What Does it Mean to Bear Witness?

You’ve probably heard the phrase “bear witness” before. It’s a phrase that is included in the 9th Commandment in the Bible, stating:

Exodus 20:16 — “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

While this Commandment talks about bearing false witness, it’s also possible to bear witness to something. So, what does it mean to bear witness?

What Does Bear Witness Mean?

In terms of the words alone, “bearing witness” means viewing or observing something. Bearing witness is an important activity throughout the Bible. In fact, it is even a part of ancient Hebrew law that required 2-3 witnesses to establish a claim under civil or criminal law:

Deuteronomy 19:15 — "One witness shall not arise against a man for any sin or guilt that he may commit; according to two witnesses or according to three witnesses a matter shall stand.”

This passage demonstrates that bearing witness was a customary part of life during those times. It also shows that someone could bear false witness and lie. In this context, bearing witness means being honest about what you see, doing right by your fellow citizens, and not lying or spreading rumors. But it was not only important to bear witness in terms of the law. It was also important to bear witness to the Word of God and Jesus Himself.

In John 5:31-32, Jesus says, “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.”

And later, in John 5:39-41, Jesus says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people.”

In these passages, Jesus is stating that simply reading the Scriptures and thinking that is enough to observe, understand, and carry Him in your heart is not sufficient. So, bearing witness cannot be done in only one way, it must be done in all ways—through Scripture, in our everyday lives, and through Christ himself.

Bearing witness is often used synonymously with evangelizing—which is the spreading of the gospel to others. This means bearing witness to the message of Jesus and spreading His message to others so that they may receive salvation. As Jesus states in the passages above, bearing witness by yourself does not make your testimony true. It takes many witnesses to spread the Word of God—to spread the truth.

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We, at GO Evangelism Ministry, Inc., have been supporting gospel ministries across the globe in their mission to spread the Word. Thanks to our tracts, the Gospel is spread every day, in countless parts of the globe, in numerous languages.

At GO Evangelism Ministry, Inc., we have GO! Gospel Tracts that will move anyone into lending their ear to your message. You can develop a highly effective Tract Ministry by including a select choice of tracts in your evangelism efforts. In doing so, you and everyone you touch through your ministry will reap the eternal reward of The Word!