21 Jun 2025 5 min read Discipleship

Bearing False Witness: What We Share Shapes What We Believe

Christians shouldn’t spread falsehoods just because they fit our side’s narrative. Bearing false witness isn’t a political strategy—it’s a sin. And Scripture says it tears communities apart.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.—Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

In the Ten Commandments, most of us know this one as the prohibition against lying. But the actual phrasing is more precise: false testimony against a neighbor. Meaning, "don’t distort reality in a way that harms someone else."

It’s more than a commandment against fibbing. It’s a call to live as people shaped by truth, especially when someone else’s dignity is on the line. In the New Testament, Paul echoes the same priority:

"So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body."—Ephesians 4:25 (NLT)

Notice the reason Paul gives: not to look virtuous or impress others, but because we belong to each other. Falsehood divides. Truth-telling unites.

We Bear False Witness More Often Than We Think

When we hear "false witness," we imagine courtrooms and perjury. But the commandment wasn’t limited to the legal system. It shaped how Israel was meant to live in community. To bear false witness was to misrepresent your neighbor in a way that led others to think or act unjustly toward them.

Today that looks like reposting an unverified claim. Or making assumptions based on someone’s skin color, political stance, or religion. It’s passing along outrage without fact-checking. It’s labeling whole groups as dangerous, lazy, or untrustworthy based on something you heard from a talking head on cable news.

Often, we don’t even mean to. We just want to sound informed or righteous—or maybe just funny. But when we pass on half-truths or tribal slogans, we participate in something God explicitly forbids. In fact, He called it one of the things He hates most.

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him… a lying tongue… a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”—Proverbs 6:16–19 (condensed)

False witness is not just frowned upon, it’s detestable. Why? Because it destroys trust. It wounds neighbors. It fractures the people of God. And it’s often disguised as righteous zeal.

The Damage Runs Deep

The ninth commandment is not the only place in the Bible where this idea is discussed. In Deuteronomy 19:16–20, God outlines how false testimony in court was to be handled in ancient Israel: if someone attempted to frame their neighbor, whatever penalty they hoped to inflict would come back on them. In other words, if you lied to get someone executed, you would die instead. This wasn’t just about protecting individuals from slander; it was about guarding the entire community from corruption.

Verse 19 ends with a chilling phrase: “You will purge such evil from among you.” That wasn’t flowery language. It was covenant code. In ancient Israel, justice wasn’t just beneficial to society, but it was a sacred trust. False accusations weren’t treated as a lapse in character. They were treated as a contagious rot that had to be removed before it infected the whole body. If lies were allowed to stand unchallenged, the nation itself risked unraveling.

The prophets pick up this theme often. Ezekiel writes of a city where "they commit robbery, oppress the poor and needy, and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice" (Ezekiel 22:29 NIV). Not just private sins, these were public distortions of truth and justice.

Injustice is almost always fueled by false witness. And God takes it personally.

Jesus and the Truth That Sets Us Free

Jesus didn’t just speak the truth, He embodied it. He claimed to be the Truth (John 14:6) and said that truth would set us free (John 8:32). But when lies become habitual, they start to shape our identity. In that same conversation, He warned about the father of lies. Jesus warned, “When [the devil] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NIV). Over time, the language we speak reveals the family we belong to. If we’re constantly repeating the words of leaders who lie without remorse, we may start sounding more like their disciples than Christ’s.

There is no neutral ground when it comes to truth and falsehood. That’s why God placed truth-telling at the heart of the Ten Commandments. Not just for individual integrity, but for communal justice. Lies aren't just annoying or unfortunate; they can be devastating. They are demonic. They enslave.

When Christians share misinformation, even unintentionally, we lend our voices to the wrong kingdom. We bear false witness, not just against a neighbor but against our calling.

How to Break the Habit

We live in a world that runs on half-truths, hot takes, and viral outrage. But Scripture invites us to something better. Here are some questions we as Jesus-followers can ask before we post, forward, or share. In true pastor fashion, they form an acronym:

T.H.I.N.K.

Is it True? Do I know this is accurate? Have I personally verified it?
Is it Helpful? Will this encourage or inform others?
Is it Inspiring? Does this point people toward love, faith, or growth?
Is it Necessary? Does this need to be said, and by me?
Is it Kind? Would I say this to the person’s face?

These aren’t hoops to jump through. They're a spiritual filter. They keep our hearts from being shaped by fear, sarcasm, and division.

The Fruit of False Witness

When we normalize dishonest rhetoric, the body of Christ suffers. When we excuse lies because they benefit our side, we silence the Spirit. And when we demonize whole communities because of one powerful man's rhetoric, we trade the gospel for propaganda.

We become cynical. We become tribal. We start to believe the worst about our neighbors. And eventually, we no longer recognize the Way of Jesus.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We Can Tell a Better Story

The truth is not always comfortable. It rarely confirms all our biases. But it always sets people free. And it always points us to Jesus.

So what if we became known as people who waited before sharing? What if we were the ones who refused to bear false witness, even when it was easy or advantageous? What if our social media presence became a place of curiosity, compassion, and clarity?

Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.”

Let’s make sure the fruit we bear reflects the One who called Himself the Truth.

I no longer trust the kind of power that wins through distortion, rage, or deception. And I’m trying, imperfectly and slowly, to live like someone who bears true witness to my neighbor.