The Ninth command is
another fairly straightforward one: "You shall not tell lies against your
neighbour," Exodus 20:16.
We all know what
telling a lie is. It is being untruthful, maybe even simply dishonest. Can we
sometimes say something of which the words are true but the meaning will be
different?
We generally teach
Christians should not gamble. Suppose you see me come out of the casino and
tell someone else who knows me, "I saw Lorne come out of the
casino". That person may say to the
next one, "Apparently Lorne goes to the casino." The third one may
say, "What's Lorne doing, going to the casino," which could already
sound like it's something I am doing more than once. You see how a fact can be
distorted, twisted, made to sound different. The truth might be I was at the
restaurant upstairs, not even in the gambling area (Actually, I have never been
at that restaurant either, although I have gone to concerts in the facility).
I think this is often
what happens in gossip. We may be telling something true but the way we say it
gives it a different meaning that is harmful to our neighbour. Maybe we do this
by saying something with emphasis suggesting our neighbour does something all
the time, something wrong. Maybe the truth is they may have just done it once,
and repented about it already. Or maybe it wasn't even wrong?
And who is our
neighbour? Actually, according to the New Testament, it is anyone around us.
Especially someone in need (See the famous story in Luke 10:25-37). We all need
each other to safeguard our reputation as ambassadors, representatives, of
Christ and members of the same Body of Christ. We should not be harming one
another and therefore Christ's Body with untruthfulness. Let us always ask God
to keep our lips pure.
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