Together in Christ: 'Refusing to Use Murderous Speech' — Proverbs 25:18

Telling lies about someone is character assassination and spiritual assault. While office, neighborhood, and church gossip is commonly practiced and often done without thinking of the consequences, God condemns it. ^[1] We would never think about hacking another person with an ax, running them through with a sword, or shooting them with an arrow. However, we damage reputations, limit people's opportunities, and close off their potential relationships when we lie about them. God takes lying about others seriously. The Eternal God, our Father in heaven, hates a lying tongue. ^[2] The Holy Spirit wants us to know that lying about others damages them spiritually, similar to an ax, sword, or arrow wounding them physically. In place of such harmful attacks, we must remember this Christ-like principle for our speech:

Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. ^[3]

Let's use our speech to bless and not take the bait to lie about someone else to make ourselves look important or make them look bad.