You Shall Not Bear False Witness (Part 1)

This week we begin our look at the 9th commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” And as we’ve done with the commandments before it we’re going start by looking at the nature and scope of the 9th commandment. I want to spend our time, at first, examining what lies at the root of the 9th commandment, in order that we might have a better and more comprehensive understanding of its scope. And again, to achieve this end we must first ask questions like, “Why is bearing false against our neighbor wrong?” or “Why is lying wrong?” Because, as we’ve seen before, violating these commandments isn’t wrong merely because it hurts other people. While violating the second table of the law certainly hurts people, there’s much more to it than that, there’s a more fundamental answer that lies upstream, and that’s what we want to explore at first today.

God is truth

To start, we first need to recognize that, like the other commandments, the 9th commandment is rooted in the very character of God himself, therefore, to violate the 9th commandment is to violate his own character. So, how is the 9th commandment rooted in God’s character? Well, scripture tells us repeatedly that God is truth and that he cannot lie. Jesus famously told his disciples in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus doesn’t merely teach what is true or represent what is true, he is the truth, the very embodiment of truth. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of truth by Jesus in John 14:17 and John 16:13. The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 6:18 that “it is impossible for God to lie.” We’re told in Numbers 23:19 that “God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” The prophet Samuel would record something similar a few hundred years later in 1 Samuel 15:29, writing that, “the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” In short, God is truth, and he cannot lie, because for him to lie would be for him act contrary to his nature.

Devil the father of lies

Conversely, the devil’s nature is to lie. He’s described as a deceiver, and the father of lies. For example, at one point when Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees in John 8:44, he said to them, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” So, while God is truth and cannot lie, the devil is described as a liar, and the father of lies. Therefore, when we lie we not only violate God’s holy character, but we align ourselves with the devil, who is the father of lies. Which, of course, is precisely what took place in the Garden of Eden, when Eve chose to believe the serpent’s lies rather than the truth of God.

Sanctity of truth

Therefore, at its root, the 9th commandment teaches us to uphold the sanctity of truth. And as a result, we’re forbidden from telling lies, whether it’s bearing false testimony against our neighbor in the court of law or intentionally exaggerating a story to impress our neighbor. You see, as with many of the other commandments, the 9th commandment itself provides us with an example of how the sanctity of truth is violated. In other words, bearing false witness is a severe example of how the sanctity of truth is violated, just as murder is a severe example of how the sanctity of life is violated in the 6th commandment.

So, the point of these examples, “do not murder”, “do no bear false witness”, “do not steal”, are not intended to limit the scope of these commandments, but instead serve as extreme examples. As we’ve seen before, these commandments extend much deeper and wider than at face value. For example, Jesus taught that violating the 7th commandment was not limited to adultery of the flesh, but also included adultery of the heart. Similarly, “do not bear false witness” is not limited to telling the truth only in the court of law, but in every area of life. As one preacher put it, “the 9th commandment prohibits the trafficking of all types lies and deceit.”

What is a lie?

Now, let’s consider for a moment, “What is a lie?” Now, I understand that the question might seem elementary. I mean doesn’t everyone know what a lie is? Do we really need to define it. Well, I think for us to accurately perceive the full scope of the 9th commandment that we need to. If someone asked you to define a lie you might respond by saying something like this, “a lie is a false statement made with the intent to deceive or mislead someone,” and you would be absolutely correct, however, I want us to explore that definition for a minute.

Fabricating your own reality

Let’s say you mother asked you whether you brushed your teeth this morning or not, and you looked her straight in the eye and told her “yes”, but the truth is you didn’t. Now, your mother believes you, so she doesn’t question whether you’re telling the truth or not, and so you go about your day. Now your mother has imagined that you brushed your teeth, but the truth is you didn’t, instead you were somewhere else goofing off. In other words, what you said happened contradicts reality. You’ve fabricated an anti-reality, that you brushed your teeth this morning, but that’s not what really happened, you just made that up. Why am I belaboring this point? Because it’s important that we recognize that when we lie we’re attempting to play God by fabricating our own reality.

Transgenderism

Let me give you another example that might make this especially clear, transgenderism. We live in a day where we’re told that men can become women and women can become men. Now, I think many of us know intuitively that transgenderism is sin, even most non-believers tend to recognize that transgenderism is a bridge too far, but do you know why it’s wrong? Can you articulate from the Scriptures why transgenderism is sin? Well, there are several reasons we could point out, but one of them is because transgenderism is a violation of the 9th commandment. You see, when a man claims to be a woman he’s fabricating his own reality, he’s lying, he’s playing God. God has made him a man, but he would rather be a woman, and so what does he have to do? He has to lie. He has to deny reality and fabricate his own, he has to play God, and he may even go so far as to mutilate his own body to convince himself and the rest of the world.

