False Witnessing

False Witnessing...
Mary Ann Wray

In Matthew 19 Jesus tells a rich young ruler what he must do to be saved. In this context he gave him the six commandments that deal with loving others. One of these Commandments Jesus said, is not to bear false witness against a neighbor.
The word for false witness is pseudomartyreō. It means to utter falsehoods in giving testimony; to testify falsely; to bear false witness. In other words, it's to lie to someone about another or to lie to someone directly.
Why do people lie? There are a lot of reasons but they all center around"self": saving face, trying to look good in front of others, fear of getting in trouble, vindictiveness, wanting to curry favor with a leader, putting someone else down in order to make oneself look better, greed, and the list goes on.
It's amazing how many Christians are willing to lie about others in order to advance their own agenda. God sees and God knows. Within the Greek word for bearing a false witness is the word "martyr. "
When you bear false witness against someone you are killing their reputation and credibility in the mind of another. If you had this done to you, you understand not only how it feels but the damage it does. Whether or not you have ever had this done to you doesn't mean you should take license and do it to someone else.
This is what gossip and slander is and does in the Body of Christ...it kills! We in the body of Christ must be careful not to kill our brothers with our tongues. It happens all too much in local assemblies and it needs to stop. One of the qualifications for leadership is not to be a gossip. I have had to repent of this more than once. It's one of the Temptations and sins that lies (no pun intended ) at the gate: the ear gate and the mouth gate.
In 2 Cor 12:20-22 it is listed among sins that create disorder including sexual sins. Dear preachers, please stop harping on sexual sins if you're never going to talk about gossip, jealousy and anger in the Body of Christ! And we preachers must examine ourselves and make sure we're not on the phone talking about other members and gossiping about other preachers too in private or from the pulpit. That is pure hypocrisy!
"For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish--that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.
I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced."

Even in the military they have a slogan that says "Loose lips sink ships." They understand that loose and careless speech opens the door for enemy spies threatening internal security and ensuring possible defeat.
Jesus said the world will know we are his disciples by the love we have for one another. Love works no evil or ill against a brother in word or deed.
St. Paul said that our speech should be seasoned with grace in order to minister and edify the hearers. Sweet and bitter water cannot come out of the same fountain neither should blessing and cursing. Selah

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