Biblical Counselors and the Sufficiency of Scripture 

Two issues are common in our modern biblical counseling world:

1. Statements of commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture for biblical counseling.

2. Accusations that other biblical counselors are not committed to the sufficiency of Scripture.

This long-form article uses God’s all-sufficient Word to develop a practical biblical theology for publicly cross-examining public accusations made by biblical counselors about other biblical counselors.

• See Appendix 1 for ten sample passages commanding public cross-examination and evidential documentation.

• See Appendix 2 for seventy sample passages validating defending oneself and one’s ministry against public accusations.

• See Appendix 3 for forty sample passages addressing the sinfulness of false accusations and bearing false witness.

Is Silence Always Golden? 

When a biblical counselor is publicly accused, there are many biblical passages and principles to consider. In these instances, some people highlight one primary passage—1 Peter 2:23—to assert that the wisest biblical response to public accusation is silent submission. This misapplies 1 Peter 2:23 as if it teaches that every person must always remain silently compliant whenever they are publicly accused.

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

This verse has a specific context: Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross. In that salvific context, Christ chose not to call 10,000 angels. He chose not to defend Himself. He chose to die a sacrificial death on our behalf for God’s glory.

However, on multiple occasions Christ publicly defended Himself and His ministry against false public allegations. In fact, so did multiple people throughout the Bible.

• Sample Gospel Passages Where Jesus Defended Himself and His Ministry Against False Accusations: Matthew 9:1-8; Matthew 9:10-13; Matthew 9:14-17; Matthew 12:1-8; Matthew 12:22-37; Matthew 15:1-14; Matthew 21:23-27; Matthew 22:15-22; Matthew 22:23-32; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 2:1-12; Mark 2:15-17; Mark 2:18-22; Mark 2:23-28; Mark 3:20-30; Mark 6:1-6; Mark 11:27-23; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 5:17-26; Luke 5:29-32; Luke 5:33-39; Luke 6:1-5; Luke 11:14-23; Luke 13:10-17; Luke 15:1-32; Luke 20:1-8; Luke 20:20-26; John 5:1-18; John 5:16-47; John 7:12-24; John 8:12-18; John 8:48-49; John 10:22-39; John 18:19-24; John 18:28-37. 

• Sample Passages in the Epistles Where Paul Defended Himself and His Ministry Against False Accusations: 1 Corinthians 9:1-27; 2 Corinthians 1:12-24; 2 Corinthians 3:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:1-26; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; 2 Corinthians 11:1-33; 2 Corinthians 12:1-21; 2 Corinthians 13:1-10; Galatians 1:10-24; Galatians 2:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. 

• Sample Old Testament Passages Where God’s Chosen Leaders Defended Themselves and Their Ministries Against False Accusations: Numbers 16:1-11; Numbers 16:12-40; Numbers 16:41-50; 1 Samuel 12:1-5; Jeremiah 11:18-23; Jeremiah 15:15-18; Jeremiah 17:15-18; Jeremiah 18:18-23; Jeremiah 20:1-6; Jeremiah 26:1-24; Jeremiah 37:11-21; Jeremiah 38:14-28; Amos 7:10-17.

Silence is not golden. Silence emboldens.

Public Cross-Examination: Commanded by Scripture 

Actually, the Bible commands that we publicly cross-examine public accusations. Here are a few samplers:

“If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deuteronomy 19:16-21).

“In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines” (Proverbs 18:17, NIV).

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17, ESV).

“Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?’” (John 7:51-52).

The Bible is sufficient to teach us how to respond to public accusations. This article introduces some of the core passages that we need to explore in order to develop a theology of publicly responding to public accusations.

• The Bible has a theology of public cross-examination of public accusations.
• The Bible has a theology of defending oneself and one’s ministry through publicly cross-examining false accusations.
• The Bible has a theology of false accusations: the heart sin that motivates them, God’s judgment upon them, and the sinfulness of such false accusations.

