TL;DR:
True holiness involves ethical speech and self-control. "Uncle Bud" Robinson’s colorful illustrations of “long-tongued” people humorously yet sharply expose how gossip erodes joy, integrity, and fellowship. Psalm 15 links closeness with God to moral purity and to refusing to “tell tales” against one’s neighbor. The piece challenges us, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to examine our conversations. The Afterword likens gossip and slander—which choke relationships and distort truth—to weeds.
15 1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.16 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Which of the lifestyle guidelines of the Church of the Nazarene do you think is "broken" most often?
Tithing?
Active witnessing?
Not profaning the Lord's Day?
Avoiding God-dishonoring entertainment?
I'm guessing that the one most often broken is the admonition against "gossiping, slandering, spreading surmises injurious to the good names of others."
I've never listened to someone argue for abolishing this particular guideline or rule in the way that I have for some of the others. However, I have heard a lot of people breaking it. Most of us have probably been victimized in some way by a loose tongue belonging to a fellow believer.
More than a century ago, a preacher named "Bud" Robinson had a lot to say about holiness people and their tongues. Uncle Bud was a colorful character with a real concern for the practical, lived-out dimension of the sanctified life.
One of his sermon illustrations involved a man who came to Bud to say, "Brother Bud, my religious joy has all leaked out. What is my problem?"
"My, my!" Bud replied. "My friend, you keep your mouth open all the time."
This focus on the ethical side of the Spirit-filled life has made some people uncomfortable. They would prefer that preachers -- and church lifestyle rules -- deal only in generalities.
However, Bud Robinson was on solid biblical ground when he admonished listeners to "keep that rat hole in your noggin closed." (That was his Texas paraphrase of Psalm 15:3.)
Psalm 15 begins with two questions. The Message paraphrases them as God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?
To be sure, the answer that follows does include a general "moral purity." But there is also the very specific: He who "tells no tales against his neighbor" (v. 3c, NEB).
In the book Sunshine and Smiles (which, by the way, is still being sold on Amazon), Bud Robinson talks about the issue of gossip this way:
I have seen cows with tongues long enough to lick their calves through the crack of the fence.
"Well," you say, "that is a mighty long tongue."
Yes, it is, but I have seen longer tongues than that. I have seen people who could sit in their own parlor and lick their neighbors all around the country. They would make you think of a wagon -- they need a breast yoke to hold their tongue up.
Without a doubt, satanic forces try to make sure that we experience a thrill at passing on a juicy story about someone. However, Psalm 15 clearly reminds us that the man "whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous" is not a tale-teller (v. 2, NIV).
Just for a moment, ask the Holy Spirit to help you review your conversations from the past few days. What about the last time you talked about someone to a third person? Was it a tale? Or was it a conversation worthy of a holy lifestyle, worthy of one walking in the path of life?
Nine audio sermons on holiness
-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
I wrote this devotional blog post while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It is one of a series of 52 brief devotionals written for The Standard, a weekly Faith Connections take-home curriculum piece for adult Sunday school classes published by The Foundry.
Gossiping, slandering, and spreading injurious surmises are common problems among believers. These practices keep believers from living truly holy lives. Decades ago, "Bud" Robinson noted that one aspect of holiness involved controlling one's tongue. Psalm 15 lists criteria for close communion with God, and refusing to tell tales against one's neighbor is one of them. Living a holy lifestyle involves abstaining from harmful speech, including harmful speech on social media. Focusing on the ethical side of the Spirit-filled life may make some people uncomfortable, but harmonizing spiritual beliefs with daily actions is vital to a transformative faith experience. By seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance and practicing self-control, believers can overcome gossip and pursue holiness with integrity.
Gossip and slander are like insidious weeds in the garden of social interaction. They sprout and grow where truth is obscured and malice takes root. Gossip, often a whispered exchange of hearsay and speculation, can spread like wildfire, leaving scorched reputations and fractured relationships in its wake. It loves the sensational and feeds on the vulnerabilities of its targets. Slander is gossip's more venomous cousin: the deliberate weaponization of falsehoods to tarnish character and inflict lasting harm. Both gossip and slander can sow seeds of mistrust and discord among friends, colleagues, and churches.
Both can appear innocuous, yet each has the capacity to wound deeply, erode trust, and corrode bonds of fellowship. In the face of gossip and slander, we must respond with wisdom, empathy, and integrity to protect the sanctity of truth and the dignity of every person.
S - Speaking no evil of another, even when it’s easy.
L - Letting truth, not rumor, guide every word.
A - Avoiding the subtle pleasure of tearing someone down.
N - Naming others with dignity, never with malice.
D - Disciplining the tongue to bless rather than wound.
E - Examining motives before repeating a story.
R - Refusing to weaponize words against a neighbor.
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