It Starts Small

¹⁶ Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16

Most of us tell ourselves, when we read this commandment, Okay God, you do not want me to lie, and tell the truth. This is true. God wants us to live honest lives. But it goes much deeper than that.

At its heart, this commandment is about justice. A false testimony is a legal term that refers to lying in court. Lying in court can lead to an innocent person being punished or a guilty person walking away free. This is why giving a false testimony is punishable. God takes this very serious, as we should also.

This commandment, God reveals to us that He is just and righteous. Injustice has no place in the kingdom of God. This command is bigger than just telling the truth so you do not get in trouble. It was calling Israel to execute justice in a way that reflects the justice of God. It commands Israel to get rid of an unfair system of oppression and promote honesty and integrity by recognizing each person as God’s image bearer. God’s love and justice was expected to flow through every part of their society to turn them into a witness of God’s goodness to the whole world.

And they, like you and I, failed.

²³ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

But God never fails. Lies and injustice broke creations, But God sent Jesus, the Truth in flesh, to perfectly embody God’s justice and righteousness. Jesus took on our injustice and brokenness on the cross. He rose again, defeating sin and death. When we are weighed down by the world’s injustice, we can find hope that Jesus is returning one day to destroy every lie and set it right. He is going to destroy every wrong, and make them right.

Today, consider How do justice and truth go together? Can one exist without the other?

Jesus is the ultimate Truth. We are called to live lives that reflect His truth.

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

What are ways we can pursue a gospel centered justice?

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. ²⁴ Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel! Matthew 23:23-24

³⁷ “You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ “What is truth?” said Pilate. After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him. ³⁹ You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. John 18:37-40

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Part 1: God’s Holiness Revealed
Part 2: Depending on God
Part 3: Image of God
Part 4: What is in a Name?
Part 5: Resting in God
Part 6: Lifelong Honor
Part 7: Living in Unity
Part 8: Following a Faithful God
Part 9: Work and Generosity
Part 10 Honest Justice
Part 11: Transformed Hearts