Here’s a summary of what this article will document about biblical responses to false accusations:

1. When publicly accused, it is biblical to demand to face your accuser.
2. When publicly accused, it is biblical to demand evidence and documentation.
3. It is biblical to publicly defend oneself and one’s ministry against false public accusations by cross-examining the accuser, their charges, and their alleged evidence.

Here’s a summary of what this article will document about unbiblical accusations:

1. It is unbiblical to publicly accuse someone without documented evidence.
2. It is unbiblical to publicly falsely accuse another person.
3. False accusations are so unbiblical that Jesus aligns false testimony with the heart sins of evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, and slander (Matthew 15:19).

Biblical Counsel for Responding Publicly to Public Accusations 

In Appendix 1, you will find ten sample passages that build a biblical theology of public response to public accusations. In the section that follows, you will read about three of those passages: Deuteronomy 19:16-21; Proverbs 18:17; and John 7:51-52.

Deuteronomy 19:16-21: The Command to Cross-Examine 

Deuteronomy 19:16-21 provides foundational biblical counsel concerning our responsibility to publicly cross-examine public accusers.

“If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

This text provides several aspects of vital biblical counsel about adjudicating public allegations.

1. The Context—Public Accusation: There is a public accusation made against the reputation of another member of the community (19:16).
2. The Concern—False Testimony: There is concern about the possibility of a malicious (hamas) witness. This is an accuser who does violence by providing either undocumented or false evidence. It is a witness who distorts the truth and does damage to another person’s reputation. The lexical emphasis is on harm and damage (19:16).
3. The Corrective—Due Process Through Cross-Examination: God’s Word demands a “thorough investigation. “Investigation” is dārašh, meaning examine, interrogate, investigate, inquire, find out, seek with care. “Thorough” is yāṭaḇ, which means intensely, formally, diligently, carefully. Together, they denote a public process of cross-examination and diligent inquisition into the public accusation: inquire thoroughly, investigate diligently, interrogate the witness, perform an inquisition (19:18).
4. The Counterfeit—False Witness: Under cross-examination, the accusation may be proven to be groundless, without basis in fact, documentation or evidence—sheqer: misleading, false, empty, deceptive (19:18-19).
5. The Individual Consequence—Purge the Perjurer: The legal penalty for false testimony is “do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party” (19:19); it is an “eye for an eye” (19:21).
6. The Corporate Consequence—Purify God’s People: Everyone else will see the judgment upon a false witness and never again bear false witness (19:20). 

Proverbs 18:17: The Wisdom of Careful Cross-Examination 

Proverbs 18:17 provides biblical wisdom principles that build upon the foundational teachings of Deuteronomy 19:16-21.

“In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines” (Proverbs 18:17, NIV).

This verse does not discourage discernment; it requires it. It calls Christians neither to gullibility nor reflexive suspicion, but to patient examination.

Proverbs 18:17 zooms in on legal and personal disputes, reminding us that what may sound persuasive initially, can quickly unravel when cross-examined. In an era when rhetoric can easily generate more heat than light, careful examination is precisely what the church needs—and what the Bible requires.

Kiel and Delitzsch describe the Hebrew of this passage as “searching thoroughly,” “to examine him to the very bottom,” to “thoroughly search into a strife.” They summarize the Proverb as: “to examine or lay bare anyone thoroughly so that the misrepresentation of the state of the matter might come out to view.”

In explaining the meaning of this proverb, John Kitchen writes,

“The first evidence always sounds like the only evidence until further investigation takes place. The two lines of this proverb form one continuous sentence. The context appears to be that of a court of law, yet the principle of the proverbs applies far more widely. The law demanded that judges impartially hear both sides of a dispute (Deut 1:16)…. Listening before forming a fixed opinion is mandatory, if justice is to be done (Prov 18:2, 13). The difference between hasty judgment and the right judgment comes when one ‘examines’ that which seems so obvious. The verb means to search, investigate or to examine. It describes an intensive, searching probe for the truth” (p 402).

