I'm My Own False Witness

​If you’d rather listen than read, you can find this TFG on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

For we are God’s masterpiece.
-Ephesians 2:10

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve been living in the Ten Commandments for while as our church is finishing up a sermon series that explores the Exodus commands through a Jesus-centered lens. I have to admit, Jesus is my jam, and sometimes sitting in the OT for long stretches wears me down a little (sorry if that doesn’t sound holy enough). But these weeks have actually been enlightening, expansive, and challenging. We’re nearly through them all, and this past week was commandment nine, which says, “You shall not give false testimony about your neighbor.” More often, weakly summarized as “don’t lie.” 

We talked about the damage in our society that is done by misrepresenting others (you can listen here). Jesus teaches plenty about that. He also talks about the things deep in our own hearts where this process originates. This heart reality led me down all sorts of paths. When we start thinking false things, they eventually come out of us, whether that’s through our words or through our actions. We can bear false witness in a million ways. 

I came to the conclusion that even holding a grudge is a form of “bearing a false witness” because we are actually telling a false story to ourselves about someone else. We cling to an assumption about someone from the past that may no longer be true, and certainly isn’t the ultimate truth. We have decided that because of one moment, someone is a _______ person and they deserve to be kept in our mental chokehold indefinitely. We bypass the bigger truth about another—that they are loved by God. That they are more than a mistake. That their lives are complicated and imperfect, just like ours. 

We can tell ourselves all sorts of false stories about the people around us that we struggle with. That’s giving false witness. The narratives we have in our heads can get pretty twisted. 

And that’s why I was struck when an insightful friend came up to me after the message and suggested that it can go even one step further.

We can give false testimony about our neighbors to our neighbors through gossip and slander. 
We can give false testimony about our neighbors to ourselves by holding grudges and creating a whole narrative. 
“But can’t we also give false testimony about ourselves to ourselves?” 

We have so many issues with self-condemnation in our world today. So many people believe that they are not worthy of love and dignity. So many people believe they have nothing to offer to our world. And for the first time, I’m seeing that as false testimony, too. We lie to ourselves about ourselves. 

In a lot of Christian circles, we have a fear of thinking of ourselves too highly. That’s absolutely fair. But the alternative is not the constant self-condemnation that I see so often among people who have grown up within Christianity. The alternative is walking with a humble conviction that we are beloved by God and worth all the love that exists in the world, as Jesus has made clear. And who are the ones who struggle the most to see themselves as worthy of love? In my experience, it is disproportionately those with a deeply Christian upbringing. The sorrow that this brings me is immeasurable.

The origin story of humanity in the Bible is not that “you are sinful.” It’s that “you are created in God’s image.” And yes, selfishness tarnishes that family resemblance. But immediately God embarks on a history-long project to restore that unity and ultimately convince people that they are not condemned, and that they are God’s joy to be in relationship with. The Psalmist is flabbergasted by God’s view of humanity. You’ve made them a little lower than the angels, and crowned them with glory and honor, he exclaims in Psalm 8. Rabbi Jesus tells his disciples that he loves them so fiercely he can’t even bear to call them servants any longer. He will now call them friends and brothers. The living God says that. It’s remarkable. 

I’m not convinced we’re accomplishing anything by endlessly telling ourselves and others how sinful we are. We already feel that plenty. But internalizing the message that our struggles are seen, and we are loved anyway through amazing grace and an unbreakable commitment from God? A truth like that changes the course of our lives. And believing that the deepest truth in the world is that you, and I, and all of humanity are beloved? That sort of truth, when we allow ourselves to name it, changes not just how we see ourselves but how we see all of the world.

Where have you been giving false witness about yourself to yourself lately? What would Jesus say the deepest truths about you are? I’m almost sure that for most of you reading this, Jesus would have a more grace-filled view of you than you have of yourselves. Will you trust his testimony? Will you humbly live in that belovedness?

If you work hard to not be a false witness against others, may I gently invite you to apply the same loving practice to yourself today?

Jesus, help me tell the truth about myself in the beautiful ways, too. 

Peace,
Keith