The Eighth Commandment

Small Catechism Review: The Eighth Commandment

The Sixth Commandment taught us how God forbids us to dishonor His institution of marriage with our thoughts, words, or deeds, and how He commands us to honor it. We didn’t talk about the Seventh Commandment last week, but very simply, it protects private property. When God commands, You shall not steal, He forbids us to take anything that belongs to our neighbor, which includes shady dealings or cheating him out of what belongs to him. Instead, God commands us to help our neighbor improve and protect his property and livelihood, which includes being good stewards of the property God has entrusted to us, paying our bills, paying what we owe to others.

Tonight we focus on the Eighth Commandment. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God, that we do not falsely deceive, betray, or slander our neighbor, or give him a bad reputation; but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

So we’re talking about sins of the tongue in this commandment. Now, other commandments certainly also deal with sins of the tongue, but this one is entirely about sins of the tongue—sins that, of course, begin in the heart, as all sins do. Listen to what James says about the tongue in his epistle: We all err in many ways. But if any man does not err in word, he is a perfect man and able also to control the whole body…The tongue is a little part of the body and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles. The tongue is a fire, a world of evil. The tongue is among the parts of the body, defiling the whole body, and setting the course of nature on fire, and it is set on fire by hell. All kinds of beasts, and birds, and serpents, and things in the sea are tamed or have been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. So let’s pay special attention to the Eighth Commandment.

It openly and obviously forbids false testimony. Now testimony can be given formally in a courtroom setting, but it can just as well be given to parents, or pastors, or teachers, or bosses, or policemen, or to the whole world on the internet, anywhere one person can get another person in trouble by saying false things about the other person.

But, of course, the commandment forbids more than saying things that are untrue. It forbids what Luther calls “falsely deceiving” your neighbor, that is, lying to him in order to harm him. There may be some amount of “deception” involved in throwing a surprise party for someone, or saying something nice that you don’t fully believe. Those things aren’t said to harm your neighbor. But other kinds of lies are intended to harm.

Also forbidden is betraying your neighbor, that is, revealing his secrets in order to harm him. Your neighbor tells you something in confidence, or you find out something about your neighbor that paints him or her in a bad light, and then you reveal it to others. That’s betrayal, even if what you say is true.

Also forbidden is slandering your neighbor, telling lies about him. Legally, we call it “slander” if it’s spoken and “libel” if it’s written. To God, either one is a breaking the Eighth Commandment.

And also forbidden is giving your neighbor a bad name or a bad reputation, spreading rumors or gossip about him so as to give others a bad impression of him. Again, whether it’s true or false or partially true, it doesn’t matter. You’re making your neighbor look bad, and God forbids it.

Now, there are times when it is not a sin to say something negative about your neighbor. When the authorities in the various estates call upon you to “testify,” it’s proper to tell the truth, even if it damages your neighbor’s reputation. And the authorities have God’s command to publicly rebuke someone, as Jesus often had to do with the Pharisees. As Luther says in the Large Catechism, where the sin is quite public, so that the judge and everybody know about it, you can without any sin shun the offender and let him go his own way, because he has brought himself into disgrace. You may also publicly testify about him. For when a matter is public in the daylight, there can be no slandering or false judging or testifying. It is like when we now rebuke the pope with his doctrine, which is publicly set forth in books and proclaimed in all the world. Where the sin is public, the rebuke also must be public, that everyone may learn to guard against it.

What are we to do with our tongues instead of harming our neighbor’s reputation? The catechism says we are to “defend our neighbor.” Defend him with words. Defend him against others who are gossiping about him or slandering him or making fun of him. Tell them to stop. There’s a beautiful example of this on the Saturday before Holy Week began when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with that costly perfume. Judas spoke criticized her and spoke against her. “Why wasn’t this sold and the money given to the poor?” But Jesus spoke up and defended her. “Leave her alone! Why do you trouble the woman?”

We are to “speak well” of our neighbor. Jesus continued, “For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” Say something kind about your neighbor, to boost his or her reputation. Reveal something good about him instead of something bad.

And finally, we are to “put the best construction on everything,” to explain our neighbor’s words and actions in the kindest possible way. Instead of assuming the worst about your neighbor, assume the best and do your best to explain away things that at first seem offensive.

Where have you failed to keep this Eighth Commandment? Where have you spoken evil about your neighbor? Where have you lied about your neighbor? Or twisted his words or actions? Where have you spoken the truth about your neighbor when you should have remained silent? Or where have you remained silent about your neighbor when you should have defended him or her and spoken well of him or her? The tongue is truly an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. And so the Eighth Commandment, like the rest, shows us our sin and condemns us in the courtroom of God’s justice.

Which is another reason why only a fool would plead his case before God on the basis of how well he has kept the Eighth Commandment. Our only plea must be, God, have mercy on me, a sinner, for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, whose speech was blameless, who spoke only the truth and only in love, and who suffered and died for the careless, cruel, and hurtful words I have spoken! Then, clothed in Christ’s righteousness and having God’s forgiveness, let the Eighth Commandment guide you each day into the new obedience of God’s beloved children, to speak only in truth and only in love, and to use your tongue to glorify God and to build up your neighbor. Amen.