And besides they learn to be idle, wandering

about from house to house, and not only idle

but also gossips and busybodies, saying things

which they ought not. — I Timothy 5:13

As we go on with our study of “gossip” and the local church, there are a few things to remember about the word “gossip.”

The word gossip is not found anywhere in the KJV of 1611.

The word is used in the NKJV only a few times.

Since it is spoken of so little in the Bible, why do leaders, elders, and pastors use it to condemn, and silence others? A topic of much greater impact is the corruption of priests, prophets, and in our modern day, ministers.

Having said that, we will now consider the question, “Is it gossip to talk to others about people, events in the church or even church leaders? What can we find in Scripture that would help us to answer that question?

The apostle Paul said in Titus 3:2 that we should “speak evil of no one.” If we consider the literal interpretation of this, is that really what Paul is saying? That would be impossible because Paul spoke evil of many people. To get closer to the true meaning we might say, “speak evil of no one without a just cause.” Or, “do not speak evil of someone with the intent to destroy their character and reputation for personal gain or pleasure.”

Paul spoke evil of quite a few people, even the apostle Peter. Here are a few examples. In Titus 1:12 he says, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Then in II Timothy 4:10 he writes, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.”

In verse 14 he says, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm.” Paul goes on to warn others about him in verse 15, “You also beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.” If we follow this last example, it would appear that we have a responsibility to tell others (warn them) about evil people that could harm them.

In Galatians 2:11-21, Paul shares with others how he withstood Peter to his face. It appears that Peter gave in to peer pressure and played the hypocrite (verse 13). Was Paul speaking evil of Peter? He certainly was. We could mention other examples from Paul and others, but let’s go on to another person in the New Testament.

Did Jesus speak evil of people to others? He spoke to the multitude and to His disciples in Matthew 23, here are a few of the things He said.

Speaking about the religious leaders of His day, Jesus said, “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear and lay them on men’s shoulders.”

Jesus goes on to call them hypocrites, fools, blind and blind guides.

In verse 15, He accuses the Scribes and Pharisees of recruiting proselytes and then making them twice as much a son of hell.

He also calls them white-washed tombs in verse 27.

So here is the conclusion of our study today. Jesus talked about people as well as the apostle Paul, and without sin and condemnation. Each one of us should have the same freedom if we do it with the right attitude. It would also seem that we should warn others about evil people like Paul did in II Timothy 4:15. True gossip has more to do with the attitude, heart and mind of the person sharing and the motive behind it.

Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.

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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children’s book.