Proverbs 19:9 – “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.”
Today’s devotion comes from the phrase false witness. Witnesses give an account of events before someone that is unaware of those events. Now, to do that falsely seems an obvious definition … you lie about what happened. More specifically, someone who is aware of the truth knowingly and intentionally either misrepresents or omits facts with the hope of not being discovered.
We know that we are written epistles of Christ to those around us. We are all called in the Bible to be witnesses of Christ. Knowing that we are meant to be a witness for Christ, we cannot escape culpability for failing to be a true witness of Christ. Anything less than our most diligent efforts to share what we have witnessed of Christ is a false witness.
It does not matter if we “intend” too present a false witness to the world, the truth is that we do damage to the name of Christ when we do anything other than live a life worthy of the name Christian.
To those that know what is good, when they do it not, it is sin. Therefore, when a saint becomes so engrossed in the world that they do not give thought to being a witness, they are a false witness. We are not meant to live a life that looks like the world. When a saint chooses not to take advantage of an opportunity that is presented by God to testify of His world and His Son, we are a false witness.
The absence of truth is still falseness. By not sharing the truth, as a silent onlooker, we allow the lies of the world to go unchecked and unrefuted. Meaning, by our inactivity, we are silently endorsing the lies of the world. We become a false witness.
Every instance that we are guilty of being a false witness will not go unpunished, as our text says. We stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ, without excuse or justification, and will answer to the Lamb of God that shed His blood to cover our sins. Not to mention, that we are subject to the chastening of God whilst we still walk the Earth for being disobedient to the command of Christ to bear witness of Him.
So rather than face inescapable punishment, it would be far better for us to be a true witness of the Savior. The reason someone will actively, or passively, bear false witness is a lack of appreciation for the truth. If we ever truly realize all the God has done for our salvation and sanctification, no one would be able to keep us from being a witness worthy of being associated with Christ.
Your fellowservant in Christ, Bro. Jordan Foster
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