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Are you a reviler? Is your minister or pastor a reviler? Many believers have witnessed various forms of reviling, but few recognize it as a serious sin. This article will cover the sin of reviling, a sin that some believers engage in that may cause them to lose the kingdom of God as an inheritance.

revile:
criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner [1].

Religious revilers are passionate persons, who in some manner proclaim to believe in God, but are often doctrinally incorrect on various topics, defend their incorrect doctrines, and revile people who disagree with their religious worldviews. Atheistic secular people can be revilers also, but they are typically foolish mockers of God, and mock people who believe in God, but are not revilers in the strictest sense (Psalm 14:1,53:1).

1 TIMOTHY 6:3-5:
If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ), and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, REVILING, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

2 TIMOTHY 2:23-25:
But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth…

Messianic and Christian believers who revile fellow believers over matters of doctrinal faith issues go well beyond rebuking them. Believers are to rebuke sinners (Leviticus 19:17; 2 Timothy 4:2), but are not to revile fellow believers over doctrinal disagreements.

CALLING OTHERS APOSTATES, BLASPHEMERS, AND HERETICS

Revilers often revile doctrinally incorrect believers, sometimes over small doctrinal differences, with harsh words that generate strife. Instead of reviling believers who hold different doctrinal viewpoints, as ‘apostates,’ ‘blasphemers,’ and ‘heretics,’ Scripture commands us to not be quarrelsome, and to teach others who have incorrect opposing viewpoints with gentleness and humility in leading them to truth.

Ironically, revilers are often themselves wrong on matters of doctrine when they revile a fellow believer. The reason for this is quite logical and simple: if a reviler is doctrinally correct, he can use Scripture to rebuke a doctrinally incorrect believer. But if the reviler is doctrinally incorrect, and unwilling to admit or change his or her denominational Scripturally held incorrect doctrinal position, a reviler then often attacks a messenger of truth – a fellow believer, through reviling. Reviling is a tactic often used to kill the messenger to stop the message.

REVILING OFTEN LEADS TO PERSECUTION

MATTHEW 26:63-65:
And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Messiah (Christ), the Son of God!”
Yeshua (Jesus) said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “HE HAS SPOKEN BLASPHEMY! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now YOU HAVE HEARD HIS BLASPHEMY!”

MARK 14:61-64:
Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the Blessed?”
Yeshua (Jesus) said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? YOU HAVE HEARD THE BLASPHEMY!”

JOHN 10:33:
The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

Yeshua (Jesus) was arrested, persecuted, and executed, but before that happened He was falsely accused and reviled as a blasphemer by the high priests and Pharisees, because He bore witness to the truth (John 18:37) and challenged their traditions, doctrinal beliefs, and moral authority.

The Inquisition was a Catholic ecclesiastical tribunal court established in the thirteenth century for the stated purpose of suppressing heresy. Inquisitions were a means by which evil men of the Catholic Church used to revile anyone who would not be obedient to the Catholic Pope and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It is estimated that the Roman Catholic Church killed between 100-150 million people during the dark middle ages in their crusades, inquisition trials, and subsequent executions.

COLOSSIANS 3:8:
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

1 PETER 2:21-23:
For to this you were called, because Messiah (Christ) also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth,” who, WHEN HE WAS REVILED, DID NOT REVILE IN RETURN…

1 JOHN 2:6:
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Yeshua (Jesus) was a rebuker of evil men, hypocrites, and sin, but He was not a reviler. Those who claim to know Him as a Messianic or Christian believer should follow His example, follow His steps, and ought to walk just as He walked.

It is unbefitting conduct for believers to revile fellow believers as apostates, blasphemers, and heretics, as Yeshua (Jesus) did not revile people as such. It is proper to rebuke sinners and correct false doctrines by teaching fellow believers who hold incorrect opposing doctrinal viewpoints with concern and love in leading them to truth.

MESSIANICS AND CHRISTIANS SHOULD EXPECT TO BE REVILED

MATTHEW 5:11:
“Blessed are you when they REVILE and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”

LUKE 6:22:
“Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and REVILE you, and cast your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.”

A servant is not above his Master (Matthew 10:24), and if the world reviled Messiah (Christ), the world will also revile His followers (John 15:20). Those who are reviled for His sake will be blessed.

REVILERS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD

1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the reign of Elohim (kingdom of God)? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous (greedy of gain), nor drunkards, NOR REVILERS, nor swindlers will inherit the reign of Elohim (kingdom of God).

Believers and preachers who go around reviling fellow believers over minor doctrinal differences, such as what bible version should be used, calling law keepers ‘Judaizers,’ and condemning people as hell bound apostates, blasphemers, and heretics if they do not believe as they do over other similar issues, are themselves in great danger of being judged by God as revilers.

Revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1. ‘Revile,’ Oxford Dictionaries, © Oxford University Press, 2016,
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/revile>.