Regarding False Witness

"A false witness will not go unpunished,
      And he who speaks lies will not escape." Proverbs 19:5

It occurs to me that the Lord considers false witness to be a sin of the highest kind. We know this because He made sure this particular "thou shalt not" was part of the moral law of Ten Commandments. God loves truth. He is the Author of truth. And He wants truth to come out of our mouths, especially when talking about Him and about other people. We need to be very careful that we do not malign or cast suspicion on someone when we are discussing them or that which pertains to them. We do not know their motives nor the context of their actions. If we have actual evidence that what they are doing is against God's will, that is different. Then we are to go to them and address it with them. If they do not hear us, we are to take one or two with us. If they still do not hear us, we are to take it to the church, and if they still are not turning from their sin they are to be removed from the fellowship of the church or censured. Then a time of repentance and reconciliation occurs in which the church lovingly guides the erring back to the safety of a converted relationship with God. This is the basic process we are to follow.

But when we cast doubt on another and malign them wrongfully, this is bearing false witness, and the Bible condemns it.

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits" [Matt. 7:15, 16].

"There are some who have departed from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and these in their turn seduce others through falsehood and misrepresentation. These false teachers are represented by Christ as ravening wolves. Their work is to tear down that which God through His agencies is seeking to build up. 'Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make My people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God'" [Micah 3:5-7].~Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, page 89

"When those who controvert the truth of God send for men to oppose truth with falsehood and error, this is the time to watch the influence their words have upon the congregation. Those who do not want a knowledge of the truth will greedily partake of the dish of pleasing fables presented to them. They will listen diligently to the falsehoods and ravening of the wolves in sheep's clothing. They are of those who rejoice in iniquity. They infuse into the hearts of those who do not want God's way the same wicked opposition that is in their own hearts. And they will act out the same spirit toward God's commandment-keeping people in this time as the Jews did when they refused to believe the truths which Christ unfolded before them. Christ presented before this people the prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures, showing them that by their rejection of Him they were fulfilling those prophecies. But they continued in their evil course, and followed to the end the works which stand registered against them in the books of heaven, and which have brought eternal infamy upon them as a nation." ~Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, page 90

"The matter is carried from man to God, so that if one bears false witness, it is not to man, but to the great God, who reads the heart, and knows the exact truth in every case. Our laws make it a high crime to take a false oath. God has often visited judgment upon the false swearer, and even while the oath was on his lips, the destroying angel has cut him down. This was to prove a terror to evildoers." ~Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, page 202