Speaking Rightly

In February of 1898 the American battleship USS Maine exploded on the cost of Havana, Cuba. The explosion killed 260 sailors. In the aftermath of the explosion rumors spread about what caused the explosion. Leading up to the explosion there were already very tense relationships between Spain and United States, especially over the island of Cuba. But one headline was able to set off the entire war, one written by William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper tycoon and one of the founders of yellow journalism. Which is journalism with little evidence and broad, exaggerated claims. His headline said “Remember the Main. To heck with Spain. This headline resonated throughout America and ramped up Americans to desire war with Spain. The war would be over shortly, and America would win. But the aftermath left many Cubans wary of America, and would begin the ideas which led to Fidel Castro becoming their leader a few decades later. Many years later evidence would conclude the blast was not in fact from a torpedo, but rather from a coal explosion on the battleship.

We don’t often see the repercussions of our words, and how our words affect others. The damage it can cause and the lives it can affect. But today we are going to look at what it means to bear false witness against our neighbor. And we will see what God is calling us to in not bearing false witness. As we have seen throughout the commandments...

God is calling us to faithfulness to Him because He has shown His faithfulness to us.

So...

What does it mean to bear false witness?

This words was generally used in referring to a courtroom, as one who is witnessing or testifying. You are speaking in view of other circumstances.

-This was to answer questions as one who was a witness to an event and you give the evidence of what you saw unfold.

-It can also speak of deception but can also refer to taking an oath you do not intend to keep, to act fraudulently, and to speak as one with authority but to do so falsely.

What is the difference between bearing false witness and lying?

Lying is specifically about not telling the truth.

Bearing false witness is speaking in a way that harms our neighbor. It is not about our own morality, about what we feel is right or wrong, but it is about our words affects others.

-There are many ways to lie, and honestly the discussion on whether or not lying is always a sin is quite complicated. There are times where lying seems to be honored by God like in the story of Rahab. But we also know that God can work through deceit for His good. So we must also take this as saying that lying is good.

-But today we will focus on bearing false witness.

What is a neighbor?

-It was someone part of your covenant community, the people who are beholden to the same laws and authority.

-But God gives laws that tell His people that a neighbor also referred to a foreigner who was just passing through their land. And as Jesus will explain in the NT, to all mankind.

Why is this so important?

Because society is dependent on honesty. When we speak falsely it become difficult to judge the character of others and decisions are skewed when the incorrect evidence is placed in front of them.

Because Jesus tells us that our words reveal our heart. Matthew 12:34 - “From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.

-What we say speaks to our character, it speaks to where our heart is.

Because each of the commands against your neighbor seemed to harbor some weight in bearing false witness.

-Often times disobedience to parents starts with deceit. In fact, that is usually the first sin a child committs.

-If you have the intent to murder you often also have the intent to lie about it.

-If you commit adultery there is most assuredly deceit towards your spouse.

-If you covet and steal you are probably going to lie about what you stole.

-IF you seek to sin in these other ways you often also have a heart to lie about it as well.

Therefore we see even more fully how our deceit bears falls witness.

Because bearing false witness is against the nature of the third command.

-The third command calls us to represent God as His representatives, His image bearers and to not misuse his name.

-To bear false witness is to misrepresent those also made in God’s image, to misuse their name rather than God’s. And in misusing our neighbors name we are not representing God faithfully.

4 Habits of Untruthful Speech

In knowing that bearing false witness misuses the name of our neighbor and in knowing that we are not to be deceitful as God’s people we are going to look at 4 habits of untruthful speech. 4 ways that we often bear false witness against our neighbor. I got these from a new book actually, called “10 words to live by” which is by Jen Wilkin. So I give credit to these 4 habits to that book.

Reviling

Reviling comes when we intentionally seek to to tear down or attack another person with our words. This includes specifically gossip and slander.

1 Corinthians 8:1–3 LEB

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols, we know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he knows anything, he has not yet known as it is necessary to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him.

In 1 Corinthians Paul is dealing with several serious problems. He is dealing with those who were choosing sides about who they would follow. Some were saying “I am of Apollos” or “I am of Paul” or “I am of Christ”. It would be like if some of you said “well I like Austin as a pastor” and others of you said “well I like Brad and I don’t like Austin” and then others of you said “well, I am of Christ”. But not in a humble way, but in a way of puffing yourself up.

Then he was dealing with the problem of food. Because there would be places that would serve meat that had been sacrificed to idols. So the question arose, can we eat this meat? Or is it a sin? Paul’s answer is, do what your conscience tells you is right. For some it might go against their conscience and for others they would have no problem.

The problem was that with these beliefs they were puffing themselves up with knowledge so that they could use their knowledge as a weapon.

-This often happens today. You can think of someone who puffs themselves up with knowledge about the vaccine and masks, one way or the other, and uses that to bring others down. You can think of someone who holds strong opinions about theology or the end times and they have all the answers. Then uses those beliefs to show others that they are wrong. Or someone who holds strong opinions about politics, one way or the other, and uses those opinions to call out other people for not knowing all the facts.

-How many of us use online speech that tears down another? Whether it be a neighbor, a family member, a politician, or someone who has a differing opinion than us? We load up our ammo and are ready to fire every time someone says something we disagree with. But we don't just talk about their beliefs but about their character, about who they are.

-When you use an opportunity to puff yourself up and bring someone else down, that is reviling. When we think that we have good intentions and another person has come with wrong intentions, or doesn’t know how to make the right decision but we have the right answer, or has made a mess of their life but we have it all together.

-This can often include sarcasm as a way of trying to subtly tear them down, or shaming our children through our inflection and words.

-Prayer requests that can be used for gossip

-In texts or emails

Leviticus 19:16 CSB

Do not go about spreading slander among your people; do not jeopardize your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.

If you slander your neighbor you endanger their life.

Meagan and I have been watching a show recently called the circle. It is a competition where you have people where the goal is to become the top influencer of the group. The only problem is that you don’t see any of these people face to face, all interaction is through chats with one another. And as the game goes on you have sides chosen and insults or accusations are thrown at one another. But then as they are heading into the final day they asked them all a question, what are you going to do with the $100,000 prize? And as you read these answers you see that many had good motives coming into the game. Whether to pay off the debt of a debt of a family member, to buy a house for their family, to help a charity, or to care for a loved one who was sick. And as these people read these messages you could tell they were thinking back to the things that they had said to these other people not knowing the circumstances they were in.

Because our words often show our true character. The pharisees show us this with the way they treat Jesus.

Matthew 26:59 LEB

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order that they could put him to death.

Notice in their accusations against Jesus they themselves are breaking one of the commandments. We should never excuse sin for more sin. And if we slander we show what is going on in our hearts.

Flattery

This is speaking words that on the surface seem honor another but has the motive of gaining favor of another.

Proverbs 26:24–28 LEB

On his lips, an enemy will pretend, but inside he will harbor deceit. When he makes his voice gracious, do not believe him, for seven abominations are in his heart. Though hatred is covered with guile, its evil will be exposed in the assembly. He who digs a pit, in it he will fall, and he who rolls a stone, on him it will come back. A tongue of deceit hates its victim, and a flattering mouth makes ruin.

-Flattery causes us to think more of ourselves than we should, it leads us to shallow friendships and friendships that never go past the surface.

-Are our encouragements truthful or are they filled with deception?

-We can often say nice things to people. Tell them that they did a great job, tell people they look good in that dress when we think it is hideous, tell them they are a great singer but they are terrible.

-We can act like everything is okay with a person, like we are not upset at them, like there is no tension between us while hiding hatred in our hearts.

-Are we speaking kindly to another so that they know they are loved by God or so that we can use them for our own purposes?

-This is a tough question. To look back and say, why did I respond to this person the way that I did?

I will say, the culture of the south is often filled with tons of flattery. A lot of kind words, and excitement. But often we are just trying to put on this facade. We want to include others not because we care about them but because it serves our purpose. We invite people to our home that can serve us in return, we give gifts so that people will think better of us rather than to know they are loved.

