The doctrine of 2 or 3 witnesses

[civic]

The principle of 2 or 3 witnesses is to protect the innocent and convict the guilty.

Deuteronomy 19:15
“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.

Matthew 18:16
But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'

John 5
“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

2 Corinthians 13:1
This will be my third visit to you. “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.

Jesus taught this principle and applied it to HIMSELF. Paul used this Biblical principle as well with correcting the sinning brother as did Jesus in Matthew 18. It stands up in human courts and the Divine court of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 18 of often misapplied to say wherever 2 or 3 are gathered together Christ is with them. That applies to bringing a charge against a sinning believer and calling them to repent. You go to them in private first, if they do not repent you bring 2/3 witnesses ( Christ is with you in that decision ) and if they still do not repent you bring them before the congregation.

hope this helps !!!

 

[civic]

I also found this from got questions which affirms the OP.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses outlines God’s plan for Israel’s spiritual and community life. Deuteronomy 17:2–13 focuses on Israel’s judicial process, putting systems in place to deal fairly and respectfully with those accused of crimes. One such procedure was to require two or three witnesses for a criminal conviction: “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15, NLT; see also Numbers 35:30).

One aspect of worshipping the Lord is understanding that His laws are given to safeguard His people, not as punishments. God established rules of justice to prevent unfair, arbitrary, erroneous, or dishonest treatment of an individual. These judicial requirements are known as procedural due process and substantive due process.

Israelites who broke the law, committing evil in the eyes of the Lord, were subject to harsh penalties, but not without careful investigation by leaders of the community. A person had to be proven guilty of a crime through examination and due process before a penalty could be served. Under no circumstances could a matter deserving of the death penalty be decided on the testimony of a single witness: “On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness” (Deuteronomy 17:6).

The law requiring two or three witnesses comes into play in 1 Kings 21, when Queen Jezebel hatched a wicked plot to steal a vineyard for her husband, King Ahab. She declared a holiday and invited Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, to sit in a place of honor. All the time behind the scenes, she was orchestrating Naboth’s demise: “Seat two scoundrels opposite him,” she instructed the city leaders, “and have them bring charges that [Naboth] has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death” (1 Kings 21:10). Her murder of Naboth had all the appearances of due process—she made sure there were two witnesses against him, just as the law specified. Jezebel’s trampling of the law—while pretending to honor it—shows the depth of her corruption.

A single party might be able to get away with falsely accusing someone of a crime, but it is much harder for multiple witnesses to conspire to pervert justice. Also, one person could mistakenly misinterpret an act as criminal, but it is far less likely for two or three witnesses to all get it wrong. For this reason, the law required that allegations be evidenced and attested to by no less than two eyewitnesses.

An additional safeguard against falsely convicting someone of a crime was that the witnesses themselves were responsible for initiating the penalty: “The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you” (Deuteronomy 17:7). The whole community joined in administering justice, attesting to the corporate character of the covenant family. Evil, crime, and its punishment impacted the entire fellowship. If one Israelite sinned against God, all were liable in one way or another. It was in everyone’s best interest to remove evil from their midst.

God’s primary purpose for implementing judicial procedures was to maintain purity in the covenant community. But another clear intention was to bring about repentance and restoration for the criminal. God’s nature is one of compassion and mercy. He forgives rebellion and sin, but He does not excuse the guilty (Exodus 34:6–7).

The principle of more than one witness recurs in the New Testament. Jewish law recognized that the truth or validity of someone’s claims had to be established by two or three witnesses (John 8:17; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). In the church, an accusation against an elder or leader requires two or three witnesses before action is taken (1 Timothy 5:19).

As Jesus went about ministering, the religious leaders questioned the truth of His claims. In His own defense, Christ submitted not two or three witnesses but five: John the Baptist, His own miracles, the Father, the Scriptures, and Moses (John 5:31–47).

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul” (Psalm 19:7). Part of the perfection of God’s law is seen in its preservation of justice and the protections it afforded to those accused of crimes.

 

[Theophilus]

The principle of 2 or 3 witnesses is to protect the innocent and convict the guilty.

Deuteronomy 19:15
“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.

Matthew 18:16
But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'

John 5
“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

2 Corinthians 13:1
This will be my third visit to you. “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.

Jesus taught this principle and applied it to HIMSELF. Paul used this Biblical principle as well with correcting the sinning brother as did Jesus in Matthew 18. It stands up in human courts and the Divine court of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 18 of often misapplied to say wherever 2 or 3 are gathered together Christ is with them. That applies to bringing a charge against a sinning believer and calling them to repent. You go to them in private first, if they do not repent you bring 2/3 witnesses ( Christ is with you in that decision ) and if they still do not repent you bring them before the congregation.

hope this helps !!!

I'm not sure if a lot of churches today have much accountability. I look at it as I need to hold myself accountable to the Holy Spirit. Imagine with me for a second. If I step into a church, only to be given a "feel-good" message that validated and approved everything I was currently engaging in because the pastor didn't want to ruffle any feathers, offend someone, or ruin the opportunity for gathering someone's tithe. How on earth would I expect to change? I would have left the church with no inclination that the way I was currently living was leading me down the path of emptiness. The conviction I felt is what led me to repentance, and the repentance is what led me closer to a life that reflected Jesus.

 

[e v e]

there is a very pretty concept of witnesses, related to the two witnesses
at the end of time... sorry if it's not the same witnesses idea..
and compare the ascension...

please tell me how you understand that.. but here is how I have
understood it...

what I've understood is that unlike the evangelical version of rapture,
in fact the remnant as the sons and daughters will return with Christ, to witness to
jacob left being for not listening to Him....
the sons and daughters, representing male and female
restored to paradise, will return just as Christ returned after His resurrection..
and with Christ, as Witnesses will comfort jacob and by their presence
soothe him during tribulation, because of the horrors
going on, on this earth... for by then the locusts of revelation
will have arrived and the sun will have gone dark...
and at this witnessing Jacob will understand many things...
(..just consider all the fighting over concepts...
to see that now many do not understand)
and finally understanding, jacob will give his allegiance to God
and after his death during tribulation...
will go to eden paradise and receive his new clothes
and receive his resurrection body... just as the remnant
did ...

the darby version says that only the remnant go home,
and many are lost even though they believed...
but that darby version makes
God to be a monster....

what happened to jacob is that he listened to a class of pastors
and preachers, some of whom being esaus...
hate God! Wolves in sheeps clothing...
jacob did not want to give up this world...
and instead listened to them
filling all his needs and wants
and not listening to God
thus, a superficial christian...

but the tribulation will cause much pain for jacob
and he will be humiliated by being left behind..
and get humble and stop living in the flesh
which cannot hear God and neither can come to God...

 

[Wrangler]

The principle of 2 or 3 witnesses is to protect the innocent and convict the guilty.

Saw a vid the other day that in Scotland, regarding sex crimes, they are considering doing away with the verdict "not proven." Also, one has to prove oneself innocent. Seems they are embracing "Guilt by accusation."

 

[Diserner]

A single party might be able to get away with falsely accusing someone of a crime, but it is much harder for multiple witnesses to conspire to pervert justice. Also, one person could mistakenly misinterpret an act as criminal, but it is far less likely for two or three witnesses to all get it wrong. For this reason, the law required that allegations be evidenced and attested to by no less than two eyewitnesses.

It's really not "much harder."

Even the article uses that story right above it, lol:

9 She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people;
10 and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, "You have blasphemed God and the king." Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.
11 So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people.
13 And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!" Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. (1 Ki. 21:9-13 NKJ)

Let's try to be realistic here. That was not hard.