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The Love Principle - Study 13: Your Neighbour and Credibility

  • 6 hours ago
  • 12 min read

Exodus 20:16 NIVUK 

[16] You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. 

We love a good legal drama in my house. To be fair, I have for many years. But since my wife arrived in the UK, she has grown to love them too. Even in Korean. Which she doesn’t speak. 


One of the most serious crimes that can be committed inside a courtroom is that of perjury.


Perjury is basically lying to the court about the substance of the case, or knowingly concealing facts that could determine the outcome of the case.  


For example, let’s say one of your friends was accused of shoplifting. They asked you to give them an alibi by saying that they were with you at the time when the offence took place, which wasn’t true: they were stealing chocolate from the supermarket. You foolishly agree. You tell the police that they had been with you (which is an offence – obstructing the course of justice). You do the same in court. 


But then the supermarket produces CCTV footage that proves your friend really did it. 


Your friend would be found guilty. So would you. You might even go to prison and face a tougher sentence than them because perjury is a very serious offence. 


For most of us, the very idea of lying to a law court, or a civil inquiry, knowing that we could face a jail sentence if we are caught, is more than enough to stop us from committing perjury. The very thought is far from our mind. If someone asked us to do it, no matter their reasoning, we would dismiss them as being very selfish and would tell them to go away? 


Right? 


On the surface, that seems to be all there is to this commandment.  


But Jesus took it further, as we will see. Much further. 


In fact, we might be a little unnerved by how far he took it. 


Let’s look firstly, then, at The Crime. 

 

The Crime 

Leviticus 19:12 NIVUK 

[12] ‘ “Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 

Leviticus 19:15 NIVUK 

[15] ‘ “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly. 

Proverbs 19:5 NIVUK 

[5] A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/113/pro.19.5.NIVUK)


This command is aimed at telling God’s people to tell the truth in court: to not exaggerate or embellish or down-play, but to say it how it is.  


The reason why they were given this command is stark and simple: 


Their justice depended on it. 


Our courts nowadays have DNA and forensic evidence, CCTV and the recordings from cameras that reside in our pockets and the dashboards of our cars. Believing for one second that you are going to get away with breaking the law is beyond foolish. You will leave an evidence trail and you will get caught. That’s just how modern life is. 


But in Moses’ day, it was very much not that way. Their justice was based on the testimony of eyewitnesses. The court could be swayed very easily by untrue testimonies one way or the other. The crime of perjury could pervert the course of justice very easily.  


There are two striking situations in the Bible when it did just that. 


The first is when Queen Jezebel deliberately used lying testimony to get an inconvenient land owner killed (1 Kings 21:8-14). This is, of course, a striking example of just how evil she was. 


But the second example is even more striking: 


Matthew 26:59-60 NIVUK 

[59] The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. [60] But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. 

This is the height of absurdity. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin would have known that perjury – bringing false witness to court – was grossly illegal and an act of disobedience. Yet these men who taught the law were seeking out people to break the law so that Jesus could be sentenced to death! 


These two striking events teach us a few critical truths about perjury: 


  • It has an unjust purpose – it’s always about condemning the innocent or clearing the guilty 

  • It has an unjust outcome – it's always about condemning the innocent or clearing the guilty 


It doesn’t matter who it is who asks you to commit perjury or under what circumstances they ask you to do it, perjury is always only wrong. It is never justified. It is never right. 


Justice should be allowed to take its course, regardless of the outcome. Those who use perjury are trying to manipulate it in negative and unnatural way in their favour. 


Christians should be as far from this as possible. It’s just not for us. 


Having seen the crime, we also see The Punishment. And in Jewish law, it was suitably severe. 

 

The Punishment 

Deuteronomy 19:16-21 NIVUK 

[16] If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, [17] the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. [18] The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, [19] then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. [20] The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. [21] Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 

Be honest: did you expect the punishment for perjury to be this severe? 


In the US, the maximum penalty for perjury is five years imprisonment. In the UK, it’s seven years plus a fine. 


This is a serious crime.  


But under ancient Jewish law, if you committed perjury to get a man sentenced to death and were found to have done so, you could be facing his death penalty. 


