We ought to be honest, as LORD taught us : " You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another." [Lev. 19:11], and Jesus : " Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. " [Mt 5:37]
LORD also taught us the consequence of lying :
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Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter"; therefore thus says the LORD GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'He who believes will not be in haste.' And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter." Then you covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be shear terror to understand the message. [Isiah 28:14-19] |
"For fear of punishment, or evil consequences" is not the reason why we should be honest. It is because we ought to, and it is WRONG to lie. Lie will send the other person to the wrong track, may waste his time/effort, and may even endanger him. We love our neighbour, and also " whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. " [Mt 7:12] Also Confucius : "Do not do to others what you don't want others to do to you."
Another example is " adultery ".
LORD : " You shall not commit adultery. " [Ex 20:14]
LORD : " If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. " [Lev. 20:10]
We would not commit adultery with our neighbour's wife, not solely because we fear the legal punishment, but because we love our neighbour, and it is also wrong in the sight of LORD to commit adultery.
No man will be pleased to see his own wife lie with another man (O. J. Simpson killed his wife , I think, for this reason). Also no woman will be pleased to see her husband lie with another woman. We love our neighbour, and we do not want to hurt him, in whatsoever way.
We should walk with LORD ( = TRUTH ), and cleave to Him, like our brother Enoch once did. [Gen 5:24]. Therefore all our action is based on "Is it right in the sight of LORD, or wrong ? ", and never " Is it good to us, or evil to us ? "
Therefore words of Solomon,
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Solomon : For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man without sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. And lo, a woman meets him, dressed as a harlot, wily of heart. She is loud and wayward, her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait. She seizes him and kisses him, and with impudent face she says to him : " I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows; so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you. I have decked my couch with coverings, coloured spreads of Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home." With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its entrails; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life" [Prov 7:6-23] |
is not the reason why we do not commit adultery, though we know fully the legal punishment.
LORD's first commandment to human is : " ... You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die. " [Gen 2:16-17], "neither shall you touch it, lest you die." [Gen 3:3]
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