Magyar Egyház, 1955 (34. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1955-05-01 / 5. szám
10 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ ENGLISH SECTION THE FEARFUL SIN OF SLANDER Jesus taught that: “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”. Matthew 26:52. Ever since the history of the world recorded, the wars and reports of wars have been the eloquent testimony, that Jesus’ saying holds true even today. No Christian can take up the sword of slander and escape the consequences. The same men and women who slander other will finally be ruined by slander. Often the punishment upon those who slander is death. Remember the Old Testament saying in the book of Psalms 105:15: “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Almost every Bible reading person knows that God’s servants are judged by Almighty God alone, and they are accountable to Him alone, nevertheless there are, there were and there ever shall be people who like to occupy the judgment seat to denounce and slander other Christians. Woe to the man who dares to slander his fellow Christians, God will not let it pass, and punishment will soon follow him. Do you recall the sermon of the mount how Jesus taught His desciples saying: “JUDGE NOT THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in they brother’s eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, “let me pull out the mote out of thine eye”, and behold a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shall thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye”. Matthew 7:1-5. God often used drastic measures to punish people who were supposed to be Christians and slandered their fellow Christians. Paul the great apostle of our Lord wrote to the Romans 4:4, 10-13, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth, but why dost thou judge thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ . . . Let us not therefore judge one another any more.” It is an excellent idea to follow the advice of the apostle and leave the judgement up to God. If you consider the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot do otherwise but follow His pattern. People usually accuse others for faults and sins that they can find in themselves. They are guilty, therefore they cannot see others committing the same errors. Why should politicians and economic or artistic minded people slander others? If they do, then why should Christians do the same? Is there a difference between God’s people and others? If the whole world would speak and hurl slanderous darts against one another, then the Christians should set an example not doing and not engaging themselves in that awful sin. The Satan’s biggest job in any given community is a slander. The devil is doing his destructive work slandering men and women, old and young, poor and rich. Oh, what a tragedy, when God’s children fall into this sin and act as the devil’s agent, hurting others and eventually destroying themselves. Tell me a place where this evil is unknown? Show me a corner in the world where this evil of gossiping and talebearing did not afflict every class of society? You can find it in the homes, business,’ shops and factories, in the huts and palaces and in Churches too. The tongue of the gossiper destroyed many mighty men and women. They claim that by the evil way of slander and talebearing empires and countries were ruined. Hearts were broken, friendships were cut off, homes and Churches torn apart all because of idle tongues. The Bible compares the conflagration caused by the gossiping tongue to the effect of fire. At the time of the big fire in Chicago, when most of the city was burned, thousands lost their valued property, lives and treasures became the victims of the terrific fires, the whole fire started in a stable, where a cow kicked off the lantern and the fire was spread by the wind. During hot summer weather you can hear of great forest fires, which often destroy thousands of acres and millions of dollars worth of timber which could have been started from a small discarded cigarette. “So the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things” Js. 3:5-6. “Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a word of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, setteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire of hell.” The small tongue is the most difficult to control. James wrote in his letter: “For every kind of beasts, and birds, and of serpants, and of things in the sea, is tamed”. This is true, man tamed the wild cats, the tiger, the lion and the blood thirsty leopard, but “the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” You don’t have to go far to find illustrations. You may find people who bless God, the Father, who is Creator and preserver of all things, and with the same tongue curse man, who are made after the similitude of God. “From the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be!” May Almighty God help us to live, act and speak in the light of eternity. Then do not judge people, watching their errors and virtues, because God Almighty is going to judge, the living and the dead. From the same fountain cannot flow two types of waters, sweet and bitter! One tree cannot bring two types of fruits: good and bad. The Christian must be a disciple of the Lord, then speak, live, and act as a follower of the Lord.
