The Destructive Power Of Gossip

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” -James 1:26

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”-James 3:9-10

Let's Talk About Gossip

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” — Proverbs 18:21

Gossip is spiritual poison. And let’s be honest, it’s one of the most socially accepted sins in the church. We commit it with alarming regularity and barely blink. We couch it in “prayer requests” or “just being honest,” but Scripture pulls no punches. Gossip is evil. It’s damaging.

And it destroys people.

Scott Sauls nails it: “Gossip is a form of pornography, because when you gossip you are essentially ‘undressing’ a person and exposing things about them which are intimate, vulnerable, and private just to get a cheap thrill out of them, and to gratify yourself by feasting upon them in your mind.”

That’s not just shocking. It’s biblical.

Gossip Dehumanizes People Made in God’s Image

When we gossip, we devalue the person we're talking about. We reduce them, not to just a story, but to a scandal. We strip away their dignity and humanity and make them a punchline, a cautionary tale, or worse…our entertainment.

And here’s the kicker: we often do it in Jesus’ name.

Let me give you a few examples that might hit uncomfortably close to home:

• The Prayer Chain Gossip: “We really need to pray for Sarah and Tom… I heard he’s been staying late at work with his assistant.”Translation: I’m pretending to care spiritually while spreading private information.

• The ‘Just Letting You Know’ at Work: “Heads up—you’ll be working with Jim. He’s been out a lot. I heard his kid’s in trouble with the law.”Translation: I’m sharing something I shouldn’t under the guise of being helpful.

• The Parental Awareness Chat: “Emily’s daughter got caught sneaking out. You may want to monitor who your kids hang out with…”Translation: I’m masking judgment with concern for your family.

• The “Discernment” Assassin:" I’m concerned about the new youth pastor. Did you know he was divorced? My daughter said he talked about dating in small group.”Translation: I’m throwing shade but using Christian-sounding language.

But Proverbs 16:28 makes it clear: “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Gossip always works in the shadows, just like pornography. Because we know deep down it violates the dignity of the person we’re talking about.

When we gossip, we:

• Rob people of their right to privacy

• Strip them of their complexity

• Deny them a voice to defend themselves

• Reduce their pain to a talking point

And James 3 nails us to the wall: “With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God… These things ought not to be so.”

Gossip Exposes Our Self-Righteous Hearts

Let’s call it what it is: gossip isn’t just about them. It’s really about us. It’s our subtle way of saying, “I would never do that.”

It's a modern-day version of the Pharisee’s prayer in Luke 18:11: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men…”

We put ourselves in the judge’s seat. We don’t need to know all the facts, just enough to feel superior.

Here’s how that shows up:

• We disguise gossip as “concern”

• We spiritualize sin by labeling it “prayer”

• We feed our own pride by highlighting others’ failures

Jesus had words for this kind of behavior: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs… beautiful outwardly, but inside full of dead people’s bones.” -Matthew 23:27-28

Gossip is often our way of refusing to look in the mirror. Because when I’m picking apart someone else’s story, I don’t have to face my own sin. I don’t have to deal with the log in my own eye.

But worse, it reveals our lack of trust in God’s justice. When we gossip, we’re saying, “God’s not dealing with this fast enough, so I’ll make sure people know what’s really going on.”

Let that sit for a minute.

The Only Cure for Gossip Is the Gospel

The only hope for our tongues is not a better filter, it’s a new heart.

The Cross Shatters Our Self-Righteousness

When I remember that I deserved wrath and got mercy instead, it becomes very hard to judge someone else.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only what is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” -Ephesians 4:29

Gossip gives corruption. The gospel gives grace.

Jesus Models a Better Way

Even nailed to a cross, Jesus didn’t gossip. Didn’t accuse. Didn’t sling mud. He prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” -Luke 23:34

If there were ever a time to unload some character assassination, that would’ve been it. But Jesus used His final breaths to speak grace.

The Gospel Changes Us From the Inside Out

You don’t just need to watch your mouth. You need Jesus to change your heart.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17

Gossip is part of the “old you.” But in Christ, your mouth is no longer a weapon of destruction. It can become a tool of healing, of truth, of life.

What Should We Do?

Let me get super practical.

1. Repent: Name it. Don’t excuse it. Don’t rebrand it as a concern. Confess gossip as sin.

2. Ask God To Change Your Eyes: See people as image-bearers, not characters in your narrative. See brokenness and hurt instead of juicy details.

3. Speak Life: Make it your aim to encourage, not entertain. Speak words that build up. Speak words that cost you something.

4. Remember the Cross: When you’re tempted to talk about someone, picture Christ on the cross, silently bearing your shame. That’s what stops gossip in its tracks.

Final Words

Look, I get it. Gossip can feel subtle. Casual. “Not that serious.”

But in God’s eyes? It’s deadly.

Your words can heal or they can destroy. They can bring life, or they can spread rot through the Body of Christ.

You have the power to glorify God with your mouth or grieve His Spirit. But in Christ, you also have the power to change.

Let’s be people who speak with truth, tenderness, and integrity. Let our conversations be so seasoned with grace that when others leave, they feel like they’ve encountered Christ, not TMZ.