Lies

If there is a passage in the Sermon on the Mount that has been ignored in our culture, it may be the one found in Matthew 5:33-37. In my Bible, it is titled, “Tell the Truth.”

The key is the direct command, “But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.” [HCSB]

The things “more than this” include lies, misdirection, embellishments, exaggerations, deceptions, falsehoods, misrepresentations, and a host of other things.

Who engages in “more than this” can be corporations, politicians, all forms of media, employers, employees, and even people like me (who should know better).

Things “more than this” have become an acceptable part of our culture. So much so that we expect and even accept the untruths around us.

But as much as I would like to direct attention to corporations, politicians, the media and such, the Holy Spirit is directing in a different direction with those two words, “Am I?”

“Am I truthful” or do I exaggerate, embellish or misrepresent? I think I have a long day of contemplation ahead of me today.

God be merciful to me, a sinner. Amen

In my inbox this morning was a media update from a fairly liberal-left-leaning source. It was talking about the continuing Facebook ban on the former president and said that Facebook failed to deal with the real issue. This media source claimed the real issue was not rhetoric that promoted violence, the real issue is the constant lies.

That was followed by another media update email from a site that claims to be impartial, that site had a totally different view of things.

It is becoming increasingly difficult figuring out whom to believe. Now this is not a political commentary on present day or former presidents. Please do not treat it as such. This is a commentary on truth vs lies.

While “Thou shalt not lie,” is not one of the Big Ten (although #9, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor may come close), it would be impossible to read through the Scripture and not realize that God hates lying. He has declared first of all that He Himself is a God of Truth.

“I am Yahweh, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, somewhere in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: Seek Me in a wasteland. I, Yahweh, speak truthfully; I say what is right.” [Isaiah 45:18b-19 HCSB]

Because He is the God of Truth, He expects His people to also be people of truth and speak accordingly. When we came to Christ, we put off the old man with all his wicked deceitful ways, and we put on the new man.  That new man is a person of truth.

Ephesians 4:23-25a: “You are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor.” [HCSB]

We are created according to God’s likeness … in purity of the truth. Let’s seek truth; let’s speak truth.