Next: they are gossips & slanderers
The Tongue: an unbelievable weapon:
The tongue is a knife that can cut deeply
A gun that can kill
A match that can set forest on fire
The tongue can divide families, end marriages, divide friends,
& split churches!
The tongue can hurt others, cause distress
& everyone has a tongue & everyone learns at a young age how they can get their way, by lying, or get even by hurting others with the tongue.

Gossips King James is closer to original: whisperers
The Greek word mean to whisper, speak in secret; backbiter
Slanderer to speak against, slanderous,
Two kinds of people, or two different tactics from same person:
There is the person who speaks softly, quietly, whispers to just one or two people, about a third person.
Truth is not the issue, whether what they are saying is true or not
Generally it contains truth, but the point is they just subtly slander another person.
Whisper against them

They go from one person to another, at work, at church, at a party, & quietly run another believer down, accusing, casting
doubt about the other person.
Then there is the person who is more openly about their slander of another. They will run the other bel. down to a group, or whoever will listen! Don’t listen
Now what is really interesting is when the whisperer turns into the open slanderer…he starts off with quiet whispers, then when he has enough believing it: he then goes into frontal assault to destroy another believer.

The issue with these two words has nothing to do with truth, even if what is said in their whispers & slanders is true…truth does not justify gossip, whispers, slanders.
Eph. 4:12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
There are so many ways of whispering against another, throw doubt on their character.
This has always been a tactic of Satan from the garden where he subtly impugned the character of God.
& then in the speeches of Job’s three friends
& all through Scripture..

The tongue is a powerful & destructive weapon!
1. There are three classification of sins:
a. Mental sins: pride, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, guilt, shame etc, most Christians do not count these as sins, in the same categories with the other two.
b. Verbal sins; sins of tongue: gossip, maligning, slandering, judging, lying, talking back to authority. Etc.
c. Overt sins: murder, sexual sins, stealing, drunkenness, drug addiction, etc.

2. All sins of all 3 categories come once we make a decision to stop walking by Faith in Holy Spirit & walk in flesh,
These are products of flesh nature.
3. Three of the seven sins that God hates, are verbal sins:
Prov. 6:16-19 vs 17 a lying tongue v 19 a false witness who utters lies & one who spreads strife among bel.s

4. One essential issue about Sins of Tongue & Christians.
Sins of tongue result from a need of self vindication, or self justification, or self promotion, self gratification.
They often see themselves as protectors or defenders of the Holiness of God. In this respect they are just like their father the devil.
Satan sees himself as defender of the Law, of God’s Holiness
Ezk. 28:16 …O guardian angel
& after his fall, his name changed from Lucifer to Satan, & but he kept this attitude that he was to guard the righteousness of God.

Therefore it is characteristic of Satan to attack, slander, malign bel.s who sin! & he do this before God.
Rev. 12:10
5. Therefore when believers malign, slander, gossip, they are doing the work of Satan, not of God, not what Jesus Christ did on the cross. One important word is that it is their duty or responsibility –it is my duty to tell you, warn you, they might even add, I don’t like doing this but… duty to Righteousness of God,
to keep themselves pure
& in the process, they do the work of Satan & commit far worst sins than those they are maligning.

Self Righteous people, see it as their duty to destroy other bel.s whose sins offend them.
Pharisees sought to destroy Jesus Christ.
The religious crowd sought to destroy Paul, & other disciples
Self Righteousness always involved in Sins of the tongue
Legalism is a strong motivator of Sins of tongue
Jealousy & hatred are strong motivators of S/T
Revenge is a strong motivator of S/T
Restoration, & Sp.Love are never motivators of Sins of the tongue

6. It is neither the duty nor prerogative of any believer to assume the role & function of Jesus Christ as judge. This belongs to Christ alone. This is why we are mandated not to judge OA; slander, devour One Another.
7. The travesty of Sins of Tongue are that they are the very opposite of what we ought to do. what we will do in Sp.Love
The opposite of what Sp.Love does.
Gal. 6:1 Restore
2 Cor. 2:6-7…How do we do this? What is our motivation?
Vs 8 Sp.Love
Heb. 12:12-13

8. While the slanderer, gossiper; maligner seeks after Righteousness for his own justification; at the cross Jesus Christ sought after love, & restoration & this is what we should seek after.
But the slanderer, gossiper, maligner do not like this for it seems to let those who have offended him get away with sin; it does not exult them, it does not keep them pure.
Prov. 10:12; 17:9;
James 5:20
1 Peter 4:8
1 Cor. 13:5-6

9. Why does love cover sins?
One – because that is what happened at the cross
Two – sins are no longer the issue
Three – Restoration is the issue;
before God-restoration
Between man—restoration