“The Ninth Commandment: Do Not Lie” (Exodus 20:16)

Conspiracy theories are found around every corner, but they have been around for about two-hundred years in their current form. Back in 1831, New England religious leaders warned about the Illuminati’s destructive plans. Ever since then, Americans have sought and found conspiracies typically associated with politics or religions. 

DeYoung Bad news travels much faster than good news. We must be careful to avoid deceit of every kind, intentional or not.

On the other hand, many will scream “Conspiracy Theory” simply because a claim seems alarmist or outlandish. We do live in a world of crazy ideas. Many lies permeate our culture. These too are nothing new, but they are critical to see and recognize (e.g., origins, gender, race, personhood, no Judge, no Savior, Romans 1:24-25). Unfortunately, Christians are all too often weak and easily shamed into silence or submission.

The Ten Commandments are a summary of God’s moral law. They are perpetually binding upon all of humanity. Although no one can say that they have kept any one of these commandments perfectly, the ninth commandment may be one of the most frequently broken commandments against our neighbor.

Read Exodus 20:16

Last week, we considered the positive aspect of this command. If we are not allowed to bear false witness against our neighbor, then we must be speaking truthfully to them and about them.

This week, we will begin by looking at…

Examples of Dishonesty

One of the first things new parents realize is how quickly their child learns how to misbehave. Children do not need to be taught how to lie. They no this intuitively, and they also know that what they are doing is wrong. We might think it’s cute when they are really young, but there is truly something revealing about it. They must learn that there are consequences for their sinful misbehavior or they will treat your laughter as reward.

The motivation underneath the lie is an important factor to consider. Satan, the father of lies, began in the garden of Eden. Satan lied to Eve “partly from malice, partly from pride” (Packer). He was intending to bring harm upon the pinnacle of God’s creation, but he was also striking out against God because of his pride. He wants people to hate God as much as he does. There were certainly other factors such as fear and contempt that motivated the serpent. Regardless of the motivation, the consequences were utterly devastating. It led to the fall of humanity.

The consequences of this sin remain infinitely serious! We should not grow comfortable with its violation just because we see it taking place on a daily basis. “The Devil made me do it” is a horrible admission that we have chosen the father of lies over the Father of truth. The more comfortable we become with lying, the more it reveals who we are following. On the other hand, by telling the truth, we reveal the work of the Spirit in our hearts.

One way we lie is by “prejudicing the truth”. We describe something we actually said or did, but we present the information in the best possible light. Vice versa, if we want to give someone a bad impression of someone else, we present their actions in the worst possible light. We even do this when we disagree with someone. We make assumptions about what they mean. Rather than asking clarifying questions, we assume we know exactly what their motives and intentions were. If it is someone we trust, we give them the benefit of the doubt. If it is someone we distrust, we assume the worst.

The Westminster Larger Catechism Q.145 provides a lengthy list of examples of dishonesty. From the courtroom to the living room, and everywhere in between, we see the violation of this commandment. From the judge to the jury, from the plaintiff to the defendant, from the witnesses to the attorneys, courtrooms are a fog of uncertainty. 

Clients make considerable efforts to minimize any sense of personal wrongdoing and maximize the sins of their adversary. Witnesses desire to support their side even if that means withholding certain details. Justices tired to watching bad policy release criminals may decide to issue increasingly harsher sentences for the same crime. Still, others have become corrupted by the system so that they look to profit from their decisions.

Outside of the courtroom the examples are abundant as well. The wicked are rewarded and the righteous are condemned. Good is called evil, and evil good. Truth may be concealed or left unspoken out of fear of the consequences. On the other hand, we might foolishly utter everything on our minds (Proverbs 29:11), or speak the truth with malicious intent. Some twist the truth, providing new definitions of established terms in order to deceive. 

We might assume the worst motives in others which is a form of slander. Or we might build ourselves up while tearing others down in the way that we emphasize true details. In situations where we want to preserve our own name, we withhold details or cast shade upon the truth. Maybe we dig up dirt on others in order to take the spotlight off ourselves. Fabricated reports are presented as true without the proper vetting of the evidence, while the release of true reports are suppressed. Someone’s fall into disgrace is celebrate. Scornful contempt is heaped upon some, while others receive fond admiration regardless of their actions.