Allen Ross wisely notes that, “The proverb reminds us that there are two sides in any dispute (legal, domestic, or religious) and that all sides in a dispute must be given a hearing.” Bruce Waltke agrees, explaining that,

“The proverb teaches the equality of disputants and instructs the disciple not only to hear both sides of an argument but to demand direct cross-examination before rendering a decision” (emphasis added).

Paul Tautges observes that Proverbs 18:17 teaches the extreme foolishness of listening only to the accuser.

“If, in our attempt to be peacemakers, we reach conclusions and make judgments without taking time to practice biblical love—by seeking out and listening to both parties involved—then we are not wise counselors at all, but extremely foolish. Instead of helping the people we claim to care about, we do more damage by becoming part of the problem rather than the solution.”

Tautges’s conclusion captures well the serious consequences of refusing to publicly cross-examine public allegations:

“By ignoring the wisdom of Proverbs 18:17, we fail to faithfully serve God and others as helpful peacemakers, serve the flesh, and do the devil’s work instead.”

John 7:51-52: The Patient Wisdom to Hear Both Sides 

Nicodemus applies Deuteronomy 19:16-21 and Proverbs 18:17 to public accusations against Jesus. Nicodemus served in the role of the man standing between the mob and the accused—in this case, Jesus Himself.

“Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?’” (John 7:51-52). 

Those who were instructors in the law were themselves guilty of being lawbreakers. Those who were claiming the sufficiency of Scripture were being unfaithful to those sufficient Scriptures.

Biblical justice demands patient hearing of both sides before reaching conclusions. Someone must slow the crowd long enough to ask: “What exactly did the accused say?” 

Toward a Biblical Theology of False Accusations and Careful Cross-Examination 

Combined, Deuteronomy 19:16-21; Proverbs 18:17; and John 7:51-52 suggest the following biblical counsel about public accusations:

• The Bible insists that serious charges require documented evidence and precise cross-examination.
• The Bible warns against non-evidential reputational destruction and insists upon reputational justice.
• The Bible rejects unchecked accusations and demands factual verifications of charges, careful examination of characterizations, and detailed evidential documentation and/or disputation.
• The Bible insists upon severe judgment against those whose testimony is proven to be unverified.

The stakes are high. In Israel’s covenant community, and in our biblical counseling community, testimony can determine someone’s life, livelihood, standing, and reputation.

Biblical counselors take the Bible seriously. The Bible takes accusations, investigations, and mischaracterizations seriously.

Accusations without documentation are often little more than insinuations, speculations, and unsupported allegations that can produce mischaracterizations and sometimes descend into outright fabrications.

The Heart Sin of Undocumented Accusations and False Witness 

When you read Appendix 3, you’ll detect a pattern, a theme. Undocumented accusations and false witness are serious heart sins.

• Jesus directly links false testimony with evil thoughts from the heart. He connects false testimony to the sins of murder, adultery, and sexual immorality (Matthew 15:19).
• Solomon relates a false witness directly to a heart that devises wicked schemes, and to haughty, proud eyes (Proverbs 6:16-19).
• Solomon relates a false witness to deceit in the heart (Proverbs 12:17-22).
• The Bible describes those guilty of undocumented accusations and false witness as malicious (Exodus 23:1; Psalm 27:12; Deuteronomy 19:16-21), ruthless (Psalm 35:11), arrogant (Psalm 119:69, 86), perverting justice (Exodus 23:2-3), denying justice (Exodus 23:6-7), callous and unfeeling (Psalm 119:69-70), wicked, deceitful, and hateful (Psalm 109:1-7).
• Solomon (Proverbs 19:5, 9, 21:28), Moses (Deuteronomy 19 :16-21), and the Psalmists (Psalm 101:5; 109:7) teach that false witnesses will not go unpunished.

The Book of Church Order of The Presbyterian Church in America 31-8 encapsulates well the Bible’s teaching on the seriousness of undocumented allegations and false accusations:

“Great caution ought to be exercised in receiving accusations from any person who is known to indulge a malignant spirit towards the accused; who is not of good character; who is himself under censure or process; who is deeply interested in any respect in the conviction of the accused; or who is known to be litigious, rash or highly imprudent.”

