Resisting GossipSample

The Resistibility of Gossip Through Christ

There is hope. You and I are not left on our own to deal with the allure, pain and wickedness of gossip. God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3). The gospel of Jesus Christ defeats gossip.

A Great and Precious Promise: A Way Out

One of the chief ways Jesus empowers us to die to our sins is through promises like the one we find in First Corinthians 10:13. The apostle Paul told the Corinthians (and, through them, us too), “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13). The urge to gossip is not extraordinary. We should not feel as if we are the first to ever experience it. I’m sure that even the Lord Jesus was tempted to gossip (although praise God, He never gave in; see Heb 4:15).

But Paul went on to say, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Cor. 10:13). We have to believe what Paul said, even though it will seldom feel as if it is true.

Paul finished the verse with the promise, “But when you are tempted, [God] will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (10:13). What a great and precious promise! Our job is to trust God’s promise and to look for the “way out” which will always be available. The temptation may not go away. We may even have to continue to “stand up under it.” Yet although it is not easy, it is possible to win the war against sinful gossip.