Fighting False Accusations
by Christopher Hendrix
False accusations, a destructive force in our society, are a manifestation of deep-seated rebellion against God. They proliferate on social media, mainstream media, legacy news, and websites, unchecked and unaccountable. Their aim is not just to harm the direct target of the accusation, but to wreak havoc on many others. For instance, a system rife with false accusations of sexual abuse or rape breeds doubt about genuine cases of these heinous crimes. The ripple effect is profound, as not only the wrongly accused suffer, but the true victims of evil also bear the brunt.
The Christian’s View of False Accusations
The Christian ought to hate the act of bearing false witness deeply. If a Christian doesn’t hate this sin, then it will run rampant. After all, this very sin led a court to push for the crucifixion of Jesus. In addition, this sin made it into the Decalogue (Ex. 20:16). Bearing false witness breaks the most fundamental laws set up by the Creator. On top of that, falsely accusing someone places that person by Satan himself (John 8:44).
Furthermore, the law of God sets up protections against false accusations. God established requirements to bring forth proof against the accused. Deut. 19:15 says, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” Jesus references this standard in the often misused and abused verse in Matt. 18:16, 20 which says, “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses…For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Note that these witnesses have to give testimony to the same event, not different events. Multiple witnesses of differing events don’t count as eyewitnesses to the same event. This might mean there certainly needs to be an investigation done, but the proof has to stem from witnesses of the same event. If there’s smoke, then there’s probably a fire somewhere. But the smoke should not be confused with the fire.
Listen to Pastor Chris teach on 2 Corinthians 11:7-11.
The Cultural Application
This applies to our justice system and how we think about law. The Bible leans strongly towards protecting the innocent. American law is premised on this, saying, “Innocent until proven guilty.” Other countries assume that a person is guilty until proven innocent. This is unjust and leads to innocent people being punished. The Bible requires higher evidence for an accusation to show someone’s guilt because it seeks to protect the innocent. What’s better, to have the requirement for evidence set at putting 1000 bad guys in prison along with 50 innocent guys, or not having enough evidence to convict 1000 bad guys, but not punishing 50 innocent guys? The Bible agrees with the latter. This truth is founded on the fact that God hates false witnesses. A few places that tell us this is Ex. 23:1; Ps. 27:12; Proverbs 6:16, 19; 12:17; 14:5; 19:5, 9; 21:28; 25:18; Mal. 3:5; Matt. 15:19; 19:18; Rom. 13:9.
The Christian’s Foxhole
How do we combat false accusations around us? First and foremost, we must be people of truth. Truth begins in our own hearts. Do we honestly narrate situations that have occurred? Do we refrain from slander and gossip? Do we refrain from embellishing stories or exaggerating events to enhance our image? Do we practice being a truthful witness of things in our lives? Second, we must not take lying lightly in our homes and churches. If our homes and churches do not address one another’s lying, the culture will continue to follow suit. In an era where even grievous and depraved sins go unaddressed in churches, we must be a holy people, not tolerating any sin, especially the ‘fibs’ or ‘white lies’ that seem harmless. Third, we must hold those in leadership accountable for lying. How many times have leaders lied to the public without facing consequences? Some of these lies are crimes and need prosecution. Others reveal deep-rooted morality issues, and those responsible should be voted out of office. We must not compromise with lying and preach the Gospel to those in leadership positions in our nation.
Fourthly, when falsely accused, we respond as Jesus calls us to in Matt. 5:38–39. This passage is about foregoing our honor, not about pacifism. We don’t need to defend our reputation from every false accusation. Learn to let your godly conduct speak for itself. However, there are times when we do need to address false accusations. We can see how Paul approached this in 2 Corinthians 11:7–11. Paul is not quick to defend his reputation. He’s not out to have a large following, a good PR, or be liked by everyone. However, regarding his apostleship and the Gospel, he puts forth the truths and calls witnesses to support them. He defends against the false accusations because the Gospel witness is ultimately at stake. When false accusations seem to undercut the truth of the Gospel, we ought to bring truth forth and deal with them.
Ultimately, our fighting posture is in the Gospel. Though the false witness of the court led Jesus to the condemnation of the cross, it was ultimately our false witness that led Him to Calvary’s hill. He died and bled for every believer’s lie; the white lies, the black lies, the small lies, the large lies all were paid for by Christ. When we lie, repent, and run to the arms of Christ. When we are lied against, we pray and seek wisdom to fight false accusations.