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Matt.12:36.
"He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." Prov.13:3.
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