You Don’t Have the Right to Remain Silent

Most of us have heard the words: “You have the right to remain silent.” They come from the Miranda rights, created to protect the accused in a courtroom. It is their legal safeguard. But here’s the thing—if you are in Christ, you are no longer the accused. Jesus took that place at the cross. He bore the charges. He carried the guilt. He stood silent before His accusers so that you could go free.

That means the Miranda rights do not apply to you. Why? Because you’re not the accused anymore—you’re the witness. And witnesses don’t get the right to remain silent. In fact, their only right is to give a true and accurate account of what they have seen and heard.

Jesus made this plain in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” Not spectators. Not defendants. Witnesses. Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered, Spirit-sent witnesses.

So why do so many of us act like we are still on trial, still holding back, still exercising some “right” to silence? Grace was never meant to make us passive. The Holy Spirit wasn’t given so we could sit quietly in church, but so that we would boldly declare the goodness of God wherever we go.

A witness doesn’t need all the answers. A witness doesn’t have to be clever. A witness just has to be honest about what they’ve seen and heard. Has Jesus forgiven you? Say so. Has He carried you through pain, doubt, or wilderness? Say so. Has He filled you with peace you can’t explain? Say so.

The world doesn’t need silent Christians. It needs truthful witnesses.

So let me leave you with this: You do not have the right to remain silent. Not anymore. Jesus stood accused so that you could be set free. Now your calling, your privilege, and your joy is to testify. To tell your story. To point to Him. To keep the main thing the main thing: to know Jesus, and to make Him known.