"Lips That Bear False Witness" 12/2/25

Dear brothers and sisters,

People have been running smear campaigns East of Eden ever since the serpent lied about God.

All around us people lie to destroy the reputations of others. This is what the Bible calls false witness, a false testimony about someone else. Tall tales sold as the truth at the expense of real people. 

Do you know why witnesses in the court of law swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

There is no justice without truth. The consequences of false witness are deadly. The wrong guy convicted of murder. An innocent person's reputation slandered. Examples of this kind of evil can be multiplied.

Consider Naboth and his vineyard (you can read the account in 1 Kings 21:1-24). Thanks to an evil queen and the false witness of two worthless men a good man was dead. The trumped up charges: "he cursed God and the king". The real reason: he refused to sell his family farm to the king. The only comfort in the short but tragic history of Naboth is that God saw what happened (nothing escapes his gaze) and justice came upon King Ahab's house.

God hates lips that bear false witness, but he loves those that speak the truth even when it hurts. 

The antidote to false witness 

1) Have you lied about another? Confess your sins, seek forgiveness through Jesus' blood which is able to cleanse all unrighteousness, and go make amends by telling the truth. 

2) Don't blindly accept the stories people tell. Verify, test all things. This means checking up on the facts, evaluating the sources, checking for multiple witnesses, and being slow to draw conclusions

Scriptures for further reflection:

• A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.  If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely,  then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.  (Deuteronomy 19:15-19 ESV)

• The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18:17 ESV)

3) Always tell the truth about others, about yourself, about God.

Scripture for further reflection:

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Ephesians 4:25 ESV)

4) Don't return slander with slander, evil can only be overcome with good.

Scriptures for further reflection: 

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:21-23 ESV)

Grace & Peace,

Matt