The ten commandments are a good solid moral code. In fact, they are accepted by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. This makes them the most widely accepted moral code on the planet. No other moral code even comes close. Even if you are an atheist, they are the best guide for living that you could choose.
Today, I’m going to focus on one of them:
Do not lie.
Pretty basic. Don’t say something that is not true. Don’t say you paid the rent……..if you didn’t.
The trouble is that there are some gray areas around the edges.
The “little white lie”……… It’s little, not a matter of importance. It’s white, it doesn’t harm anybody. So what’s the big deal?
There was an ad on TV where Abraham Lincoln’s wife asks the ageless question, “does this dress make me look fat?” He tells the truth………and suffers the consequences. The little white lie typically doesn’t harm the other guy. It can, however, harm you. You risk losing the other guy’s trust. You risk easing into bigger, less white, lies. Better to say nothing at all or diplomatically tell the truth. But, the little white lie is not the main thrust of today’s post.
The question of the day is this:
Is it a lie, if I ignore something that is true? …..a truth that is inconvenient because it interferes with me getting what I want…….a truth that could cost me something valuable, if I acknowledge it.
Is it a lie if a Republican ignores the damage that guns do in our society or the trauma of an unwanted pregnancy?
Is it a lie if a Democrat ignores the 3000 children killed every day by abortion or the legitimate right of a law abiding citizen to own a gun?
What is the purpose of the truth and why is it so important that God included it in a fairly short list of rules? Truth operates in two realms. Internally and externally. Internal truth is the set of ideas that guide our every step. If you allow yourself to believe things that are not true, you will make bad decisions and you will do things that are wrong. Ultimately this is self destructive. Internal truth guides us to live a life of integrity. External truth is the things that we say and do in public. It governs how we interact with others. If we are to live among other people, they need to be able to rely on what we say. If we violate the truth often enough, others will lose trust in us. This makes us ineffective……even if we are telling the truth……..this time. Truth is important…….because without it, we cannot make good decisions, we cannot communicate with one another, and we can’t reach a consensus and move forward as a society.
The debates around gun control and abortion rage on. Why?
I believe that ignoring a truth that you don’t like is the same as lying. The debates over gun control and abortion rage on because both sides are lying by ignoring truths that are inconvenient to them and their appetites.
God gives us the ten commandments because he knows that we need them. They are not there to ruin our fun. They are designed to protect us…….. from others……..but more importantly from ourselves.
So we need to have the courage to face all of the truths that are out there………even the ones that restrict us……..even the ones that interfere with our appetites.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus, NIV
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Paul, NIV