“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or [as] a thief, or [as] an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.”
(1 Peter 4:15)

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A busybody in other men’s matters, is listed among thieves and murderers as being comparably undesirable. This is because there is nothing more offensive and destructive.

You would think we would all have our hands full in dealing with our own matters, concerning ourselves with our own shortcomings and failures, and would fail for time to deal with those of others. Yet, such is the wickedness of the human heart, that our own follies are overlooked in favor of those of others, and preachers can be the worst offenders in this, so this is for me as well as all of us.

Exhorting and giving reproof by the preaching of the Gospel, and being a busybody is two different things. The Lord is clear that we each stand or fall to our own Master (Romans 14:4). On the rare occasion that rebuke is necessary, may God restrict us (His preachers) to His word in the matter, His word ONLY being profitable for reproof. 2 Timothy 3:16 clearly excludes our own opinions from that which is profitable for rebuke.

May God give us a clear enough view of our own insufficiencies to cause us to consider our time well spent by keeping our nose out of those of others. Surely, if we determine to know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified, we will have enough subject matter for our messages, our bulletins and our conversations, without looking beyond ourselves for cause to be disappointed and errors to be addressed. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness. All else is a distraction at best.

By C. Cunningham