I know much of this sounds like I’m describing politicians. We see the violation of this commandment deeply ingrained in our political system. There are many reasons to explain the growing political polarization in our nation, but one of the reasons it has developed is from a desire to have a common enemy. The truth is not so much the driving concern, but whether or not we have a piece of information that could damage the reputation of our opponent. That information is then shared and spread around. And, as most of us know intuitively, negative news spreads a lot faster than positive news. For instance, a juicy piece of gossip is going to spread further and faster than anything encouraging.

The greatest problem is not necessarily our political opponent, but the underlying need that is not being met. What need is the polarization satisfying? There is not a simple or one-size-fits-all answer to this. We are all unique, but many of us are united around the same causes. Do you recall the unity and patriotism we experienced in America following 9/11? What drew us together was a common enemy.

Typically, in politics, there are two camps united around two common enemies. This is not necessarily bad, but we do need to ensure that our reasons are based upon facts, not fiction. What makes a conspiracy theory so dangerous is not it’s ability to spread quickly, but its false content that quickly spreads something that is dishonest.

Only the gospel of Christ can satisfy our deepest need. Jesus suffered under every violation of the ninth commandment, that we might stand on His record. Though Christ was tempted in every way, he remained sinless (Hebrews 4:15). When he redeemed us from the curse of the law, He not only removed the penalty of sin, but also its power. Those of us who have been united to Christ have no need to demonize others who haven’t, but we do honor them when we speak the truth to them (Ephesians 4:22–25).

Are there any…

Exceptions to Dishonesty

An important distinction needs to be made. The commandment implies an intent to harm. That is why we use the word “against”. But what if your intention is to preserve or protect life? Must we always tell the truth? 

A number of Reformed theologians, such as John Murray, have seen the ninth commandment as a testimony to “the sanctity of truth” in a very general sense. On Murray’s view, it is never right to say anything that does not correspond with fact. But lies are not simply untrue statements. It seems we need to provide room for categories that include mistakes, parables, fiction, hyperbole, or even innocent flattery (i.e., “You’re far too kind”). What about playing games where strategy often dictates deception? 

John Frame argues that a lie is a word or act that intentionally deceives a neighbor in order to hurt him. It is false witness against a neighbor. The term “neighbor” does not refer to everyone in general, but anyone we find to be in need. That is the point of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37). Not everyone on the road is a person in need of care. Sometimes we will confront an enemy on the road. We are to love our enemies, but love is not incompatible with a desire to bring God’s judgment upon them. We need to maintain the good purposes of self-defense, punishment, and just war.

There are may passages in Scripture where misdirection is not condemned, and sometimes it is even commended. Frame provides the following 16 examples: 

1. The Hebrew midwives (Ex. 1:15-21), 
2. Rahab (Josh. 2:4-6; 6:17, 25; Heb. 11:31; Jam. 2:25), 
3. Ambush at Ai (Josh. 8:3-8), 
4. Jael and Sisera (Jdg 4:18-21; 5:24-27; also Ehud); 
5. Samuel misleads Saul (1 Sam. 16:1-5); 
6. Michal deceives her father’s troops (1 Sam. 19:12-17); 
7. David’s counsel to Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:6); 
8. David feigns madness (1 Sam. 21:13); 
9. David lies to Achish (1 Sam. 27:10); 
10. Military deceit (2 Sam. 5:22-25); 
11. Hushai counseled to lie to Absalom (2 Sam. 15:34); 
12. Women deceive Absalom’s men (2 Sam. 17:19-20); 
13. God sends a lying spirit against Ahab (1 Kgs. 22:19-23); 
14. Elisha misleads the Syrian troops (2 Kgs. 6:14-20); 
15. Jeremiah lies to the princes (Jer. 38:24-28); 
16. God sends delusion (2 Thes. 2:11). 

In these passages, there is deceit, and that deceit brings harm. But the harm comes to an enemy, not to a neighbor. Charles Hodge taught that we are not obligated to tell the truth in certain situations (i.e., war). J.I. Packer recognizes that a distinction needs to be made to accommodate for things like war, Rahab, and Corrie ten Boom, whose family lied about hiding Jews during WWII. 

Luther Therefore, it is improperly called a lie. It is rather a virtue and remarkable prudence by which the fury of Satan is hindered, and the honor, life, and interests of others are served as well.

