A Faithful Witness – Under Oath

The story is told of a man and his lawyer who faced a difficult courtroom battle against his opponent who had two lawyers. "I want you to hire another attorney to help with my case," he told his sole counselor. "The other fellow has two." "That's not necessary," replied his attorney. "I can defend you by myself." "I still want a second person," the defendant insisted. "When one of the plaintiff's lawyers is talking, the other one is thinking. When you talk, nobody's thinking."

Americans have long been fascinated by the courtroom. So often, matters of life and death unfold before our very eyes. From Perry Mason to Matlock, to Law and Order, to Denny Crane and Boston Legal, not to mention the real life legal sagas of O.J. Simpson, Martha Stewart, Bernie Madoff, and now Lindsey Lohan, the courtroom is an endless source of intrigue and fascination.

In order for the courtroom to be a place of justice, what must exist? No case could ever be solved without a witness. In order to bring a strong case to the courtroom, either as the prosecution or the defense, a faithful witness is needed – someone to tell the truth. But, there is a problem trusting people to tell the truth…and that is that people tend to lie. So, what is the answer to this dilemma? We place people under oath. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, SO HELP YOU GOD.” This last phrase is what reveals this statement to be an oath. You see, we don’t ask people to promise to tell the truth. A promise is based on MY NAME AND WORD. We ask them to "swear" to tell the truth. When we add the phrase “So help me God,” we invoke the NAME AND WORD OF GOD. Now the witness is bound by sacred oath to tell the truth. If they do speak honestly they remain faithful to the oath. If they lie they are responsible before God and incur His curses and wrath. This sounds downright Scriptural.

Hebrews 6:13-20 is instructive. "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.' And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." This beautiful passage highlights the strong name of the Lord. When we take an oath, we invoke the faithful name of the Lord – because he alone is trustworthy. It is God alone who can be trusted to keep His promises.

From what do we derive this legal ritual of placing the witness “under oath?” Most people have no idea that this is covenant language. In the Hebrew 6 passage, God’s covenant with Abraham was referenced. Verse 13 said, “When God made His promise with Abraham…He swore by Himself.” In Biblical covenants two parties were brought together. Because a sacred and reliable relationship was sought, the expectations of the covenant would be stated, and then an oath would be taken to put the covenant into effect. Normally this oath or sign of the covenant included a sacrifice or a meal. Remaining committed to the covenant incurred the blessings of the covenant relationship. Breaking the covenant brought about the judgment or curses of the covenant. At appointed times the parties would come back together and restate the covenant expectations. The sign of the covenant would be repeated insuring that both parties were still “under oath.” It was vital that the covenant participants remained “under oath.” Showing the obvious application to the courtroom, Proverbs 14:5 states, “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.” Placing people under oath is the best way to insure that we have faithful witnesses.

In legal matters, there are two terms no one wants to hear: “you are under arrest”, and “you are guilty.” While these concepts are untenable anytime, conviction and condemnation can be especially unpleasant in terms of spiritual matters. But, there is a great difference in the two terms. In spiritual terms, conviction is intended to lead us to repentance and forgiveness. Until we breathe our last, being under conviction has the potential to redirect us to the one who offers us a “not guilty” verdict and ultimate freedom for eternity.

After physical death, all of our appeals are exhausted. Hebrews 9:27 teaches us, “It is appointed unto man once to die…and then the judgment.” Condemnation comes to those who are under the curse, who remain in their sins – those who have rejected Jesus’ offer of forgiveness purchased for them through Christ’s atoning death on the cross. We will either be found guilty under the curse of Adam and our own sin, or we will be found innocent as we are in Christ. His righteousness becomes ours as we stand before the holy Judge who will not countenance unrighteousness in His Courts.

What is it that God desires from us while we have life on this mortal coil? The Lord's instruction to the disciples at His ascension provides one very important answer to this question. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The Lord desires for us to be his witnesses. He wants us to be like Jesus, who John describes in Revelation 1:5 as, the one, “who is the faithful witness...” Jesus instituted the New Covenant by offering His disciples a cup. He said to them, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Remembering the covenant vow brings us back “under oath.” We are invited to His Table so that we might renew our covenant with the Lord…that we might be convicted of our wrongdoing, confess our sins, receive his gracious forgiveness, and realign our lives under the Lordship of Christ. In doing this, we come under oath afresh, and we are renewed as His faithful witnesses.