Furthermore, and as a result, there has arisen within the church those who advocate for what author, Preston Sprinkle, has referred to as pronoun hospitality. Alongside others, he has advocated that Christians adopt an individual’s preferred pronouns under the guise of loving their neighbor. He says that Christians should prioritize relationships over their theological convictions. But what’s wrong with his argument? Well, he’s advocating that we violate the 9th commandment under the guise of love, he’s asking Christians to lie to their neighbor and calling it love.

Now, this is important for us to recognize, because this has become the world’s primary means of steering and manipulating Christians, in this case, by convincing them that it’s loving to lie to their neighbor, but what have we learned about the second table of the law thus far? That the second table of the law defines love for us, that the law of God does not contradict love, but defines and establishes it. Therefore, it is never loving to lie to our neighbor, no matter how much your neighbor might demand that you do. It’s not loving our neighbor to join them in their delusion, to join them in their fabricated reality. We love our neighbors by telling them the truth. Obviously this doesn’t mean we have permission to be a jerk, but it does mean if we want to love our neighbor biblically, then we must always be willing to tell them the truth, even, and especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Redefining marriage

Something similar happened when the United States Supreme Court redefined the institution of marriage in the 2015 Obergefell decision. While most Christians recognize that sodomy is sin, and that a homosexual relationship should never constitute a marriage, most Christians don’t realize altogether why. Most Christians don’t realize that the Supreme Court violated the 9th commandment by attempting to redefine reality. You see, the institution of marriage is not a man-made institution, and therefore man does not possess the authority to re-define it, anymore than man possesses the authority to re-define what a man or a woman is. Mankind does not possess supreme authority, we do not get to play God and redefine reality, government is fundamentally intended to be subject to God and his law.

Government built on the law of God

You can’t have a secular government that just chooses out of thin air how the world is going to work, arbitrarily re-defining morality for itself as the passions of the people change with the wind, no, the world is designed in a certain way, governed by certain principles, therefore any government that intends to last must establish itself upon those principles, their governing principles must be based upon natural law, they must be based upon reality, they must be based upon the 10 commandments.

And any government or society that isn’t based in reality will not last long. You see, this is why the Christian West has persisted as long as it has, and been as successful as it has, because, to various degrees, its nations have been ordered according to biblical principles. In other words, the more we synchronize how we live with biblical principles the more likely things will go well for us, in our marriages, in our homes, at work, at school, etc. This is why non-believers still find value in the Book of Proverbs, despite their rejection of everything else, because they recognize that biblical principles work in this world better than anything else, which is a testament to the truthfulness of Scripture. However, when we try to make up the rules as we go along, to suite your own desires, our marriages suffer, divorce rates increase, the relationships with our children come undone, businesses go bankrupt, and eventually society collapses. Living a lie ultimately puts a society’s integrity at risk, until it all eventually comes crashing down.

Mask mandates, living by lies

Another example that came to mind while putting this sermon together was the events of COVID-19, a time that I’m not inclined to relive, but a time that forced me to think biblically about areas that I hadn’t previously considered. For example, as the pandemic and the lock-downs dragged on for months, the mandates that required everyone to wear a mask became increasingly controversial and divisive. I remember becoming increasingly resistant to the mask mandates, but for a while I couldn’t put my finger on the reasons why. Eventually, though, it became clear to me what it was that bothered me about the mask mandates.

Masks gave people the impression that they were protecting their neighbor from harm, but masks had never been designed for such a purpose, and no pandemic playbook had ever advocated for their use in such a scenario, yet they were forced upon the public. This created a dilemma for many Christians like myself who became increasingly conflicted about the efficacy of masks, because it was becoming increasingly clear that masks were not really preventing the spread of disease as we had though at the beginning, but rather were giving people a false sense security, and as a result many Christians like myself increasingly felt as though we were being forced to live by lies, that by wearing a mask we were being forced to pretend, that we were being forced to tell a lie, that we were being forced to violate our conscience and the 9th commandment. Now, my point here isn’t to convince you one or another of the efficacy of masks during a pandemic, but simply to highlight how a desire to uphold the 9th commandment should foster in us desire to live according to the truth and not by lies.