Why the Community Must Publicly Address Public Accusations 

Prior to reading this biblical theology of public accusations, perhaps you assumed that:

“It’s best just to ignore false accusations. They’ll die out unless we feed them with the fuel of cross-examination.”

Clearly, that is not biblically-theologically accurate.

Scripture treats public accusations with profound seriousness. We saw in Deuteronomy 19:16-21 that allegations were not to be accepted casually or amplified recklessly. Judges were commanded to conduct a thorough investigation because false testimony could unjustly damage individuals and the covenant community itself. And we read in Proverbs 18:17 that both the individual and the community must engage in cross-examination.

Public Accusations and the Biblical Counseling Community 

These biblical principles are especially relevant in our current biblical counseling controversies. Public warnings about doctrinal drift can be necessary. Christian leaders should never hesitate to address genuine theological error with clarity and conviction.

However, the seriousness of such warnings also requires corresponding care in documentation, representation, and investigation. Faithful discernment requires careful quotation, accurate context, clear definitions, and a willingness to examine whether the rhetoric employed genuinely matches the documented evidence.

As we saw, Proverbs 18:17 reminds us that “the one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” Deuteronomy 19 explains why such examination matters:

The goal is not to silence convictional concerns, but to ensure that our defense of truth never drifts into undocumented allegations and untruthful accusations against fellow believers.

In a moment of heightened rhetoric within the biblical counseling movement, that distinction matters greatly—not only for organizational debates, but for ordinary church members trying to understand how Christians should speak about one another in the presence of serious disagreement.

According to Jesus, public accusers should happily subject themselves to such cross-examination. In his commentary on Matthew, John Calvin applies Matthew 7:2 to how we judge one another. “For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.”

“The design of Christ was to guard us against indulging excessive eagerness, or peevishness, or malignity, or even curiosity, in judging our neighbours. He who judges according to the word and law of the Lord, and forms his judgment by the rule of charity, always begins with subjecting himself to examination, and preserves a proper medium and order in his judgments” (John Calvin, Commentary on Matthew).

Rather than waiting to be cross-examined, prior to even publicly accusing others, the believer who lives in alignment with Matthew 7:1-5 will humbly seek to verify that their allegations are factually accurate.

God’s Courtroom 

We are not in a courtroom of public opinion. We are in God’s courtroom of justice which requires factual testimony. We are not following the legal system of the United States. We are following the Bible’s teaching on publicly cross-examining public accusations.

In Acts 6, Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, faced false accusations and trumped-up charges. Before his sermon—and martyrdom—in Acts 7, Stephen is asked a simple legal question:

“Then the high priest asked Stephen, ‘Are these charges true?’” (Acts 7:1).

In response, Stephen preached a gospel-centered historical sermon that shattered the rigid, self-righteous, human traditions of the Jewish religious leaders. His sermon was not just a historical defense; it was a bold counter-indictment. Accused of blaspheming Moses, the Law, and the Temple, Stephen flipped the narrative to prove that the religious leaders were repeating Israel’s long history of rejecting God’s messengers—and ultimately rejecting Jesus the Messiah. The accusers become the accused.

That is what cross-examination of public allegations must ask:

“Are these charges true?”

Protecting Truthfulness 

Our goal is not to protect movements. Our goal is to protect truthfulness about brothers and sisters in Christ. In a climate of escalating accusations, Deuteronomy 19:16-21; Proverbs 18:17; Matthew 7:1-5; John 7:51; and Acts 7:1 all insist that cross-examination is biblically required so that we can wisely discern whether a witness is quoting accurately, representing fairly, documenting clearly, and providing specific factual evidence. The Bible requires us to distinguish between disagreement and defamation, and between allegations and evidence.

We are not advocates for or against one group or one organization of biblical counselors. God calls us to be advocates who insist that public accusers present actual factual evidence. Before rendering verdicts on brothers and sisters in Christ, the church owes them the dignity of accurate quotation and careful representation. In times of polemical escalation, preserving the actual record becomes an act of charity. While others rush to render verdicts, our role has been simpler: to ask whether the charges can survive cross-examination.

