For that matter, what is lying and are we allowed to do it in certain circumstances?
Rahab told a couple of lies to the Jericho police who were searching for the two men who were spying out the land by order of Joshua. James says she was justified by her works for the men of Israel (James 2:25). One could make the argument that lying is a lack of faith, but James and the author of Hebrews clearly state Rahab acted on faith.
We could split hairs here and say that the command in the ten commandments is "thou shalt not bear false witness". However, God says that lying lips are an abomination in His sight. So is lying relative?
What about stealing? I have been having problems with security on my computer. It seems to be too secure. I can't copy/paste something from another website to blog about it. The "accelerator" doesn't accelerate. Was that God "saving me from sin" by blocking my ability to "steal" something from another website?
I remember sitting in church one Sunday with worship on my mind. Bro. Kriss is preaching on the 10 commandments and we got to "You shall not steal".
You know, I really thought I was an honest person until Sunday's sermon.
Yes. I have taken pens and notepads and calendars from work to use at home. Oh, not like slipping a handful into my pocket, or anything like that. I just stick it behind my ear or in my notepad and think nothing about returning it to work. I've taken calendars for organization. I've used work internet for writing blog entries.
There are so many ways we rationalize and justify the things we do that maybe aren't entirely wrong but are still on the shady side of right. Okay, so I did put in a huge amount of overtime with no comp time or salary upgrade. That still doesn't make it right, does it?
Just when you get to thinking you've got a handle on living Christ-like, along comes God and pretty much slaps you on the wrist to say: "You aren't there, yet. Keep working. Keep striving. You are still under construction."
That, my siblings, is very humbling. It isn't painful, but crow doesn't taste very good no matter how well it's served.
What do you consider is stealing? Lying? Are there gray areas?
Rahab told a couple of lies to the Jericho police who were searching for the two men who were spying out the land by order of Joshua. James says she was justified by her works for the men of Israel (James 2:25). One could make the argument that lying is a lack of faith, but James and the author of Hebrews clearly state Rahab acted on faith.
We could split hairs here and say that the command in the ten commandments is "thou shalt not bear false witness". However, God says that lying lips are an abomination in His sight. So is lying relative?
What about stealing? I have been having problems with security on my computer. It seems to be too secure. I can't copy/paste something from another website to blog about it. The "accelerator" doesn't accelerate. Was that God "saving me from sin" by blocking my ability to "steal" something from another website?
I remember sitting in church one Sunday with worship on my mind. Bro. Kriss is preaching on the 10 commandments and we got to "You shall not steal".
You know, I really thought I was an honest person until Sunday's sermon.
Yes. I have taken pens and notepads and calendars from work to use at home. Oh, not like slipping a handful into my pocket, or anything like that. I just stick it behind my ear or in my notepad and think nothing about returning it to work. I've taken calendars for organization. I've used work internet for writing blog entries.
There are so many ways we rationalize and justify the things we do that maybe aren't entirely wrong but are still on the shady side of right. Okay, so I did put in a huge amount of overtime with no comp time or salary upgrade. That still doesn't make it right, does it?
Just when you get to thinking you've got a handle on living Christ-like, along comes God and pretty much slaps you on the wrist to say: "You aren't there, yet. Keep working. Keep striving. You are still under construction."
That, my siblings, is very humbling. It isn't painful, but crow doesn't taste very good no matter how well it's served.
What do you consider is stealing? Lying? Are there gray areas?
2 comments:
As you said, I don’t think there is a need to split hairs over this issue. I believe the Bible means what It says and should be taken at face value.
Proverbs 19:5 reminds us, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” Whether there is a difference between a false witness and an outright lie, I must admit I don’t know. Either way, Scripture clearly condemns both as sin and gives us no indication that they are acceptable under any circumstances. This was further evidenced when Jesus said “…I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) The words “I am” indicate that truth was part of Christ’s very identity and, as James wrote, “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8) To, in essence, “change one’s identity” based on circumstance would be hypocrisy.
You do bring up a good point, however, about Rahab being justified by works when those works did in fact include lying. Nevertheless, I believe it’s important to remember that the main point of James’ argument was not whether or not lying is acceptable; it was that mere belief cannot save a person (James 2:14), which was illustrated very well in the life of Rahab despite her sinful lifestyle. That is, she didn’t just believe in Israel’s God; she acted on that belief by befriending His people which, in the end, saved her from an untimely death. Now that I think of it, Rahab was also a harlot (Joshua 2:1; Hebrews 11:31), and I’m sure nobody would argue that prostitution is acceptable under special conditions.
I can definitely see what you mean when you mention “gray areas” in regard to stealing. It’s not a question of whether or not stealing is ever right (it’s not), but rather if certain acts would really be considered stealing. All I know is that the Ten Commandments forbid theft, which is defined as taking that which does not belong to you. Obviously if it is a complimentary item such as hotel mints or advertising material it wouldn’t be wrong because they are meant to be taken. If it’s something they don’t want you to take, on the other hand, it should be left alone.
Anyway, I hope I’ve made sense. I seen your post yesterday and, since this seems to be a very important question, I thought I’d share my thoughts and the Scriptures I’m familiar with on the subject. God bless!
In Christ,
Dakota
Dakota, thank you so much for posting your thoughts. I agree with you. I lived with a pathological liar for 22 years and today I have such an aversion to liars that at the first hint of one, it seems I just don't want to have anything to do with that person.
The world is becoming full of people who see truth as relative and I'll never understand that view.
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