Slander’s destructive power

Years ago, a retired Air Force colonel with a distinguished combat record and who did postwar work involving top security clearance was accused of shoplifting a 63¢ can of Danish bacon. A municipal court found him innocent, but the slander of this false accusation changed this man. He lost his enthusiasm for life, became depressed and died of a heart condition. Later, another court awarded his family more than $100,000 because they were convinced his death was caused by a broken heart.

Slander is a nasty word. In the Bible, it comes from “diabolos” a Greek word used also for the devil. Slander can ruin lives, careers, families and Christian ministry. No wonder it is included in the ten commandments.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)

My devotional reading says that a Christian should never say anything false, including the most familiar lie of saying something that isn’t true, but also saying things with exaggeration, cheating in school, business, work, or on your taxes, betraying a confidence, flattery, making excuses, and remaining silent when the truth should be spoken.

However, this ninth commandment is specifically about bearing false witness against another person. God gave it to protect the reputation of people from libel, but this law also pointed to the Israelite system of justice. In their law, a person’s guilt or innocence was based on testimony by faithful witnesses. Of course false witnesses would undermine justice. Thus, being obedient to this command is not only about lying but about justice.

Gossip is a different word. It means idle or foolish talk. It could be truthful stories about the follies of others and those are often as harmful as slander. In my opinion, most gossip is a way of trying to make oneself look good at the expense of others.

Slander is more deliberate, always false and intends to harm the other person in some way. Jesus said that slander is a product of the heart, which means I could think slanderous thoughts without saying the words. That is why Paul wrote:

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking (slander) be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

He started with attitudes that lead to actions and said to “let” them be removed, suggesting that their removal cannot be done without outside help. Of course that help comes from the Lord through obedience to this verse:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

God will take from my heart any bitterness, wrath, anger and malice that would otherwise result in clamor and slander, but only if I humble myself and confess that they are in my heart. For this amazing provision, made possible only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sin, I am truly thankful.