The True Witness
Scripture reference: Exodus 20:16
The Ninth Commandment can easily be collapsed to, "Thou shalt not lie." Which can then be expanded to mean lying with speech and behavior. For everyone knows that as a picture is worth a thousand words, our actions speak louder than words. And if our actions contradict the words we speak, it is alway our actions which are believed. Therefore, we break the Ninth Commandment both when we bare false witness about ourselves with words that do not match our deeds, and bare false witness against Christ when are deeds do not match His teachings.
When people accused Jesus of being a servant of the Devil, he responded by pointing to his behavior. Jesus often called people to consider his actions and the things he did as proof that he was sent by God. And when Paul responded to his critics, he always reminded them of how he and his associates conducted themselves. Both Jesus and Paul relied on their actions more than their words to prove their servitude to God.
I have no doubt that when God commanded His people to no bare false witness against each other, He did so because He knew that it would reflect badly on Him. And is this not exactly what happens when Christians behave in a manner others outside the Church know contradicts the teachings of the Bible? Is it not God and Jesus who suffer the most loss when some one claiming to be a Christian behaves in a manner contrary to his words? Is it not the Church, the body of Christ, that is injured when one of its members, by his behavior, bares false witness against the Church?
The news of the land too often contains a report of some minister doing something everyone knows the Bible speaks against. Whether it be a minister chasing after money and living a lavish lifestyle, or a minister having an affair with a gay man, or a minister using his pulpit to speak hatred toward some group, the false witness these men make is more against the gospel of Jesus Christ than it is against themselves. And it is how these men behave which attracts the attention of the public; much more so than anything they say. As a result, it is the behavior of these false witnesses which dominates the minds of someone a faithful witness speaks the Word of truth to. So the truthful witness also suffers from the negative perception of him planted in the lost sheep's mind by the false witness.
When we correctly interpret the Ninth Commandment as forbidding the telling of lies about another, we need to remember that God, Jesus, and the Church count as "another." And we need to remember that we are constantly being watched; our behavior is constantly being scrutinized. We are always making a witness and giving testimony even when there are no words coming out of our mouth. The giving or withholding of a smile; the holding or not holding of a door; having a beer or a cigarette in our hand; the magazine we look at while standing in line at the checkout; the too tight or too baggy pants we are wearing. In all of these silent ways and many others we present a witness loud and clear. And whenever our non-verbal testimony is contrary to our words, it is our behavior which will have prominence. Our verbal witness will be ignored as false. For ultimately, people hear better with their eyes than with their ears.
Therefore, let us go forth and bare no false witness against our Heavenly Father and our master, Jesus Christ, by our behavior. Let us strive to give a true testimony to the love of the Father and the Son, and our obedience to their teachings with our every action. And may God be glorified by both our words and deeds.
May the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
The Ninth Commandment can easily be collapsed to, "Thou shalt not lie." Which can then be expanded to mean lying with speech and behavior. For everyone knows that as a picture is worth a thousand words, our actions speak louder than words. And if our actions contradict the words we speak, it is alway our actions which are believed. Therefore, we break the Ninth Commandment both when we bare false witness about ourselves with words that do not match our deeds, and bare false witness against Christ when are deeds do not match His teachings.
When people accused Jesus of being a servant of the Devil, he responded by pointing to his behavior. Jesus often called people to consider his actions and the things he did as proof that he was sent by God. And when Paul responded to his critics, he always reminded them of how he and his associates conducted themselves. Both Jesus and Paul relied on their actions more than their words to prove their servitude to God.
I have no doubt that when God commanded His people to no bare false witness against each other, He did so because He knew that it would reflect badly on Him. And is this not exactly what happens when Christians behave in a manner others outside the Church know contradicts the teachings of the Bible? Is it not God and Jesus who suffer the most loss when some one claiming to be a Christian behaves in a manner contrary to his words? Is it not the Church, the body of Christ, that is injured when one of its members, by his behavior, bares false witness against the Church?
The news of the land too often contains a report of some minister doing something everyone knows the Bible speaks against. Whether it be a minister chasing after money and living a lavish lifestyle, or a minister having an affair with a gay man, or a minister using his pulpit to speak hatred toward some group, the false witness these men make is more against the gospel of Jesus Christ than it is against themselves. And it is how these men behave which attracts the attention of the public; much more so than anything they say. As a result, it is the behavior of these false witnesses which dominates the minds of someone a faithful witness speaks the Word of truth to. So the truthful witness also suffers from the negative perception of him planted in the lost sheep's mind by the false witness.
When we correctly interpret the Ninth Commandment as forbidding the telling of lies about another, we need to remember that God, Jesus, and the Church count as "another." And we need to remember that we are constantly being watched; our behavior is constantly being scrutinized. We are always making a witness and giving testimony even when there are no words coming out of our mouth. The giving or withholding of a smile; the holding or not holding of a door; having a beer or a cigarette in our hand; the magazine we look at while standing in line at the checkout; the too tight or too baggy pants we are wearing. In all of these silent ways and many others we present a witness loud and clear. And whenever our non-verbal testimony is contrary to our words, it is our behavior which will have prominence. Our verbal witness will be ignored as false. For ultimately, people hear better with their eyes than with their ears.
Therefore, let us go forth and bare no false witness against our Heavenly Father and our master, Jesus Christ, by our behavior. Let us strive to give a true testimony to the love of the Father and the Son, and our obedience to their teachings with our every action. And may God be glorified by both our words and deeds.
May the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
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