Meredith Kline taught an “intrusion” ethic where the ethics of the end times differ from the ethics that God has given to us in the law and in Jesus’ teaching. Scripture, however, does not distinguish two different ethics. It does appear that the Bible passages listed above, which justify deception in certain cases, all have to do with the promotion of justice against the wicked, especially when they seek innocent life.

There is no universal position in the reformed world. And what I’ve presented here—attaching the intent to harm our neighbor to the definition—seems to fall more into the minority camp.

Packer In such exceptional cases as we have mentioned, all courses of action have something of evil in them, and an outright lie, like that of Rahab (Joshua 2:4–5; note the commendation of her in James 2:25), may actually be the best way, the least evil, and the truest expression of love to all the parties involved.

Zacharias Ursinus, author of the Heidelberg Catechism points at that “we may not do evil that good may come.” He points out that Rahab and other were commended for their reverence of God, not their deceitful actions. Others, like J.V. Fesko, see the actions of the Hebrew midwives and Rahab as “imperfect acts of faith”. While Scripture commends them for their faith, it does not commend every aspect of how their faith was manifested. Rahab can be commended for welcoming the Hebrew spies while saying nothing about her lying to the authorities. 

Personally, I see these arguments as conveniently skirting the issue. What made Rahab’s hospitality worthy of commendation was the risk she took in lying to the authorities. Remove that risk, and you remove the significance of her self-sacrificial actions.

Horton In other words, a lie, even in the interest of a greater good, is always a sin, even though one might be required by one’s conscience to lie in order to, for instance, save a neighbor’s life. Here, a lie is still evil, but a lesser evil compared to murder.

Conclusion

Ultimately, we could go back and forth, but concluding with the example of the gospel is crucial. Jesus was willing to suffer the penalty of every violation of the ninth commandment on behalf of those who place their faith in him alone for their salvation. Only then can we stand on the perfect record of Jesus Christ.

The situations that we have listed as possible exceptions to honesty are extremely rare. These individuals were dealing with life and death matters. They are no excuse for Christians to make lying habitual. It is far more common to find ourselves lying to preserve ourselves (i.e., Peter’s denial of Christ). However, when we understand how much Christ was willing to suffer for our good, we can ask the Lord for the bold integrity to place the needs of our neighbor above our own, and by his Spirit to give us a self-sacrificial love that will receive its full commendation on the day of judgment.

Conspiracy theories are found around every corner, but they have been around for about two-hundred years in their current form. Back in 1831, New England religious leaders warned about the Illuminati’s destructive plans. Ever since then, Americans have sought and found conspiracies typically associated with politics or religions. 

DeYoung Bad news travels much faster than good news. We must be careful to avoid deceit of every kind, intentional or not.

On the other hand, many will scream “Conspiracy Theory” simply because a claim seems alarmist or outlandish. We do live in a world of crazy ideas. Many lies permeate our culture. These too are nothing new, but they are critical to see and recognize (e.g., origins, gender, race, personhood, no Judge, no Savior, Romans 1:24-25). Unfortunately, Christians are all too often weak and easily shamed into silence or submission.

The Ten Commandments are a summary of God’s moral law. They are perpetually binding upon all of humanity. Although no one can say that they have kept any one of these commandments perfectly, the ninth commandment may be one of the most frequently broken commandments against our neighbor.

Read Exodus 20:16

Last week, we considered the positive aspect of this command. If we are not allowed to bear false witness against our neighbor, then we must be speaking truthfully to them and about them.

This week, we will begin by looking at…

Examples of Dishonesty

One of the first things new parents realize is how quickly their child learns how to misbehave. Children do not need to be taught how to lie. They no this intuitively, and they also know that what they are doing is wrong. We might think it’s cute when they are really young, but there is truly something revealing about it. They must learn that there are consequences for their sinful misbehavior or they will treat your laughter as reward.

The motivation underneath the lie is an important factor to consider. Satan, the father of lies, began in the garden of Eden. Satan lied to Eve “partly from malice, partly from pride” (Packer). He was intending to bring harm upon the pinnacle of God’s creation, but he was also striking out against God because of his pride. He wants people to hate God as much as he does. There were certainly other factors such as fear and contempt that motivated the serpent. Regardless of the motivation, the consequences were utterly devastating. It led to the fall of humanity.

The consequences of this sin remain infinitely serious! We should not grow comfortable with its violation just because we see it taking place on a daily basis. “The Devil made me do it” is a horrible admission that we have chosen the father of lies over the Father of truth. The more comfortable we become with lying, the more it reveals who we are following. On the other hand, by telling the truth, we reveal the work of the Spirit in our hearts.

