My thoughts on reviling and the current political climate

This is not an easy post. I’m not usually the warning-of-hell kind of guy. But I need to talk to my fellow Christians about a serious sin that many of us have fallen into.

In the Bible, in his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul writes, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But rather I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, REVILER, drunkard, or robber–not even to eat with such a one.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)

We need to talk about the sin of reviling. This is a serious sin. Later in the same letter, St. Paul tells us that revilers will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. (6:10)

The Greek word translated as reviler is “loidoros.” It’s a person who speaks abusively or contemptuously about others, putting them down, belittling them, or insulting them.

In Matthew 5:22, Jesus tells us that even those who say, “you fool” will be liable to the fires of hell.

My friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re not even supposed to associate with Christians who speak this way about others, and yet, that’s what many of us have become, and I think we’ve become that way because we associate with such people. This seems to be especially true in the realm of politics.

There’s no denying that President Trump speaks contemptuously about others, especially his political adversaries. Here’s a man who claims to be a Christian, but he is a reviler, and probably worse. As Christians, we should not even associate with the man, let alone celebrate him. And those of you who have celebrated him, I’ve seen it, you’ve often become revilers too.

My Christian brothers and sisters on the left—too often, you’ve let your hearts be filled with contempt for Donald Trump, and when you speak of him or his political allies, you also become a reviler.

Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:44) Whether you revile left or right, I love you, and I want you to get to heaven, but according to scriptures, you won’t if you don’t repent.

I’m by no means perfect. I’m guilty. I’ve associated with revelers, and before I know it, I’ve found myself saying things like, “Gosh what an idiot.” That’s not how God wants us to talk. But I’ve repented, I’ve confessed, and I’m living with a firm resolution to do better, and I charge you, by God’s grace, to repent with me.

Saint Paul writes to the Ephesians, “Put off the old man…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness…be angry but do not sin. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good and edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in which you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 4:22,23-24, 26,29-32, Ch. 5:1-2)