Lying

Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)

From some perspectives, the sins get smaller as we go through the Ten Commandments. Most people would say murder is worse than adultery, and that adultery is a bigger deal than theft, and theft is a bigger deal than telling a lie. We rank them this way because in our minds the sins become more frequent as you go down the list. Sins that we think we are more likely to commit are not as bad as sins we think other people will commit.

But from another perspective as we move down the list, we get closer and closer to the heart issue. Imagine a world without lying, and you will imagine a world where murders, adulterers, and thieves would almost certainly get caught, and know they will get caught. Deception is the tool that allows murder, adultery, and theft to do their damage, and it also reveals an underlying attitude they have in common. Other people are not to be respected; they are to be used. That self serving attitude is at the root of much sin. Jesus came to testify to the truth, in fact Jesus himself is the truth. In his life and death he comes to bring in a new age where every word is true because all of us have finally embraced grace.

Starter Prayer:

Father, you are true and your word is true. We pray that across our nation we would become known as people who speak the truth. Help your children to be salt and light by what we say, and rid us of the heart attitude that leads us to manipulate others.