What does the Bible say about fake news?

False News!

The bearing of false news appears to some people in the light of a joke. In the eyes of the law it is, however, sometimes a punishable offence.

Make sure that false news shall not deceive you by humbly yet heartily believing the News that is true.

Beware then of false news which poses as being gospel news with Divine authority behind it.

The ninth commandment safeguards truth against man's sinful propensity to distort it into positive lying. A man may lie as to almost anything, but what is specially prohibited is his tendency to lie at the expense of his neighbour. The devil, we know, is the father of lies, but since man fell under his influence he has become a very apt pupil in that direction. In this world lies have become one of the most potent forces of evil. We may note that while killing and stealing are two of the commonest and worst forms of violence, adultery and lying are two of the commonest and worst forms of corruption. All four are most destructive of human happiness. When they vanish in the millennial age the world will become a paradise.

(2) We come now to the second part: here of six commandments. The first claims honor for parents, the earth-type and representatives of the Creator-Father. And to this, as the apostle notes, a special "promise of life"— though but the continuance of it — is attached. The second forbids killing — of course, of men: which our Lord interprets as the prohibition even of anger without cause. It is, as one may say, the salvation-ordinance of the life that is. The third sanctions and sanctifies marriage, and how far it extends the Lord again declares. The fourth has to do with things, not persons, — the goods of others, which it protects from the spoiler. The fifth, under the prohibition of false witness, condemns deceit of every kind, the resource of weakness at all times where God is not before the soul. The numerical place here seems to be intended to remind the creature of his need of God, walking with whom the holiness of truth will be maintained. The sixth and last tracks sin to its lair, discovers it in "lust," as the apostle shows (Rom. 7:7), and shows where victory over it must be found: although the secret of the victory it cannot penetrate. The law is but the "strength of sin" (1 Cor. 15:56), and not of holiness.

It is important to notice the exact force of the word rendered "lying"; and the connection will help in its apprehension. In verse 23 the apostle, speaking of the new man, which these believers were said to have put on, tells us that "after God" it was "created in righteousness and true holiness," or, literally, holiness of the truth. All falsehood, therefore, is entirely excluded - could have, indeed, no connection with, or part in, this new creation of God. Hence the apostle proceeds, "Wherefore putting away lying" - which belonged to the old man which had been put off (v. 22) - "speak every man truth (the characteristic of the new man, together with righteousness) with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." Comprehending this, it will be readily perceived, what has been pointed out by a well-known translator, that "lying," or "falsehood," means "everything that has the character and nature of falsehood. It is abstract: what has this quality, not merely the act of lying." This should be much remembered, inasmuch as, in its application, it might search many of us who might not be betrayed into telling positive untruths. According to the above interpretation, a look, a gesture, demeanour, ambiguity of speech, evasion, compliments, and many other things, might fall under this sense of lying. In other words, the new man could only find expression in what is according to God, and in what, therefore, is marked by righteousness and holiness of the truth. The Christian so walking and so governed would be very real and very devoted; for he would be walking in the power of the Holy Ghost, and consequently have no object but Christ. (See vv. 20, 21.) Remark also the ground on which Paul urges the exhortation - "We are members one of another." To remember this would be a guard against any temptation to "lying," by showing us the character of such a sin against our brethren, bound up as they are with us in such intimate and indissoluble relationships. It may be added for the sake of any who have only the common translation at hand, that verses 22, 24, should be rendered "your having put off … the old man," and "having put on the new." It is regarded as having been done, through the acceptance of death with Christ, and through having been raised with Him, which is' a very different thing from being exhorted to do it.

One of the saddest reasons of all for the Lord's servant being in want is that at times evil reports are spread about him. If they are true, it is better for him to withdraw from such public service, rather than disgrace the Name of his Master. But there are times when ignorance or misunderstanding of facts; or a careless, exaggerated story lightly told; or even jealousy, can spread reports, not true, that do untold harm to the Lord's servants and to the Lord's work. Paul himself knew something of this, as we may see from 2 Corinthians. The Lord's servant may be far away, and without opportunity to correct false statements; or even without knowledge of the stories spread, so we need to be very careful that there is adequate proof before we accept or help to spread such matters. All these things help to teach the servant of God the same lessons that Paul tells us he had learned. They are lessons that must be learned, they do not come to us naturally. And like the little children at school, sometimes the lessons are learned with tears.