-I am not really for or against Santa, but I think one cool thing when we give gifts to our children saying they are from Santa is that it is not about us getting the credit, it is about our kids knowing they are loved. I am NOT saying you have to do it, but to me it is what is behind the gift.

-Jon Bloom says "love never flatters others, and wisdom never desired to be flattered." "Encouragement is truth spoken from a loving motive to increase faith and hope in the hearer. Flattery is a lie, masquerading as encouragement, from a selfish motive to manipulate the hearer in order to achieve the flatterer’s covert purpose.

Silence

Silence is to not speak when speaking would bring better light to a circumstance. To withhold information for your own good rather than for others.

James 4:17 LEB

Therefore, to the one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

We sin if we know the right thing to do but don't do it. If we don’t speak when we know the truth. This isn’t tattle tailing, this isn’t judgment, but this is silent in the face of wrongdoing. I’m not talking about seeing your sibling do something wrong and then telling your parents about it. But when there is someone who is being cheated by another, when someone is being abused, when lives are at risk.

-We must be slow to speak, but we must speak when it is necessary.

-How do you respond when someone is spoken of untruthfully? When you hear someone say about another “I heard that this happened” or that “they did this”. When you hear gossip, how do you respond? Are you quick to say that it may not be beneficial to do that, or do you just listen in and enjoy the gossip?

I remember when I worked at a camp in college and my co-counselor accidentally injured a student. They were just rough housing and he pulled the students arm behind his back and lifted upward. He had no intention of hurting the student but he pulled too hard and he injured the students shoulder. When this came up to our boss he reprimanded my co-counselor. Then later this student told me that he told him that it was his fault that he had gotten injured. Now, as someone who doesn’t like confrontation. I could have told the student that it wasn’t his fault and moved on. But to be silent would to tell this student that I really didn’t trust his story enough to do anything with it. So I told my boss, and my co-counselor did not talk to me again. But I felt like I not stayed silent when I knew what was right to do.

Was must be willing to speak up when it is hard.

Miss-attribution

-This is also dishonesty, not giving the full truth but just a piece of the truth to serve your own purposes.

-When we allow one person to gain honor when it is due to another that is miss-attribution.

-I remember in middle school and I made a joke, and my friend thought it was funny and laughed at it. But no one else heard it, so he turned around and told everyone else and they laughed at it, but they didn't laugh when I said it!

-If we take credit for another person's work, if we gain praise that exceed what we have performed.

-This doesn’t mean that when someone praises us we say “I didn’t do that much”. But when someone gives us praise when someone else deserves it, when someone gives credit to us for something we didn’t do.

-This also includes cheating, when we take the answers of another person we are “miss-attributing” our work for anothers.

-Or when we lie on our taxes, we are miss-attributing what we have received.

Miss-attribution is also when we shift the blame.

-When we know something is our fault but we attempt to deflect. Attempt to make excuses rather than confess and ask for forgiveness.

-Miss-attribution is also when we blame others rather than confess what we have done. We make it about how they have wronged us when we know that we have done something against them.

-When we gaslight our spouse or others

-When we manipulate others into doing whatever we say. When we make things about them so that we can get our way.

-We want to hoard all the glory and honor, and tear others down.

-Are we quick to take credit or are we quick to celebrate others success?

So how to we speak differently? How do we live in a way that does not bear false witness?

When we Speak the truth we love our neighbor

1 Corinthians 13:5–6 HCSB

does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.

Love Speaks in the truth

It is does not speak falsely of others

How much more do our words stick on people's hearts when they know they are true?

-If your child is used to broken promises they will be less lightly to believe you when you tell them they are loved and they beautiful.

-If your wife is used to you pushing the truth about your whereabouts and who you are with, how much less will they trust you when you tell them you desire intimacy with them and not just your own personal gratification.

Love rejoices in the truth

It speaks up when the truth is necessary

Love never manipulates the truth

It does not let others take the blame or receive credit where it is not earned

Love speaks the truth graciously

It does not speak harshly but with kindness and compassion