One way we lie is by “prejudicing the truth”. We describe something we actually said or did, but we present the information in the best possible light. Vice versa, if we want to give someone a bad impression of someone else, we present their actions in the worst possible light. We even do this when we disagree with someone. We make assumptions about what they mean. Rather than asking clarifying questions, we assume we know exactly what their motives and intentions were. If it is someone we trust, we give them the benefit of the doubt. If it is someone we distrust, we assume the worst.

The Westminster Larger Catechism Q.145 provides a lengthy list of examples of dishonesty. From the courtroom to the living room, and everywhere in between, we see the violation of this commandment. From the judge to the jury, from the plaintiff to the defendant, from the witnesses to the attorneys, courtrooms are a fog of uncertainty. 

Clients make considerable efforts to minimize any sense of personal wrongdoing and maximize the sins of their adversary. Witnesses desire to support their side even if that means withholding certain details. Justices tired to watching bad policy release criminals may decide to issue increasingly harsher sentences for the same crime. Still, others have become corrupted by the system so that they look to profit from their decisions.

Outside of the courtroom the examples are abundant as well. The wicked are rewarded and the righteous are condemned. Good is called evil, and evil good. Truth may be concealed or left unspoken out of fear of the consequences. On the other hand, we might foolishly utter everything on our minds (Proverbs 29:11), or speak the truth with malicious intent. Some twist the truth, providing new definitions of established terms in order to deceive. 

We might assume the worst motives in others which is a form of slander. Or we might build ourselves up while tearing others down in the way that we emphasize true details. In situations where we want to preserve our own name, we withhold details or cast shade upon the truth. Maybe we dig up dirt on others in order to take the spotlight off ourselves. Fabricated reports are presented as true without the proper vetting of the evidence, while the release of true reports are suppressed. Someone’s fall into disgrace is celebrate. Scornful contempt is heaped upon some, while others receive fond admiration regardless of their actions.

I know much of this sounds like I’m describing politicians. We see the violation of this commandment deeply ingrained in our political system. There are many reasons to explain the growing political polarization in our nation, but one of the reasons it has developed is from a desire to have a common enemy. The truth is not so much the driving concern, but whether or not we have a piece of information that could damage the reputation of our opponent. That information is then shared and spread around. And, as most of us know intuitively, negative news spreads a lot faster than positive news. For instance, a juicy piece of gossip is going to spread further and faster than anything encouraging.

The greatest problem is not necessarily our political opponent, but the underlying need that is not being met. What need is the polarization satisfying? There is not a simple or one-size-fits-all answer to this. We are all unique, but many of us are united around the same causes. Do you recall the unity and patriotism we experienced in America following 9/11? What drew us together was a common enemy.

Typically, in politics, there are two camps united around two common enemies. This is not necessarily bad, but we do need to ensure that our reasons are based upon facts, not fiction. What makes a conspiracy theory so dangerous is not it’s ability to spread quickly, but its false content that quickly spreads something that is dishonest.

Only the gospel of Christ can satisfy our deepest need. Jesus suffered under every violation of the ninth commandment, that we might stand on His record. Though Christ was tempted in every way, he remained sinless (Hebrews 4:15). When he redeemed us from the curse of the law, He not only removed the penalty of sin, but also its power. Those of us who have been united to Christ have no need to demonize others who haven’t, but we do honor them when we speak the truth to them (Ephesians 4:22–25).

Are there any…

Exceptions to Dishonesty

An important distinction needs to be made. The commandment implies an intent to harm. That is why we use the word “against”. But what if your intention is to preserve or protect life? Must we always tell the truth? 

A number of Reformed theologians, such as John Murray, have seen the ninth commandment as a testimony to “the sanctity of truth” in a very general sense. On Murray’s view, it is never right to say anything that does not correspond with fact. But lies are not simply untrue statements. It seems we need to provide room for categories that include mistakes, parables, fiction, hyperbole, or even innocent flattery (i.e., “You’re far too kind”). What about playing games where strategy often dictates deception? 

John Frame argues that a lie is a word or act that intentionally deceives a neighbor in order to hurt him. It is false witness against a neighbor. The term “neighbor” does not refer to everyone in general, but anyone we find to be in need. That is the point of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37). Not everyone on the road is a person in need of care. Sometimes we will confront an enemy on the road. We are to love our enemies, but love is not incompatible with a desire to bring God’s judgment upon them. We need to maintain the good purposes of self-defense, punishment, and just war.