Perjury in court is a deadly serious crime. That’s why in court we swear to ‘tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’. Our justice system needs truthful, accurate witnesses. 


The ancient Jews needed it even more.  


That would go some way to explain why their sentence could be so severe for those who did it. 


And yet – and this should stun us even more – people were actually prepared to risk this to ensure that Jesus Christ was sentenced to death. 


Just in case you are ever tempted like they were by some bigger vision or higher goal, let me remind you of this: 


Proverbs 19:5 NIVUK 

[5] A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/113/pro.19.5.NIVUK)


And even more so of this: 


Revelation 21:8 NIVUK 

[8] But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.’ 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/113/rev.21.8.NIVUK)


You might walk out of a courtroom thinking you got away with it. The legal counsels in the court might not have noticed it. The judge might have missed it. 


But God will have seen it. God knows what the truth is more than anyone else. 


You will face a reckoning for perjury, of that you can be certain. 


It just isn’t worth it. 


But so far, this is a crime few of us would be tempted to do, certainly when we see the punishments. So where is this commandment relevant to us? 


Jesus took it up and made of it something that should challenge is to the core, which we will examine now as The Call. 

 

The Call 

Matthew 5:33-37 NIVUK 

[33]  ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the oaths you have made.” [34] But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; [35] or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. [36] And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. [37] All you need to say is simply “Yes,” or “No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. 

Now, this is where the rubber really hits the road. 


Allow me to explain. 


When I was in my teens, I was a bit of a joker. I was quite insecure. I wasn’t that confident in my own skin. Humour was my way of masking it. It was also a coping mechanism for dealing with a difficult upbringing in a tough neighbourhood. 


Besides, being funny seemed like a gateway to popularity, and who doesn’t want that? 


Humour is often based around exaggeration and saying things you don’t really mean for comic effect. You are essentially an actor playing a role, seeking to please an audience to make them like you. There is no substance to what you are saying. 


When I was eighteen, I went on my first missions trip to Romania. I was among people I didn’t know very well, so I reverted to type: I joked around. 


It didn’t go down very well. 


I put it down to differences in senses of humour between Scots and Romanians. But even then, some of the Scots weren’t entertained either. 


I put it down to them being too serious. 


Then a Romanian said something to me that hit hard. It was to the effect of: ‘If you often say things that you don’t mean, how do you expect people to take you seriously when you say something you do mean?’ 


I found that hard to take at the time. It was my coping mechanism. It was part of who I was. It was part of my culture. How dare they challenge it! 


Yet they had a very big point. 


Take a look at these verses: 


Matthew 12:33-37 NIVUK 

[33]  ‘Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognised by its fruit. [34] You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. [35] A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. [36] But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. [37] For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.’ 

Wow! How serious is that! 


Our empty, jokey, ‘just saying’ words show the content of our hearts. If we treat people flippantly, without love, constantly putting them down to hoist us up, then we will face judgement for that. 


I didn’t say it first – Jesus did. 


But there is another aspect to this.  


Bible-believing Christians don’t just mean what they say, they do what they say. 


We see this command elsewhere in the Old Testament: 


Leviticus 19:11-12 NIVUK 

[11] ‘ “Do not steal. ‘ “Do not lie. ‘ “Do not deceive one another. [12] ‘ “Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 

Let me explain how this works. 


Someone who is flippant and never means what they say says words that are like a helium filled balloon. They are lightweight. They are never heavy or meaningful. They just float away. 


To make their words at least sound meaningful so that people trust them, they add the artifice of ‘I swear by... that this is true.’ Or, ‘I swear by... that I’ll do this’. 


Have you ever met someone like that? 


They are not trying to convince you: first of all, they’re trying to convince themselves. They are hopelessly insecure in what they are saying.  


If someone is doing this in open, ordinary conversation to justify something as superficial as gossip, I would not trust them one inch, because it’s plain that they don’t even trust themselves. 


Otherwise, why would they swear? 


Jesus taught something completely different. He said that there should be no need to do this to persuade either other people or yourself of the truth of what you are saying or doing, because you say what you do and do what you say. He taught that our words ought to be trustworthy and reliable and credible and considered. Not thoughtless or flighty or frivolous. 


Startlingly, He said that anything short of this is demonic. 


