James 4:11a “Brothers, do not slander one another.”
To slander is, by definition, to make false and damaging statements about a person. Falsehood is forbidden for those who are Christ followers, but this instruction goes beyond lying. A different translation renders it: “Do not speak evil against one another.” As a Christian, I must never gossip, put other disciples in a bad light, and broadcast their faults. These things grieve the Holy Spirit, cause division, and destroy fruitfulness. In the end, no good will come of it.
Father, it is so easy to slip into the loose-lipped, impulsive, self-justifying foolishness of speaking evil against another human being. Please keep me from slandering anyone today, most especially a brother or sister in the faith.