What the New Testament Says About Gossip, Part 1

Delving into the book of Proverbs last week, we learned that gossip has two key characteristics in the Old Testament: idle talk and betrayal of trust. When we gossip, we’re wasting time or revealing confidential information. Since Proverbs is all about gaining wisdom, engaging in gossip is the opposite. It’s foolishness in action. Wasting our time on trivial matters does us little good. Divulging a secret someone entrusted to us damages our relationships. We can even destroy some of them.

Transitioning to the New Testament, we see that God isn’t finished with the subject. He has more to say! Making use of the New American Standard Bible, I collected seven verses that deal with gossip. (I also quote a verse from the New International Version.) All these references are in letters the apostle Paul wrote. He must have thought gossip was a big problem for churches!

What’s Paul’s take on this subject?

Whisper

In two passages, he identifies gossiping as whispering.

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; ³²and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” – Romans 1:28-32

The Greek word here is psithyristes and means “a whisperer, secret slanderer, detractor.” It occurs only here in the Greek New Testament.

“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 discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.” – 2 Corinthians 12:20 (NIV)

This word, psithyrismos, is a cognate of the noun in Romans 1:29. Like the word above, it refers to whispering and occurs nowhere else in the Greek New Testament.

What’s the connection between gossiping and whispering?

We whisper when we gossip because we know we’re saying things we shouldn’t. We’re supposed to keep our mouths shut, but we can’t help ourselves. Yet we don’t want to get in trouble, so we spread secrets in secret. We tone down our voices but we don’t turn them off! We even dare to tell someone not to tell others something we ourselves were not supposed to tell others! Something’s wrong with this picture! And that’s what Paul exposes.

The apostle recognizes the universality of gossip. In the Romans passage, it characterizes the non-Christian world. And in 2 Corinthians, it reflects the potential condition of a local church.

So gossip is unavoidable; it’s a feature of human nature. We spot it in others and we’ll catch it in the mirror, too, if we’re honest.

Open

If whispering is the problem, the solution is shouting, right? Or at least being up front and public. We have nothing to hide. In fact, we should dare to state our ideas and communicate the truth out loud. Especially when people need our help. 

“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. ⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9

And we have Christ’s specific encouragement to spread His good news.

“And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city [of Corinth].’ ¹¹And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” – Acts 18:9-11

The gospel of Jesus Christ deserves more than a whisper! It’s praiseworthy because it discloses the depths of God’s grace. We experience His lovingkindness and beneficence in the gift of His Son. We become disciples of Jesus by receiving the grace of God in Christ. And we grow as disciples when we lavish it on others. No matter how long it takes, declaring the truth of Christ is time well spent.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ³⁰Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:29-32

Hoarding the grace of God hurts the Spirit because He knows we can’t stay quiet. If we don’t speak to build up others, we’ll use our words as weapons. How often do bad motives drive us to bad-mouth our neighbors?

But when we contemplate God’s mercy shown to us in Christ, we find the capacity to be kind. Abandoning rumors, we declare gospel truth that liberates and blesses. 

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ²and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. ³But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; ⁴and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” – Ephesians 5:1-4

God doesn’t gossip, and neither do His children. The Lord reveals the truth to save people, not to ruin them. And Christ calls His followers to do the same. Refraining from insults and degrading put-downs can feel like a sacrifice. But we’re inspired to take this path because we’re grateful for the grace of God. He’s been so good to us; we have to be good to others! Even if they don’t deserve it. After all, neither did we!

This isn’t all Paul wrote about gossip, but we’ve covered enough for one post. Next week, we’ll conclude by working through the Pastoral Epistles. But until then, speak with clarity and confidence or stay silent. The Spirit and the circumstances will help you decide which to choose. The grace of Jesus Christ won’t let you down.