Now, that does not mean we should not swear to tell the truth in court. To do otherwise would be perceived as contempt of court. No Christian should ever be guilty of that sin. 


What it does mean is that our words should be accurate and true and sound, not full of exaggeration or embellishment or swearing or calling down curses on ourselves. 


People ought to be able to trust us implicitly. 


If they can’t, why should they listen to us when we tell them the Gospel? 


We have seen throughout this study how the ninth commandment banned perjury in the courtroom. And that is absolutely correct. We understand it. We agree with it. 


But every day we face the courtroom of public opinion. People listen to us to see what we have to say. We are in the witness box representing Jesus and the Gospel. 


Dare we commit perjury or be flippant about things that really matter? 

 

Conclusion 

Exodus 20:16 NIVUK 

[16] You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. 

I have a confession to make.  


Before I became a missionary preacher in Romania, and many years before I wrote these studies, I was on holiday with my family in a holiday park in the north of England when they announced an open mic night. Because I had a reputation for being a funny guy, I put a set together and performed as a stand-up comic. 


The stage was brightly lit and there was dry ice everywhere. All I could see in front of me were a row of stern-faced English people who weren’t laughing. My family told me that several rows back people were in tears with laughter, but I couldn’t hear or see them. 


And that was the end of my stand-up comedy career. 


Why am I sharing this? 


Because I believe that a Christian should not walk around po-faced as if being spiritual equates to being miserable. I believe there is absolutely a place for humour in the Christian life. Our fallen world has aspects to it that are utterly absurd. They, quite frankly, deserve to be pointed out and laughed at. Laughter in moments that are a little offbeat or at something which is quite simply beyond the pale is an important coping mechanism and helps us to process reality. 


I also believe that Jesus was a keen observer of humanity in His day and had a keen satirical mind. Some of His most famous parables – like the Good Samaritan or the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – show a sharp satirical edge that caricatured the absurdities of first century religious life perfectly, and, without a doubt for those who were on the end of His humour, quite uncomfortably. 


Humour has its place as a communication tool. It drops down guards and sneaks down barriers, putting people in a good mood before the key message arrives. 


It absolutely has its place. I do not doubt that for a second. 


But it must contain the truth. We must laugh at the absurdities of life not because we have exaggerated them out of proportion, but because they are true.  


Of course, we should also not use it to belittle, mock or pull down other people. We would not be acting in love if we did so. 


There is a place for humour. Life needs it. Christians need it. 


But it is a means to an end, not the end itself. Being funny cannot ever get in the way of communicating the Gospel, nor detract from it. It’s a tool to exalt God, not us. 


Which brings us back to the message of this study. We started looking at perjury: how Moses’ society was built on truthful witnesses, how lying in court is a serious matter – a crime – and how the punishment for it is appropriately severe. 


But then we saw how Jesus called us to go beyond this: to be credible in the court of public opinion. 


To be credible, we must say what we mean, mean what we say and do what we say. We must seek to have flawless integrity and authenticity.  


People must want to listen to us and respect us when we speak. 


Taming the tongue to achieve this is really difficult, as James noted (James 3:1-10). But just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. 


When I met my wife, I was on a training course in Cebu City, Philippines. A key aspect of that course was how we communicate with each other.  One of the things they told us was to think before we speak, and to ask ourselves what we wanted to get out of the conversation and how best to achieve it. That was, and is, incredibly helpful advice. 


But let me tell you the best advice of all: think about what you are about to say and ask yourself, ‘Is this a loving thing to say? Is it truthful, graceful and encouraging? If my purpose is to communicate my love for God, my neighbour and myself, will what I am about to say fulfil that purpose?’ 


Let me tell you, it will keep you from damaging your credibility by saying what ought not to be said. 


And your neighbour will benefit. 

 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times when the things I have said have been more about exalting me than You. Help me sort out the things I say so that I speak the truth in love in the courtroom of public opinion. I want to be a credible witness for You. Amen. 


Questions  

  • What is perjury and why is it so wrong? 

  • Why does Jesus move from talking about oaths (like in a courtroom) to talk about our credibility? How can we be more credible? 

  • What will you change to increase your credibility when you talk about the Gospel? 

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