Dear 100th Sheep,
I am sorry to hear that there are people who are making false accusations against you. I know how that feels as I have some people in my life lying about me as well. You asked how you should handle it. God speaks to this very issue in several places in Scripture.
The first thing to keep in mind are the words of Paul in Ephesians 6:12:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
It’s easy to focus on the people who are talking about you, but ultimately speaking, our battle is not against people, it is with demonic forces that hate us.
The Bible also confirms that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He is called an accuser in Revelation 12:10. He stood before God and accused Job. He is vicious in his attack upon people, especially Christians. So do not be surprised that you are being charged. Satan’s nature is clearly laid out by Jesus in John 8:44:
He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
It’s bad enough to be falsely accused by Satan, but sadly he uses people to accomplish his diabolical ends. People are capable of being deceived and deceiving themselves. This is the tough thing about human beings. We see many instances in the Scriptures of people who were deceived by Satan, such as Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5. Throughout his Epistles Paul has several warnings for people not to deceive themselves, such as in Colossians 2:8, 1 Corinthians 9:6-10, and 2 Corinthians 11:12-15.
The difficulty of deception is that there usually is a seed of truth in the lie. Your accusers will take something real about your past and mix it with lies to give the lie plausibility. This is incredibly difficult because you can’t deny that you didn’t sin in the past.
If any of our lives were laid bare, who of us could stand? Mixing truth with a lie is painful because something you did in the past is exposed for all to see, and you can’t deny it. However, just because you did something wrong in the past does not mean you are guilty of the lie you are accused of. Here is where it is essential to appropriate more truth of God’s word.
There is only one way out of sin, and that is through confession of it. The root of the word “confess” is from Latin, “con” or with and “fess” or say. Essentially, a confession is saying with God what you did wrong. He already knows what you did wrong. However, He calls us to admit what we did wrong openly and honestly before Him. God forgives our sin in Christ as we come straight to Him in faith.
The Scripture is clear:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
While many passages affirm God’s forgiveness in Christ, this one is my favorite.
Those trying to live a righteous life will often go to people they have hurt in the past and ask for forgiveness. Don’t be surprised if those trying to hurt you take your honest attempts of reconciliation and throw them in your face as further proof that you are as rotten as they say they are.
Being falsely accused is sometimes worse when accusations are made by people who claim the name of Christ. The Bible is clear that all accusations must be confirmed by two or three witnesses:
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. Deuteronomy 19:15
In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. John 8:17
Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 Corinthians 13:1
No Christian should entertain an accusation against a brother or sister in Christ if it is not corroborated by at least two witnesses. If anyone does, they are participating in slander. Such a Christian should not be trusted. God tells us to not engage in slander:
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 1 Peter 2:1
Besides, the Bible is clear how a Christian should handle a dispute:
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 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. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17
The most important thing to remember is that God will reveal the truth. It is challenging to have people spreading lies about you, but you must trust in God. God tells us we are to never take vengeance ourselves:
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19
The Bible is also clear that God will exonerate you:
No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish:
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Psalm 101:5
God will reveal the truth:
For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17
Finally, pray for those who are falsely accusing you. They are in great spiritual danger. Being a false witness is so severe that it is one of the Ten Commandments:
Thou shalt not bear false witness. Exodus 20:16
False accusations were so severe in Israel that if a person leveled false accusations, the accuser would be punished with the same punishment that the accused would have received if the matter wasn’t revealed:
If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. Deuteronomy 19:16-19
God knows the truth. Pray those who are accusing you will come to repentance before they fall under the judgement of God. Perhaps your prayers will make a difference in their lives. In the meantime, don’t defend yourself, stay strong in the Lord, and watch how He keeps His promises to you.
In Christ,
Norman H. Patterson, Jr.
Fellow 100th Sheep
