The Ninth Commandment: You Shall Not Bear False Witness
The Ninth Commandment calls Christians to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
One of the rationales for the prohibition of false witness is that justice requires truth. If justice is to be upheld in a court of law, all the relevant facts of the case must be made known, which requires witnesses to speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
The purpose of this commandment is: since God (who is truth) abhors a lie, we must practice truth without deceit toward one another. To sum up, then: let us not malign anyone with slanders or false charges, nor harm his substance by falsehood, in short, injure him by unbridled evilspeaking and impudence.
QUESTION 112. What is required in the ninth commandment?
That I bear false witness against no one; wrest no one’s words; be no backbiter, or slanderer; join in condemning no one unheard and rashly; but that I avoid, on pain of God’s heavy wrath, all lying and deceit, as being the proper works of the devil; in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs love, honestly speak and confess the truth; and, so far as I can, defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.
The purpose of this commandment is: since God (who is truth) abhors a lie, we must practice truth without deceit toward one another. To sum up, then: let us not malign anyone with slanders or false charges, nor harm his substance by falsehood, in short, injure him by unbridled evilspeaking and impudence.
I. What Does the Commandment Mean?
One of the rationales for the prohibition of false witness is that justice requires truth. If justice is to be upheld in a court of law, all the relevant facts of the case must be made known, which requires witnesses to speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
II. What Does the Commandment Forbid?
What is forbidden is false witness against your neighbor—that is, as we said, prideful lying designed to do him down and exalt you at his expense. The positive command implicit in this negative is that we should seek our neighbor’s good and speak truth to him and about him to this end.
III. What Does the Commandment Require?
QUESTION 112. What is required in the ninth commandment?
That I bear false witness against no one; wrest no one’s words; be no backbiter, or slanderer; join in condemning no one unheard and rashly; but that I avoid, on pain of God’s heavy wrath, all lying and deceit, as being the proper works of the devil; in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs love, honestly speak and confess the truth; and, so far as I can, defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.
As Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 77 recognizes, the commandment also requires us to actively pursue and promote the truth in all our dealings with others.
As Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 77 recognizes, the commandment also requires us to actively pursue and promote the truth in all our dealings with others.
What is forbidden is false witness against your neighbor—that is, as we said, prideful lying designed to do him down and exalt you at his expense. The positive command implicit in this negative is that we should seek our neighbor’s good and speak truth to him and about him to this end.
Q. 144. What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?
A. The duties required in the ninth commandment, are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbour, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth;d and from the heart, sincerely,f freely, clearly,h and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice,k and in all other things whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbours; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name;n sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities;p freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency;r a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report,t concerning them; discouraging tale-bearers, flatterers,w and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requireth;y keeping of lawful promises; studying and practising of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.a
Q. 145. What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbours, as well as our own, especially in public judicature;c giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses,e wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, out-facing and over-bearing the truth; passing unjust sentence,g calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery,i concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calleth for either a reproof from ourselves,l or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably,n or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning,p or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice; speaking untruth,r lying, slandering,t backbiting, detracting,w tale-bearing, whispering,y scoffing, reviling,a rash, harsh,c and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering,f vain-glorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others;h denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults;k hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; unnecessary discovering of infirmities;m raising false rumours, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defence;p evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any,r endeavouring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy;t scornful contempt, fond admiration;w breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report,y and practising or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name.
This forbids, 1. Speaking falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive our neighbour. 2. Speaking unjustly against our neighbour, to the prejudice of his reputation; and (which involves the guilty of both), 3. Bearing false witness against him, laying to his charge things that he knows not, either judicially, upon oath (by which the third commandment, and the sixth of eighth, as well as this, are broken), or extrajudicially, in common converse, slandering, backbiting, tale-bearing, aggravating what is done amiss and making it worse than it is, and any way endeavouring to raise our own reputation upon the ruin of our neighbour’s.