THOU Shall Not Bear False Witness
In our society today, telling falsehoods has become a way of
life for many people. Take for example, employee dishonesty. How
common is employee dishonesty? According to one recent survey:
falsifying time sheets was admitted by 5.8% of workers. Stealing
merchandise was admitted by 6.6%. Among people working in retail
stores, 57% said they abused their employee-discount privileges.
The ninth of the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20, is:
“You shall not bear false witness,” which is lying.
In
Genesis 2:17, God commands Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit
of the tree that He has reserved to Himself. He warns them that
disobeying this command will lead to death. In Genesis 3: 1-5,
Satan tells Eve to go ahead and eat of the fruit; she shall not
die! This is the first lie recorded in the Bible and was the
original sin carried out by mankind’s first parents, Adam and
Eve. Therefore, the moment they disobeyed God, sinned, they
began to slowly die. God’s warning took effect. Sin is the
breaking of God’s word, written or spoken. (1 John 3:4.) Adam
and Eve broke God’s spoken command.
A study from
Australia found the following concerning the lies told most
often. "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine," came in as the number one
lie for both men and women; however, female lies appeared to
skew more towards purchases, but male lies seemed to relate more
to communication, The women would say: “Oh, this isn't new; I've
had it for ages;” “It wasn't that expensive,” and “It was on
sale” made up the next three top lies for women, who were
“covering” for their shopping habits.
Dr. Phil, the TV ,
estimates that by the time a man is 60 years old, he's told more
than 100,000 lies. When a woman turns 60, she's told 50,000.
Recently, there has been apparent dishonesty in political
circles. The former Secretary of State said that she did not
email any classified material to anyone on her email. The FBI
Director testified that 110 emails in 52 email chains have been
determined by the owning agency to contain classified
information.
After the former Secretary of State says
that she "thought it would be easier to carry just one device
for my work and for my personal emails instead of two," Comey is
seen rebutting her – declaring that she “used numerous mobile
devices to view and send e-mail on [her] personal domain.”
One observer following the case said that Clinton "has spent
the last 16 months looking into cameras deliberately lying to
the American people."
What are some of the damaging
effects of lying?
1. Lying is a sin, and sinning has eternal
consequences. (Ezekiel 18:20.)
2. It is destructive to the
liar’s self-image.
3. Lying is destructive to the liar’s
family, friends, and business associates.
4. Lying tears at
the heart of society’s moral foundation.
5. Confidence is
lost in the liar.
6. Psychologically and morally, lying
causes anxiety, depression, and, sometimes, physical illness.
Lie-detector tests confirm that the mind influences the physical
body.
7. Lying strikes fear in the liar when he thinks about
standing before his Creator, his Judge, on judgment day when his
eternal future will be decided.
On the other hand,
telling the truth has its positive rewards. 1 John 3:18 reads:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with
actions and in truth.” Proverbs 11:3 promises: "The integrity of
the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by
their duplicity.” The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 13:7: “The
integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are
destroyed by their duplicity."
What will be the eternal
results of lying? Revelation 21:6-8 reads: 6)And he said unto
me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the
water of life freely. 7) He that overcomes shall inherit all
things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8) But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars
(emphasis mine), shall have their part in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (FINAL).
Friend, honesty has many advantages both now and for
eternity. May God give us the strength through His Holy Spirit
to be faithful and honest!
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© 2005 Guthrie Memorial
Chapel |
