Reformation
500 WEEK 43: Heidelberg Catechism QA 112
Question 112: What does
the ninth Commandment require?
That I bear false witness against no one,
twist no one’s words, be no backbiter or slanderer, join in condemning no one
unheard or rashly; but that on pain of God’s heavy wrath, I avoid all lying and
deceit as the very works of the devil; and that in matters of judgment and
justice and in all other affairs, I love, speak honestly, and confess the
truth; also, insofar as I can, defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.
The Ninth Commandment, “You shall
not bear false witness against your neighbor,” is designed for “the establishment
and preservation of truth amongst men… for the glory of God and the safety of
our neighbor” (Ursinus, 600-601). Behind this command is the fact that God
Himself is “a God of truth and
without iniquity” (Deut. 32:4); “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18). God
created mankind in His image to imitate Him by thinking, speaking, and
practicing the truth. Mankind fell by believing Satan’s lie, “You shall not
surely die.” Mankind is saved by believing the truth: “believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Jesus said, “I am the truth”
(John 14:6). When God redeems us from sin through faith in Jesus Christ, He
gives us a love for truth and a hatred of lies: “lying lips are an abomination
to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Prov. 12:22). Therefore,
by the work of the Holy Spirit, “a righteous man hates lying” (Prov. 13:5). But
the habit of lying, like every sinful habit, is hard to break. Therefore, Paul
tells Christians, “putting away lying, let each of you speak truth with
his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). When we lie, we imitate the devil, who is “the
father of lies” (John 8:44). All liars will suffer God’s eternal wrath in hell
(Rev. 21:8). Believers will suffer God’s loving discipline. God disciplined Jacob
by allowing him to be deceived – first by his uncle Laban; and then by his own
sons who led him to believe that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.
“The reputation
and honor of our neighbor is his sacred right [Prov. 22:1]; and it is a grave
sin to tear down his reputation and good name by speaking lies [25:18], or even
by speaking unkindly about him” (Jones, Study Helps, 280). To twist
someone’s words means “so changing the words of another person that a wrong
message is given [Psalm 56:5] ….
Backbiting is speaking behind a person’s back in an evil and hurtful
manner (even though truthful facts are reported), so that injury is done.
Slander is telling things about another person which we know to be untrue.” Joining
in condemning another person unheard or rashly refers to “believing
a lie on insufficient evidence [Prov. 18:13] …. We must warn others who tell us
questionable things that they must beware of gossip [Prov. 18:8]. Even if we
know something evil about another person, we are not to speak of it to
others before first approaching the person privately
and seeking his repentance – in which case, we should forget the matter and not
repeat it to others [Matt. 18:15]” (Jones, 280-81); “nor are those lies which
are uttered for politeness sake, excused, because we may not do evil, that good
may come…. God did not bless [the Hebrew midwives] because they lied, but because
they feared Him and would not slay the children of the Israelites [Ex. 1:15-21]”
(Ursinus, 601-602).
God told Joshua
to use military deception in defeating Ai (Joshua 8:1-26). May we say that Rahab’s
lie was a form of military deception, since she chose Israel’s side in the war
on Jericho? What about those who hid Jews in Nazi Germany?
NOTE: These Posts were written and designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .
Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 112
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 43
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