“Stop bearing false witness!” This is a common line I hear from my daughters when they are in some form of arguments. I asked them where they learnt that. They told me it was from the Junior Church; a lesson on the Ten Commandments. But I got a twist to that line; Christians should not bear false witness.
Friend, a Christian is a witness of Christ in the world. This is the simple gospel message. We are to bear witness of His resurrection (Acts 1:8, 22). Our faith is based on Jesus’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:14-17). Not too many Christians know how to witness. Not too many Christians know what to witness. Not too many Christians are true witnesses.
A false witness is one who presents Christ the wrong way. He is one who does damage to the gospel of Christ while thinking that He is advancing the same. He is one who accuses sinners of their sins rather than giving them an opportunity to reconcile with God (John 8:1-11). If he is a pastor, he uses the pulpit to push people further into sin and hell, rather than use the pulpit to pull people out of the pit of sin and Christless eternity.
Any pulpit that cannot pull men out of the pit is a pulpit sponsored from hell (Matthew 23:13). We are to save men from fire, not to describe how they would burn in hell (Jude 1:23). We are to make heaven and Christianity look so attractive that men are longing to come in, and not the other way round. Sinners must feel the love of God through us, not the terror of hell (2 Corinthians 5:14).
A true witness rightly divides the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). He communicates God’s love to sinners, not God’s anger (John 3:16). He understands that God is no longer angry with sinners because of Jesus. He knows that all of God’s anger towards sinners have been emptied on Christ (Matthew 27:46). God’s love has now been extended to sinners.
A true witness is a witness of Christ’s resurrection. Christ is alive in Him and lives through Him, reconciling the world to Himelf (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). He has experienced the resurrection power of Jesus in His own life and shares it freely with others (Acts 1:3, 1 John 1:1-3). He goes all out populating heaven and depoplutating hell (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). Are you a true witness?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria