One of the Ten Commandments reads: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16) This commandment is much more widely known than it is understood. While bearing false witness clearly includes saying what you know is false, it is also about how truthful you are in how you publicly portray yourself. A “witness” in the scriptural languages was not limited to what you said, but the full demonstration of what you did. A false witness includes any difference between what you believe and what you say, do,1 or feel. A false witness includes how you interact with others, including how you present yourself to them.
A true witness is one who is always how they really are. While a true witness will do all they can to improve in every way, they demonstrate their virtues and vices, their strengths and weaknesses. As they do, they best situate themselves to become aware of and be more disposed to improvement and to help others through the demonstration of their strengths. For this reason, it is good to be a true witness, whether you are good or not, and doing so will lead to greater righteousness, while bearing a false witness is always detrimental.2
Footnotes
- 1. Many Christians do not live the religion they profess to believe, freely disobeying the example of Christ while claiming to follow him. “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’” (Matthew 5:33, NRSV) “Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.” (Alma 7:15) “And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? (Mosiah 18:8-10) ↩
- 2. He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. (Proverbs 12:17) ↩