IDEA: We are not to bear false witness against our neighbor.

TEXT: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).

PURPOSE: To help listeners apply the truth of the ninth commandment to their lives.

When you compare the ninth commandment with the three that precede it, how does it differ in its statement? Why doesn’t it simply say, "You shall not lie"?

What is the significance of the difference?

I. We recognize that this isn’t merely a "zeal for truth" in the abstract, but a concrete love for our neighbor that is at stake.

The commandment as it is stated protects human dignity. A neighbor’s honor and dignity are damaged by false rumors and malicious interpretations of his or her behavior or imputations of wrong motives.

My neighbor must be given the benefit of the doubt. We want people to do that for us, and we are obligated to do that for our neighbor.

The positive side is that we should become "advocates" for our neighbor.

II. If we have received God’s grace, then we are to extend that same grace to others.

The silence of Jesus is mentioned at two important places in Scripture.

In John 8:1-11, instead of sharing the indignation of the woman’s accusers, Jesus, who had every right to judge, remained silent. He doesn’t ignore or trivialize the woman’s guilt, but He judges it graciously and sets her on her feet again.

Mark 14:55-64 makes it clear that Jesus doesn’t lash out or destroy his opponents who are using the judicial system of both "church and state" to destroy Him. He dealt in grace with His enemies.

It is a false love that scorns the truth, but it is also a false zeal for "truth" that destroys love. Truthfulness occurs only in an atmosphere of love. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).