Topical Bible: Slander: Saints: should Return Good For

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Topical Encyclopedia

Slander, defined as the act of making false and damaging statements about someone, is a sin that is addressed multiple times in the Bible. For the saints, or believers in Christ, the response to slander is not one of retaliation or vengeance, but rather of grace and goodness. This principle is rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, who emphasized the importance of love, forgiveness, and blessing those who persecute or speak ill of us.

Biblical Teachings on Slander:

1. Jesus' Teaching on Loving Enemies:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. This teaching extends to those who slander us. Jesus says, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). This radical love is a hallmark of Christian conduct, demonstrating the transformative power of the Gospel.

2. Paul's Exhortation to the Romans:
The Apostle Paul echoes Jesus' teaching in his letter to the Romans. He writes, "Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:14). Paul further advises, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody" (Romans 12:17). This instruction encourages believers to rise above the natural inclination to retaliate and instead respond with kindness and integrity.

3. Peter's Counsel to the Early Church:
The Apostle Peter also addresses the issue of slander in his first epistle. He encourages believers to maintain a good conscience so that those who slander them may be put to shame by their good behavior. Peter writes, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9). This passage highlights the calling of Christians to be a blessing, even in the face of unjust treatment.

4. The Example of Jesus:
Jesus Himself is the ultimate example of returning good for slander. During His trial and crucifixion, He was falsely accused and mocked, yet He did not retaliate. Instead, He prayed for His persecutors, saying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). This act of forgiveness and love serves as the supreme model for believers.

Practical Application for Believers:

Believers are called to follow the example of Christ and the teachings of the apostles by responding to slander with goodness and blessing. This response is not only a testament to the believer's faith but also serves as a witness to the transformative power of the Gospel. By choosing to bless rather than curse, Christians demonstrate the love of Christ and fulfill their calling to be peacemakers in a world often marked by conflict and division.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Corinthians 4:13
Being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things to this day.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Psalm CIX.
... more before the Lord, than they who slander the very ... Thy Name's sake." Whence a higher
sense should not be ... understood of His members, that is, of His saints? ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cix.htm

Go Back? Never!
... happened to be with him who should say, "Why ... fair white linen which is the righteousness
of the saints. ... When people slander and persecute you no longer, be ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 61 1915/go back never.htm

The Pilgrim's Longings
... such a family as God has, we should ever have ... fair white linen, which is the
righteousness of the saints. ... When people persecute you and slander you, no marvel. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 18 1872/the pilgrims longings.htm

The Good Shepherd: a Farewell Sermon
... imputed righteousness, but it is a slander, an impudent slander. ... doctrine of the
perseverance of the saints: What if a person say they should persevere in ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the good shepherd a farewell.htm

How Saints May Help the Devil
... If sinners slander us, it is because we make them uneasy. ... Why, just look at these
saints:"a drivelling set of ... it is quite right that every man should go to ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/how saints may help the.htm

The Good Man's Life and Death
... may have afterwards become the greatest of saints, yet until ... all the ban-dogs of
malice and slander are at ... good should die; alas, that the righteous should fall ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the good mans life and.htm

A Word for the Persecuted
... the Lord Jesus Christ himself meet with slander, cruelty, and ... had your share in the
common lot of the saints. ... take everything you like, for I should not wish ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 20 1874/a word for the persecuted.htm

Letter ccxx. (AD 427. )
... saying, moreover, perhaps it is an unfounded slander,"that one ... of continence, and
would add that you should now do ... life in the society of the saints in which ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter ccxx a d 427.htm

The Church as She Should Be
... She should be amiable, and she is ... world if they can, or to bespatter them with slander
if they ... The martyrdom of saints is the result of the darkness hating the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the church as she should.htm

Faustus Fails to Understand Why He Should be Required Either to ...
... This is nothing else than to slander good men, and to ... is intolerable that the reader
or learner should dare to ... perfection will not come to the saints till the ...
/.../faustus fails to understand why.htm