Matthew Henry, in commenting on this verse, observed: “Slanders would not be so readily spoken as they are if they were not readily heard.” A conviction to not personally utter slander or gossip is not the end of the Christian’s responsibility. Saying nothing in the presence of slander is complicity. God calls for a strong response, a rebuke, an appeal to the slanderer to stop. Admittedly, this is uncomfortable for many. Slander, uninformed speculation, instant judgment without access to all of the facts – these are so commonplace that they have become acceptable sins, ones that God threw in but doesn’t really care about. They certainly don’t seem to be worthy of the awkwardness of a face to face rebuke. This attitude exposes our hearts. We convince ourselves of our love for God, but if we don’t love those whom He has created in His own image enough to stand up strongly in their defense, our love is hypocritical. Suddenly, the acceptable faults don’t seem so acceptable, which brings us back to throne of grace; grace to repent, grace to stand up for those who can’t stand for themselves, and grace to love as God loves.