“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).

I often hear this commandment rephrased as “do not lie.” This is part of the commandment, it’s true. But if we reduce the commandment to “do not lie,” we miss out on the heart of the commandment.

All of the human-centered commandments (5-10) are given to create the conditions in which human flourishing can happen. What do we need for human flourishing? Aside from basic needs of safety (don’t murder), food, water, and shelter, we need intangibles. The most important intangible, though, is trust.

Community cannot happen without trust. You must be able to trust that your authorities will lead you well, so honor your father and mother; that your spouse will be faithful to you, so do not commit adultery; that your neighbor wants what is best for you, so do not steal.

The ninth commandment is in the same line. Lying is damaging on an interpersonal level because it damages relationships. This is bad enough, and it’s worth forbidding for that alone. But the commandment is more broad than just lying.

To “bear false witness” invokes a courtroom, and there are two courtrooms in our daily lives–one formal and one informal.

The formal court and its relation to the commandment is obvious: when you are called to give testimony, tell the truth about what you saw and don’t speak about what you didn’t see. In other words, be a faithful witness. Without trust in your neighbors to speak truthfully of you, civil society is impossible. You can’t have justice without it.

The informal court is more common: the court of public opinion. The commandment speaks just as clearly here. Do not gossip. Be a faithful witness to what you have seen and do not speak about what you didn’t. The difference is that here, there’s no judge or attorney asking you questions. You must have the wisdom to know what is appropriate, the courage to hold your tongue, the charity to assume the best of your neighbor.

This is the key takeaway for Providence. Just like the first is necessary for civil justice, the second is necessary for faithful community. If you can’t trust that others will speak well of you, you won’t contribute to the group. You won’t be open, vulnerable, or generous.

I have never met someone who thought they had a problem with gossipping. Have you ever heard someone confess that gossip is a problem for them?

Have you ever asked God whether gossip is a problem for you?

There is one easy litmus test: when you speak of others, do you usually praise them or criticize them? Paul instructs us to build one another up in love. While that does include facing sin and speaking hard truths, those sin-based conversations are to be done only and directly with the person involved. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 18: if you see a brother or sister sin, you must go to them. Not to your girlfriend. Not to your mentor. Not to their pastor.

If someone hurts you, it is sinful for you to speak to someone else about it before you speak to them.

This requires more love than we might expect. It requires love to say, “I’m willing to have this hard conversation.” If you don’t love your brother, you won’t build up the courage to confront him. If you don’t love your sister, you won’t risk the awkward moment to tell her how she hurt you.

Instead, you’ll go to someone else and tell them all about what happened. You’ll frame it as a prayer request, or venting, or even confessing sin.

And that will break down trust.

This is a hard commandment, but think about the beauty when we follow it! A people who love, trust, build up, encourage, honor, believe in, and stand by each other. Doesn’t that sound like heaven?

Let’s work together to make Providence a community like this. God help us!

— Anderson Underwood