On a Personal Level 

Public accusations in the biblical counseling world are not some abstract arguments. They involve real people—real biblical counselors—who have invested their lives and their livelihoods in ministering God’s all-sufficient Word to God’s people. A particularly relevant passage is 2 Timothy 4:16, where Paul, at the end of his life, shares these melancholy, sorrowful words,

“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.”

Commentators debate which trial Paul is referencing. However, there is no debate about what Paul experienced. No one came to his support. Everyone deserted Paul.

Paul uses the word “support” (paraginomai) in a legal, technical, court sense for coming forth in public. Not a single friend had the courage to come forward in court as Paul’s patron, advocate, procurator, defender, or legal counsel. Not a soul stood by Paul and pleaded Paul’s case for him, or made a speech on his behalf. No one aided and abetted Paul in his public legal defense. They were doubtless afraid that they would endanger their own reputations and even their lives.

Further, everyone deserted (enkataleipō) Paul. This is the same word Jesus used when He cried out,  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The word means to abandon, leave, or forsake. It’s the identical word Paul used in 2 Timothy 4:10 for Demas deserting him.

When fellow biblical counselors are publicly accused, they should never have to say, “no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.” Instead, they should experience others coming forth publicly on their behalf, in their defense—to cross-examine the allegations.

If any of those allegations are documented to be true, then the accused person would be responsible to address them publicly. If any of those allegations are proven to be undocumented and/or false, then the accuser would be responsible to repent of them publicly.

Will Biblical Counselors Be Biblical? 

If you are inclined toward public accusations of others, then you must commit to being biblical by providing in-context documentation of your allegations. You must commit to being open to having your accusations publicly cross-examined. You must be humbly willing to recant and repent if your allegations are proven to be undocumented and/or untrue.

If you are being publicly accused by fellow biblical counselors, then you have a biblical right, and even responsibility, to cross-examine your accuser. You are not “being defensive.” You are biblically defending the truth.

If you are a leader in the biblical counseling movement, then you have a biblical responsibility to involve yourself in these public conversations. The Bible insists that the community engage in these disputations—cross-examining the evidence to ensure that justice is done.

A modern movement like nouthetic biblical counseling—that was built on the concept of confrontation out of concern for change—cannot allow itself to meekly retreat when public allegations are made. As much as we may want to be peacemakers, ignoring serious accusations is unbiblical—and never leads to peace.

May the wisdom of God’s all-sufficient Word be our guide:

“In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines” (Proverbs 18:17, NIV).

Appendix 1

Sample Biblical Passages Commanding Public Cross-Examination of Public Accusations and Demanding Evidential Documentation 

Deuteronomy 1:16-18: “And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.’ And at that time I told you everything you were to do.” 

Deuteronomy 19:16-21: “If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

Psalm 109:1-7: “My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.”

Proverbs 18:13: “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.”

Proverbs 18:17: “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”

Proverbs 25:7-10: “What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? If you take your neighbor to court, do not betray another’s confidence, or the one who hears it may shame you and the charge against you will stand.”

John 7:51-52: “Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?’”

Acts 7:1: “Then the high priest asked Stephen, ‘Are these charges true?’”

2 Corinthians 13:1: “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’”

1 Timothy 5:19:  ^“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.”

Appendix 2

Sample Biblical Passages Validating Defending Oneself and One’s Ministry Against Public Accusations

Old Testament Passages Where God’s Chosen Leaders Defended Themselves and Their Ministries Against False Accusations: Numbers 16:1-11; Numbers 16:12-40; Numbers 16:41-50; 1 Samuel 12:1-5; Jeremiah 11:18-23; Jeremiah 15:15-18; Jeremiah 17:15-18; Jeremiah 18:18-23; Jeremiah 20:1-6; Jeremiah 26:1-24; Jeremiah 37:11-21; Jeremiah 38:14-28; Amos 7:10-17.

