One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. Deuteronomy 19:15 (Hebrew World)

Two Witnesses – The legal system of Torah is quite clear.  You can’t be convicted by a single witness!  The reasons are obvious.  We have a daily dose of the damage done to innocent people when the accusation of one is enough to determine guilt in the public eye.  The Bible provides protection against this kind of slander.  But there is more to this than justified evidence.  Torah is the expression of the nature and character of God Himself.  It isn’t simply His rules.  It is who He is.  Therefore, God also requires two witnesses against us before a verdict can be proclaimed.

Take a step back from the obvious legal aspects of this verse in the Torah.  Apply the same regulation to another context.  “So when we are guilty of sin, YAHWEH is one witness to that guilt, and the record that is generated of that sin is another.  However, with the reconcilement of Y’shua on the cross dying in our place, that second witness/ record against us is obliterated, and the Torah remains simply to guide us in the path of righteousness for the rest of our redeemed lives.”[1] Two witnesses are needed to convict, but Yeshua removed one of those witnesses, the cheirographon, the record of my debts.  Even though God Himself remains a witness to my disobedience, the second witness is no longer present.  I am absolved of my guilt, not because I am innocent but because the requirement needed to condemn me has no longer been met.  God lives by His own Torah because Torah is who He is.

By the way, if you really want to claim that the Torah no longer applies, then you are left standing before a holy God without any hope of legal defense.  If God’s witness is enough, you are condemned.  Yeshua’s death doesn’t help if only one witness is sufficient.  God does not overlook sin.  Yeshua might have paid the penalty, but if only one witness is needed, I am still guilty as charged.  We must realize that Torah is the basis of forgiveness.  Without the requirement of two witnesses, there is no way out.  Yeshua’s removal of one of the two witnesses is the only way that I can be acquitted.  Our concept of forgiveness as merely the substitute of punishment is shallow and insufficient.  Torah provides the means for my reconciliation.  Yeshua fulfills the Torah requirement for me.  Thank God for Torah.  Under the requirement of sh’nei edim (two witnesses), I am released from deserved punishment due to lack of sufficient evidence.  The reign and rule of God remains in place, unshaken by this verdict.  The role of Yeshua is tied directly to the fulfillment of Torah.  My guilt is never denied.  And I am still acquitted.  Amazing Torah.

Topical Index:  two witnesses, sh’nei edim, Torah, guilt, cheirogrpahon