The Ninth Commandment

The Ninth Commandment

The ninth commandment speaks directly to the very nature of God:

Exodus 20:16

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

A false witness is offensive to God. Elsewhere, Scripture is even more direct:

Proverbs 6:16–19

“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”

Some people claim that God doesn’t hate anything—but that isn’t true. God hates lying. In fact, lying is mentioned twice in that single passage from Proverbs. Clearly, He wants us to understand how destructive falsehood is. But why does it matter so much?

In Isaiah 65:16, God is called “the God of Truth.” Truth is not merely an abstract idea; it is part of His very nature. To bear false witness is to reject Him, for falsehood strikes at the heart of who He is. On the last night of His earthly life, Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, who asked Him, “What is truth?”

What Pilate did not realize is that the answer was standing right in front of him. Truth was not a philosophical puzzle or a theological argument. Truth was a person—and His name was Jesus. As Jesus Himself declared:

John 14:6

“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The great irony is that on that night, Truth was condemned and crucified on the testimony of false witnesses. Lies literally killed Truth.

So why does God hate lying? Because it opposes everything He is. To follow Christ is to walk in truth. To embrace falsehood is to align with the enemy of God. The ninth commandment calls us to more than avoiding lies—it calls us to reflect the God of Truth in both word and life.