Jesus and The Ten Commandments

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

“For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.””

‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:9‬ ‭

““Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:18-19‬ ‬‬

Although Jesus didn’t elaborate further on this particular Commandment he does say that the Commandments can be summed up in one Commandment, to love one another as yourself (Matthew 19:18-19). You guys are probably tired of hearing me say this but Jesus likes to focus on the heart and where your heart is at. Testifying falsely against your neighbor means in short terms “don’t lie” but it also means don’t spread rumors about your neighbors. It means to treat others how you would like to be treated.

This commandment, I believe, is the easiest one to break. It is the one that gets justified the most. With thinking like “it’s just a white lie” or “it’s only half the truth” we are falling into the trap of the devil who is the father of all lies. Jesus spoke on this subject in John 8:44-45 “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!” When Jesus says that Satan is the father of all lies, what does that mean? 

Let’s look at the word father for a moment. The word “father” as a verb is defined as “to be the founder, producer, or author of” so in this instance, when Jesus called Satan the father of all lies he is saying that Satan is the one from whom all lies come. They were his idea that he simply planted in us like a father plants his seed in the mother to then bear forth a child of lies. So when we think it’s just a little white lie, we are opening ourselves up to allow the deceiver to take control of our thoughts. 

What does The Bible say about taking control of your thoughts? 

It says to set your mind on things above and to capture every thought. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ We are not to allow deceitful thoughts into our minds but rather let our minds focus on the things of Christ. Colossians 3:1-3 says “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Back to the point of bearing false witness, Ephesians 5:6 says “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” This falls in line with the idea that Satan is the father of all lies making those who fall prey to his lies the sons of disobedience. So what does this mean to us and what does Jesus say about it? It means that we are what we think about, because the desires of the heart manifests itself through our words and actions Proverbs 4:23 says ”Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” Jesus spoke on this concept in Matthew chapter 12  ““A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:33, 35-37

This passage gets right to the heart of the issue, literally, Jesus brings it right down to the heart. Why are you telling lies and spreading deceit? Because you have allowed the devil access to your heart and given the deceiver power over your mind. How do we combat that? It goes back to Philippians and Colossians, think about Godly things, think about truth and positive things. Don’t allow those negative thoughts into your mind because that’s where we allow the devil to take control.