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The ninth commandment
Exodus 20.16
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Deuteronomy 5.20
“‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’”
God is a God of truth. Anything less than or opposed to truth is therefore contrary to the very being of God and cannot further His purposes on earth. As the image-bearers of God, people flourish best when they traffic in truth. The command to bear true witness to our neighbor takes many forms and is rooted in the requirement that people be, first of all, truthful toward God.
When we play fast and loose with the truth it’s usually for some personal advantage. We make ourselves the author and end of truth, at least, as we intend it to be understood. Thus we usurp the place of God. We must ever devote ourselves to being truthful in all matters if we would live in the favor of God and know the good and glorious benefits of His covenant love.
This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.