Lying is serious

So, lying not only violates God’s character but it defies God’s authority. Lying contradicts and undermines truth and it fabricates it’s own reality. Which is why the Bible takes the subject so seriously. Listen to just a small sampling, Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Notice how God gets personal, and how it says that the LORD hates “a false witness who breathes our lies,” God doesn’t just hate the sin, he hates the one who perpetrates the sin. I’ve frequently heard the sentiment, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner,” and while that sentiment might appeal to our human sensibilities, it’s not a biblical sentiment, God hates a false witness, you can’t separate the sin from the perpetrator of that sin, God doesn’t send the sin to hell, he sends the sinner to hell.

Then turn with me to Acts 5. Now, many of you are probably familiar with this story of Ananias and Sapphira, but it immediately follows the portion of scripture we looked at in our last time where Luke highlights the generosity of the early church by describing them as having everything in common. Luke tells us that “as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and that it was distributed to each as any had need.” But then in chapter 5 the story takes a drastic turn, and we pickup there in chapter 5, verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Ananias and Sapphira

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Many Signs and Wonders Done

Now, Ananias and Sapphira were under no obligation to sell their property in the first place, and, furthermore, were under no obligation to give any amount of the proceeds to the church, so it’s not that it was wrong for them to keep some of the proceeds for themselves, but only that they had decided to lie to Peter about it, to pretend as though they had given all of the proceeds to the church when they hadn’t. But Peter tells them that it isn’t only to him they’ve lied, but to the Holy Spirit. As a result, God makes an example out of them by putting them both to death.

And lastly, we’re told in Revelation 21:8 that “as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” So, it’s abundantly clear that God takes lying seriously, therefore so should we.

Now, in our next time we’re going explore the scope of the 9th commandment more comprehensively, but I hope that just by exploring the nature of the 9th commandment you can see just how far reaching this commandment is, and how much it touches every area of our of lives.

Loving the truth

Now, I also want us to consider this morning what lies at the heart of the 9th commandment. If lying is so serious, then why are we inclined to lie? What’s the driving motivation behind it? Well, to answer that question we first need to see that the Bible describes two categories of people, first, those who love the truth, and, second, those who love falsehood.

Scripture teaches us that we have a natural prejudice against the truth, or as the Apostle Paul put it in Romans 1:18 that, by nature, we actively suppress the truth about God by our unrighteousness, that we would rather live by the lies fabricated in our own minds than by what’s true. Why? Because we take pleasure in unrighteousness. Later, in 2 Thessalonians 2:12, Paul explains that by nature we don’t believe the truth because we find pleasure in unrighteousness. In other words, we’re prejudiced against the truth and love lies because we love our sin, and because we’re unwilling to forsake our sin, we’re unwilling to seek truth. Or as Jesus put it in John 3:19-20,

John 3:19–20 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

You see, light is often used as a metaphor for truth, and like a light truth exposes our sin, it uncovers the lies we’ve embraced in order to excuse our sin. In fact, the Apostle Paul back in Romans 1:25 put it this way, that we exchange the truth about God for a lie.

Which is why the Gospel is inherently offensive to the natural man, because it calls men to repentance and to come into the light, to forsake falsehood and embrace truth, to embrace Christ. The Bible describes us as dead in our sins and trespasses, slaves to sin, like prisoners held captive by our own sinful lusts.

Whereas, those who love the truth willingly and gladly come to Christ, because those who are of the truth have been given hears to hear. When Jesus was speaking with Pilate in John 18:37 he said, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. [And] everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Similarly, Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” If you’re here today, it’s likely because you’ve been given ears to hear, because everyone who is of the truth listens to the voice of their shepherd. You see, a love for the truth is a hallmark of the Christian life, a willingness to forsake falsehood and unrighteousness to follow Christ.

Come into the light

So, if you’re within earshot of my voice, and you find yourself cut to the heart and convicted of your sin, I implore you to come to Christ. Come out of the darkness and into his marvelous light, you who are heavy laden and burdened by your sin, Christ will give you rest, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light, because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, and your sins will be forgiven. And if you’re already a follower of Christ, remember that his mercies are new every morning, that if you confess your sin he is faithful and just to forgive you.

Conclusion

As we wrap up this morning, my goal has been to consider the nature and scope of the 9th commandment. That telling the truth is first and foremost rooted in God’s own character, and that to lie is to violate his character. That lying not only hurts our neighbor, but that it’s first and foremost an offense against God. Secondly, lying seeks to undermine and supplant the truth by fabricating our own reality contrary to how God has made the world and contrary to what is true, therefore to lie is to play God and usurp is authority. Therefore, we must be a people who live not by lies and who are marked by truth, as people who live in the light.

Prayer

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