1 Corinthians 5:11 ESV But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

I have written about this subject before, but it really cannot be addressed too often.

Have you ever had a relationship of some kind with a person who always blamed you? Who always put the guilt on you? Who consistently said that YOU are the one who is wrong?

I have.

Now, let’s think this through. I am not always right. I have been wrong and at fault more times than I want to remember. But have I always, in every case, without fail, been the guilty one? Have I always been the one who was wrong? I mean, that is impossible (well, unless you are the devil).

And yet there is this type of evil person that the Bible calls a “reviler.” Think about that word. re-vile. Villain. Villify. A reviler is a person whose nature is such that he/she makes others the villain. Accuses them. Guilts them. Blames them. So serious is this sin that God tells us not to have anything to do with someone like this.

Here is wisdom. If you have some relationship i n your life with a person who always blames you – a reviler in other words – that is one unsafe and wicked person and you are wise if you have nothing to do with them.

This evil is deceitful. It is sneaky. So much so that you can be persecuted by a reviler and not even realize what is happening – except that you feel very uneasy around such a person. But their disguise offsets your unease so that you put it away from yourself, blow it off, and move on. That is a mistake.

You are not always to blame. You are not always wrong. And if someone in your life is telling you that you are, jettison that person from your life.