You Shall Not Bear False Witness
Truth-telling protects justice and maintains the fabric of human community.
The ninth commandment forbids false testimony—lying, slander, gossip, exaggeration, deception. Truth is foundational to justice and trust. Jesus, who called himself 'the truth,' demands that his followers be people of their word. Let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no. In an age of deception and manipulation, truth-telling becomes countercultural witness. The setting is a courtroom: “false witness against your neighbour” (Exodus 20:16) targets perjury first, gossip by extension. The tongue has power of life and death; words can heal or destroy.
All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who paid with his life for speaking truth against Nazi lies, wrote that 'the Christian community is the place where truth is spoken and heard.'
Book of Exodus