What the New Testament Says About Gossip, Part 2

Delving into the book of Proverbs two weeks ago, we learned that gossip in the Old Testament emphasizes a betrayal of trust. And last week, we worked through two New Testament passages which describe gossiping as whispering.

The remaining New Testament verses about this subject are in the Pastoral Epistles. These are letters Paul wrote to his apostolic assistants Timothy and Titus. Rather than warning about whispering, Paul uses two other terms for gossip.

There are four verses in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus which mention gossip. Three verses use a certain Greek word and another verse uses a different one. We’ll start our investigation with the latter. (I will use the NASB for the Bible verses.)

Bubble

“At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.” – 1 Timothy 5:13

The Greek word phluaros derives from a verb meaning, “to bubble.” This noun, then, identifies people spilling over with zeal for inane ideas. Furthermore, they can’t keep a lid on their opinions. This is the only verse in the New Testament that uses this term.

Here, Paul criticizes the fruitless behavior of young widows in the church. Rather than investing themselves in the work of the Lord, they’re drawn to incidentals. Without the responsibilities of family, they drift toward sloth and trivia. They have the time and the energy to contribute to the well-being of the church. But these women fritter away their opportunities, opting for entertainment instead.

Do we recognize ourselves in this picture? What do we devote ourselves to? Where are we dedicating our hearts and our resources? Do we find serving Jesus interesting or must we force ourselves to get going?

The good news is, we can repent and make progress. Paul said these widows learned how to be idle, to gossip, and to nitpick. If we can ask the Lord to show us what grabs our attention, we can unlearn what isn’t worth knowing. By God’s grace, we’re able to free ourselves to discover, master, and enjoy what we should.

Slander

Believe it or not, the other Greek word Paul uses for gossip in his Pastoral Letters is diabolos. It resembles the English word “diabolical” but 37 times we translate this Greek term as “devil.” Here are the three occasions where Paul mentions the devil in the Pastoral Epistles.

“He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” – 1 Timothy 3:4-7

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, ²⁵with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

In both passages, Paul tips off church leaders to the wiles of the enemy. The devil will try to trap overseers by taking advantage of their missteps. That’s why those who serve the Lord need to avoid the pitfalls of pride and argumentativeness.

By grounding themselves in the truth of the gospel, church leaders can rescue those whom the enemy has deceived and captured. This doesn’t guarantee success; the stubborn have to change their minds. But gossip doesn’t have to win; the truth of God in Christ is greater.

The word diabolos occurs 40 times in the Greek New Testament. Here are the three remaining verses where it’s translated as “gossip” rather than “devil.”

“Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.” – 1 Timothy 3:11

“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.” – 2 Timothy 3:2-5

“Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, ⁴so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” – Titus 2:3-5

Notice how the English Bible describes gossipers as “malicious.” We’ve moved beyond violations of trust, whispering secrets, and bubbling over with the latest news. By using the word diabolos, Paul introduces the notion of slander.

This goes to intent.

Whether they know it or not, gossipers are mimicking the devil. His aim is to slander believers and accuse them to God of sinful thoughts and deeds. He wants to disqualify them.

So do gossips. The more they tear down others, the better they feel about themselves.

As truth is greater than trivia, so the gospel can defeat slander. It destroys the motives and effects of slanderous speech. If we try to find our security in anything or anyone other than Jesus, we risk becoming gossips. We’ll build ourselves up by destroying others.

But the Lord offers a better way. As Alcoholics Anonymous says, we “let go and let God.” We don’t have to fight, bicker, and gossip to make ourselves look superior. In fact, there’s a good chance it will backfire! But when we give ourselves over to Christ without reservation, we find peace. God will deal with all these matters; all we have to do is trust Him.

“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:5

Let go and let God! Find your security in Jesus and you’ll lose the motivation to gossip.