Gospel Passages Where Jesus Defended Himself and His Ministry Against False Accusations: Matthew 9:1-8; Matthew 9:10-13; Matthew 9:14-17; Matthew 12:1-8; Matthew 12:22-37; Matthew 15:1-14; Matthew 21:23-27; Matthew 22:15-22; Matthew 22:23-32; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 2:1-12; Mark 2:15-17; Mark 2:18-22; Mark 2:23-28; Mark 3:20-30; Mark 6:1-6; Mark 11:27-23; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 5:17-26; Luke 5:29-32; Luke 5:33-39; Luke 6:1-5; Luke 11:14-23; Luke 13:10-17; Luke 15:1-32; Luke 20:1-8; Luke 20:20-26; John 5:1-18; John 5:16-47; John 7:12-24; John 8:12-18; John 8:48-49; John 10:22-39; John 18:19-24; John 18:28-37.  

Passages in the Epistles Where Paul Defended Himself and His Ministry Against False Accusations: 1 Corinthians 9:1-27; 2 Corinthians 1:12-24; 2 Corinthians 3:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:1-26; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; 2 Corinthians 11:1-33; 2 Corinthians 12:1-21; 2 Corinthians 13:1-10; Galatians 1:10-24; Galatians 2:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

Acts 22:1: “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”

Acts 22:25, 30: “As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?’ The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.”

Acts 24:9-13: “The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true. When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: ‘I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.’”

Acts 25:6-8: “After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. Then Paul made his defense: ‘I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.’”

Acts 25:9-12: “Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?’ Paul answered: ‘I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!’ After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!’”

Acts 25:13-14: “A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: ‘There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.’”

Acts 25:16-21: “‘I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.’”

Acts 25:24-27: “Festus said: ‘King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.’”

Acts 26:1-3: “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself. So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: ‘King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.’”

1 Corinthians 9:3: “This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.”

2 Corinthians 7:2: “We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.” 

2 Timothy 4:16: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.”

Appendix 3

Sample Biblical Passages Addressing the Sinfulness of False Accusations and Bearing False Witness

Exodus 20:16: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

Exodus 23:1: “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.”

Exodus 23:2-3: “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.”

Exodus 23:6-7: “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.”

Leviticus 19:11: “Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.”

Leviticus 19:15-16: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Do not go about spreading slander among your people.”

Deuteronomy 5:20: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

Psalm 5:6: “You destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.”

Psalm 27:12: “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.”

Psalm 31:18: “Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.”

Psalm 34:12-14: “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Psalm 35:11: “Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.”

Psalm 52:1-4: “Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue!”

Psalm 101:5: “Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.”

Psalm 101:7: “No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.”

Psalm 119:69-70: “Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.”

Psalm 119:78: “All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.”

Psalm 119:86: “May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.”

Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Proverbs 12:17-22: “An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy. No harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble. The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”

Proverbs 13:5: “The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.”

Proverbs 14:5: “An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.”

Proverbs 14:25: “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.”

Proverbs 19:5: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.”

Proverbs 19:9: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish.”

Proverbs 21:28: “A false witness will perish, but a careful listener will testify successfully.”

Proverbs 24:28: “Do not testify against your neighbor without cause—would you use your lips to mislead?”

Proverbs 25:18: “Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.”

Proverbs 26:18-19: “Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, ‘I was only joking!’”

Matthew 7:1-5: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 15:18-19: “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

Mark 7:20-23: “He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.’”

Mark 10:19: “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

Luke 18:20: “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

John 8:44: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Ephesians 4:25: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”

Colossians 3:9: “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”

James 4:11: “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.”

Revelation 21:8: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15: “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

The Book of Church Order of The Presbyterian Church in America 31-8 encapsulates these passages well:

“Great caution ought to be exercised in receiving accusations from any person who is known to indulge a malignant spirit towards the accused; who is not of good character; who is himself under censure or process; who is deeply interested in any respect in the conviction of the accused; or who is known to be litigious, rash or highly imprudent.”