Sins of the tongue begin this section. The first relates to raising or receiving (see margin) a false report. How much mischief has been thus perpetrated, and even in the church of God! There are few who would not be horrified at the thought of raising a false report. Such a sin would be condemned by all upright minds; not even a man of the world would extenuate its guilt. But, as the margin indicates, the word has a wider meaning, and will include also the receiving of a false report. Many who would shun the first sin fall into the snare of the second. A report is heard, and is apparently true, and is circulated, whereas had any trouble been taken to verify it, its falsehood might have been detected. Christians, above all, should be careful as to this, refusing every report to another's discredit, unless vouched for by unimpeachable testimony. The responsibility is thus cast upon the hearer, as well as the repeater, of reports. If this were remembered many a slander would be nipped in the bud, many a tale-bearer unveiled, and many a breach of fellowship avoided. The antidote is found in that charity which "thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beateth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (1 Cor. 13:5-7.) Then false testimony is condemned — a sin known by the modern name of perjury. This injunction, as well as that in the next verse, and in verses 3 and 5, would seem connected with the administration of justice. Nothing escapes the eyes of a righteous God, no evil tendency or influence, and hence He makes provision for the conduct of His people in every circumstance of their lives. It is difficult to be alone in opposition to a multitude, though the cause may be just. With the Lord before the soul it becomes simple. On the other hand, a poor man is not to be countenanced in his cause; i.e. when it is unjust, nor when it is just shall his judgment be "wrested." (v. 6.) Some are liable to influences from the rich, and some from the poor, especially in a day of democracy and contempt of lawful authority. But the heart must be free from both, and it will be free if in obedience to the word of God. Interspersed with these commands, a special direction is given concerning the ox or the ass of an enemy. The anger of the heart must not be exhibited against an enemy's cattle, nor must help be refused to the cattle of another on account of their owner's enmity; "but if thou see his ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again; and wilt thou not, in so doing, heap coals of fire upon his head?" So, too, if an ass overburdened be met with, "though his owner hate thee, thou shalt surely help him." The compassions of God flow out to His dumb creatures, and His people should in all things be a reflex of Himself.

The first — verses 1-9 — prohibits those perversions of righteous judgment which are so common amongst men. They were not to be practised in Israel, and there is much instruction here for ourselves. It is to be noted that the first thing to be prohibited is "a false report." Against the word, "raise," the word "receive" is put in the margin as an alternative translation, and other versions rather confirm this. What great harm has been wrought amongst Christians by false reports! That it is wrong to raise them we all admit. Do we all realize the wrong of receiving them? When a matter of argument or dispute arises among Christians and an evil or disparaging report is brought as to one's opponent in the matter, how tempting it is to receive it at once as certain to be true, when it is after all a false report. Any evil report should be scrutinized with care and verified before it is accepted. We do well to note the care Paul took as to reports of evil at Corinth — see, 1 Corinthians 1:11 and 11:18.

The first verse of chapter 23 deserves careful consideration, since it makes the hearer of a report responsible to ensure that what he has heard is true before accepting it, the true rendering of the verse being, "Thou shalt not accept a false report." How necessary it is to give heed to such a solemn admonition. The words of the Lord Jesus, "Take heed what ye hear," though referring to an entirely different matter, are of the utmost relevance to what we are considering. James, in his Epistle, warns us of the unruliness of the tongue, using extremely strong terms to describe its unruly propensities and its defiling and destructive consequences. The heart actuated by "the wisdom that is from above," which is "pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated" (James 3:17), will take heed not only to what it hears, but also to how it hears, since "the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (verse 18).