You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
Exodus 20:16Exodus 20:16
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 ; ; ; . Do not tell lies about others.
WP-Bible plugin
I remember watching an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation years ago where the crew of the Enterprise encountered an alien race who had never been exposed to lies. And in a particularly poignant moment of the plot’s thickening, a member of this alien race confronted someone who had misled them with utter astonishment and said something to the effect of, “What have you done? How is it that you come to us and speak an un-truth?” That line has always stood out to me, because this race was so unfamiliar with speaking falsehood that they didn’t even have a word for it! They couldn’t call it a lie, because they didn’t know what a lie was. So, the closest thing they could call it was an un-truth. And that is exactly what a lie is! Big or small, white or any other color, partial misrepresentation or complete misrepresentation of the facts, a lie is an un-truth and children of God are NOT to engage in it.
Unfortunately most of us are very good at it. Oh, we don’t consider ourselves liars, or at least not as big a liar “as that person” is. But, we are not to compare ourselves to others, we are to bring ourselves into alignment with what the Bible’s standard is. And Ephesians 4:25Ephesians 4:25
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Rules for the New Life
25 . We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth.
WP-Bible plugin goes even further than Exodus 20:16Exodus 20:16
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 ; ; ; . Do not tell lies about others.
WP-Bible plugin, saying “…each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor…” Does that exclude little white lies? Are they permissible? You know, the kind of lie you tell when someone asks you if you liked their cooking when you really didn’t. Or when you fudge a little on your time-sheet at work or on your taxes or when your spouse asks you if what they’re wearing makes them look fat. (Yep, even that last one fits the category!) It is never right to lie.
Or, how about exaggeration? Is that lying? “It was 97 degrees outside yesterday and I spent 5 hours mowing the lawn, digging up several dead bushes, and trimming my entire yard. I lost 5 pounds in the process.” Truth be told, it was 83 degrees according to the thermometer, your watch must have broken because you were only outside a total of 3 hours (with 4 water breaks, 2 bathroom breaks, and a conversation with your neighbor thrown in there), you had one dead bush to dig up, and you left your yard partially un-trimmed because a thunderstorm blew in before you finished. And as far as the 5 pounds you lost…did you have your glasses on when you looked at the scale this morning? Maybe 1 pound lost, but certainly not 5.
We exaggerate about things all the time, which means we tell un-truths all the time. The Bible tells us to let our yes be yes and our no be no (Matthew 5:37Matthew 5:37
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
37 When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No.” Anything else comes from the devil.
WP-Bible plugin). Simply put, that verse instructs us to clearly mean what we say. Our words should be 100% truthful and factual, and people should be able to bank on the accuracy of what we’re saying. Don’t say any more or any less than what is true. We shouldn’t need to add any additional clauses to validate the truth of our statements. We shouldn’t need to say, “I’m telling the truth, I swear. On my grandmother’s grave, I promise what I’m telling you is the truth.” If we always tell the truth, then people will know that we don’t have to qualify our words with any disclaimers. They will know they can trust us to never tell an un-truth.
And as far as the question about, “Does this outfit make me look fat?” Well, the Bible also instructs us how we are to speak the truth, even when we know it may not be exactly what someone wants to hear…and that’s in love. Ephesians 4:15Ephesians 4:15
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
15 Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head
WP-Bible plugin says, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” When we are confronted with the responsibility to tell someone something that has the potential to be hurtful, we are required to carefully choose our words so that we don’t lie, but that we also don’t maliciously pain someone in the process of telling the truth. Remember, we’re to be growing in every way more and more like Christ. He always spoke the truth, but He never did so in a manner that was malicious or deliberately hurtful. We must tell also speak the truth in love. “Honey, you know I think you are absolutely beautiful and am attracted to you no matter what you wear, but if you want my honest opinion, I think your black outfit would look better. It looks fantastic on you!” This is never an easy application in our lives, but as you honor God by your words and your sensitive love, He will honor you in the process of removing un-truths from your life.
Don’t be casual about the presence of un-truths in your life. We must be brutal about them. We must see them for what they are…destructive and life-threatening. The Bible says that God hates lying lips (Proverbs 6:16-19Proverbs 6:16-19
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
16 There are six or seven
kinds of people
the Lord doesn't like:
17 Those who are too proud
or tell lies or murder,
18 those who make evil plans
or are quick to do wrong,
19 those who tell lies in court
or stir up trouble
in a family.
WP-Bible plugin). Liars do not inherit the Kingdom of God. Be ruthless about watching your words, recognizing exaggeration and even the smallest bending of the truth as a lie, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you remove un-truths from your vocabulary and your life. And I will be doing the same!
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