The Ten Commandments: Ninth Commandment

Exodus 20:16

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. MOSES. David. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to Come.

Remember the “Coldplay Kiss Cam” incident? At a 2025 Coldplay concert, the “kiss cam” panned to a couple embracing, but they quickly disengaged and ducked out of sight to avoid the camera. It turned out these two worked for the same company and were romantically involved, despite having spouses. Both lost their jobs, and to be “coldplayed” became slang for being publicly caught doing something you shouldn’t. 

Now Kristin Cabot—one half of the “Coldplay Kiss Cam” couple—is speaking out. On The Oprah Podcast, she said, “In the initial moments, I’m sure it was funny to people. I can appreciate that. I just don’t think people really stop and think about there’s real humans behind this and it is incredibly destructive.”[1]

Social media amplified the incident’s exposure. The “kiss cam” video quickly accumulated over 100 million views. David Schmid, an associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo, said, “Social media activity is an endless repeating cycle of controversy, outrage, and our sacred right to say whatever we want about whoever we want with no consequences. Once we’ve chewed (a person) up and spat them out, we’ll move to someone else, and so it goes on, ad nauseam, at a pace dictated by our ever-shrinking attention span.”[2]

I know you’re wondering what the ‘Coldplay Kiss Cam’ incident has to do with the ninth commandment. Let’s work our way there.

TEN COMMANDMENTS REVIEW:
First Commandment: No god but God (Ex. 20:2-3)
Second Commandment: No Images (Ex. 20:4-6)
Third Commandment: Don’t misuse God’s name (Ex. 20:7)
Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11)
Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and mother (Ex. 20:12)
Sixth Commandment: Do not murder (Ex. 20:13)
Seventh Commandment: Do not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14)
Eighth Commandment: Do not steal (Ex. 20:15)

NINTH COMMANDMENT: DO NOT LIE (EX. 20:16)

Exodus 20:16
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 

Strictly speaking, the ninth commandment addresses perjury. We should never testify for someone we know is guilty, nor should we testify against someone we know is innocent. Justice cannot exist without truth. 

So, what’s the big deal about a lie here and there?
Lying is a serious issue because it attacks God's character and harms those created in his image. It directly contradicts the nature of God, for he does not, and cannot, lie (Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2). Lying also causes harm to others. Scripture states that a person who lies is like a “war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow” (Prov. 25:18). Additionally, lying damages a person’s reputation.

However, we can see from studying the Bible that believers have told lies. Abraham did (Gen. 20); David did (2 Sam. 11-12). Peter did (Matt. 26). In all these cases, there was repentance. So, a liar is someone whose life is defined by lies. God says that kind of person cannot be a true believer (Rev. 21:8). 

Is it ever right to lie? 
In his work, On Lying, Augustine pointed out that every lie is morally wrong but ranked lies from more serious to less serious. Others have suggested three types: humorous “lies,” like jokes; harmful lies; and helpful lies that benefit others. 

Regarding helpful lies, many point to the account of Rahab in Joshua 2, where she lied to protect the Hebrew spies. While God did bless Rahab, he never approved or commended her lie. Sixteenth-century German theologian Zacharius Ursinus well said that, even though Rahab and others lied, “God did not bless them because they lied, but because they had reverence toward God.”[3] Author Michael Horton is very helpful here:

A lie, even in the interest of the greater good, is always a sin, even though one might be required by one’s conscience to lie in order to, for instance, save a neighbor’s life. Here, a lie is still evil, but it is a lesser evil compared to murder.[4]

So, to be clear, lying is never right. To believe that truth can be forfeited due to a particular circumstance would be to make truth relative. And, as Horton says, breaking a commandment is always evil.

The Family of Lies
There are many “types” of lies that should be addressed under this commandment.

Slander. Malicious, false statements about someone to tear them down (Eph. 4:31). Puritan writer Thomas Boston said, “The scorpion carries poison in his tail, the slanderer carries poison in his tongue.”[5]

Flattery. Insincere praise used to gain acceptance is a lie. David described the flatterer as someone with a double heart (Ps. 12:2).

Half-truths. We all like to tell our preferred side of the story. But telling half of the story or even 90% of the story is a lie.

Hypocrisy. The Greek word for hypocrites comes from the theatre and means “play-actors.” Jesus often pointed out the duplicity of the Jewish religious leaders who pretended to be outwardly righteous but inwardly corrupt. (e.g., Matt. 23:13). Hypocrites live a lie.

Silent Lie. Staying silent when you could speak the truth is, in effect, not telling the truth.

Gossip. Now we are back to where we started with the “Coldplay Kiss Cam.” Gossip is spreading information—truthful or untruthful—to hurt a person and harm their reputation. There is another word for this—schadenfreude—a German word used to describe finding joy, satisfaction, and pleasure in the pain of others. But that really reveals more about us than them.[6]

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD 
Read and reflect on Exodus 20:16. Where are you tempted to distort the truth—through exaggeration, silence, or selective storytelling?

Talking to God: Ask God to open your eyes to any untruths in your actions or words.

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