There are may passages in Scripture where misdirection is not condemned, and sometimes it is even commended. Frame provides the following 16 examples: 

1. The Hebrew midwives (Ex. 1:15-21), 
2. Rahab (Josh. 2:4-6; 6:17, 25; Heb. 11:31; Jam. 2:25), 
3. Ambush at Ai (Josh. 8:3-8), 
4. Jael and Sisera (Jdg 4:18-21; 5:24-27; also Ehud); 
5. Samuel misleads Saul (1 Sam. 16:1-5); 
6. Michal deceives her father’s troops (1 Sam. 19:12-17); 
7. David’s counsel to Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:6); 
8. David feigns madness (1 Sam. 21:13); 
9. David lies to Achish (1 Sam. 27:10); 
10. Military deceit (2 Sam. 5:22-25); 
11. Hushai counseled to lie to Absalom (2 Sam. 15:34); 
12. Women deceive Absalom’s men (2 Sam. 17:19-20); 
13. God sends a lying spirit against Ahab (1 Kgs. 22:19-23); 
14. Elisha misleads the Syrian troops (2 Kgs. 6:14-20); 
15. Jeremiah lies to the princes (Jer. 38:24-28); 
16. God sends delusion (2 Thes. 2:11). 

In these passages, there is deceit, and that deceit brings harm. But the harm comes to an enemy, not to a neighbor. Charles Hodge taught that we are not obligated to tell the truth in certain situations (i.e., war). J.I. Packer recognizes that a distinction needs to be made to accommodate for things like war, Rahab, and Corrie ten Boom, whose family lied about hiding Jews during WWII. 

Luther Therefore, it is improperly called a lie. It is rather a virtue and remarkable prudence by which the fury of Satan is hindered, and the honor, life, and interests of others are served as well.

Meredith Kline taught an “intrusion” ethic where the ethics of the end times differ from the ethics that God has given to us in the law and in Jesus’ teaching. Scripture, however, does not distinguish two different ethics. It does appear that the Bible passages listed above, which justify deception in certain cases, all have to do with the promotion of justice against the wicked, especially when they seek innocent life.

There is no universal position in the reformed world. And what I’ve presented here—attaching the intent to harm our neighbor to the definition—seems to fall more into the minority camp.

Packer In such exceptional cases as we have mentioned, all courses of action have something of evil in them, and an outright lie, like that of Rahab (Joshua 2:4–5; note the commendation of her in James 2:25), may actually be the best way, the least evil, and the truest expression of love to all the parties involved.

Zacharias Ursinus, author of the Heidelberg Catechism points at that “we may not do evil that good may come.” He points out that Rahab and other were commended for their reverence of God, not their deceitful actions. Others, like J.V. Fesko, see the actions of the Hebrew midwives and Rahab as “imperfect acts of faith”. While Scripture commends them for their faith, it does not commend every aspect of how their faith was manifested. Rahab can be commended for welcoming the Hebrew spies while saying nothing about her lying to the authorities. 

Personally, I see these arguments as conveniently skirting the issue. What made Rahab’s hospitality worthy of commendation was the risk she took in lying to the authorities. Remove that risk, and you remove the significance of her self-sacrificial actions.

Horton In other words, a lie, even in the interest of a greater good, is always a sin, even though one might be required by one’s conscience to lie in order to, for instance, save a neighbor’s life. Here, a lie is still evil, but a lesser evil compared to murder.

Conclusion

Ultimately, we could go back and forth, but concluding with the example of the gospel is crucial. Jesus was willing to suffer the penalty of every violation of the ninth commandment on behalf of those who place their faith in him alone for their salvation. Only then can we stand on the perfect record of Jesus Christ.

The situations that we have listed as possible exceptions to honesty are extremely rare. These individuals were dealing with life and death matters. They are no excuse for Christians to make lying habitual. It is far more common to find ourselves lying to preserve ourselves (i.e., Peter’s denial of Christ). However, when we understand how much Christ was willing to suffer for our good, we can ask the Lord for the bold integrity to place the needs of our neighbor above our own, and by his Spirit to give us a self-sacrificial love that will receive its full commendation on the day of judgment.