The Ninth Commandment: Truth as a Way of Life

How important is truth? To fully appreciate the Ninth Commandment, with its prohibition of lying, we must realize how important truth is to God.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).

What do the Scriptures tell us about God, His Word and truth? Notice what several verses tell us: “Every word of God is pure . . .” (Proverbs 30:5). Daniel refers to God’s Word as “the Scripture of Truth” (Daniel 10:21). Jesus Christ said of God the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

The Bible throughout teaches that “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). It explains that “the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth” (Psalm 33:4) because He is a “God of truth” (Deuteronomy 32:4). And “His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:5).

As the source of truth, God requires that His servants always speak truthfully. Under God’s inspiration, King David writes: “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow-man . . . [and] who keeps his oath even when it hurts” (Psalm 15:1-3, NIV).

God expects truth to permeate every facet of our lives.

Christ and the truth

Restoring regard for truth as a universal way of life will be a priority when Jesus Christ returns to establish His rule. “Thus says the LORD: ‘I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain’” (Zechariah 8:3).

Looking forward to Christ’s rule in the Kingdom of God, Psalm 85 reveals the emphasis God will place on righteousness and truth. “Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yes, the LORD will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway” (verses 9-13).

At that time Jesus Christ will insist that all of mankind follow His footsteps in accepting, believing and speaking the truth.

Truth in our relationship with Christ

Our personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, begins with our acceptance of and surrender to God’s Word as truth. “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).

When Jesus stood trial, just before His crucifixion, the Roman governor Pilate asked Christ if He were truly a king. Jesus responded by summarizing His mission and noting who would respond to His message: “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37).

Jesus Christ’s character was (and is) a perfect reflection of the character of our heavenly Father, the God of truth. In response to a question from one of His disciples, Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). His disciples, by “speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

To be disciples of Jesus Christ we must resolve to consistently speak the truth, demonstrating the sincerity of our love for others. We must also accept and obey, as “the way of truth,” the commandments and teachings of God (Psalm 119:30, 151, 160). Samuel tells us, “Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).

Lying abounds

It is almost impossible nowadays to be certain who, if anyone, is telling the truth. Almost everyone tries to balance the risk of being caught against the perceived benefits of lying.

Some businesses display amazing creativity in camouflaging deceit when they advertise their products. Almost everywhere we can spot individuals, businesses and other organizations involved in a sophisticated game of seeing how deceptive they can be without attracting lawsuits or alienating potential customers.

Lying is an accepted way of life. Our world is accurately described by Isaiah’s description of ancient Israel: “No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity” (Isaiah 59:4).

How did God view the Israelites’ epidemic of lies? “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth’” (Jeremiah 7:28).

Then as now, people routinely inject deceit into their relationships—personal, social, political, religious and economic. The dearth of honesty is so widely accepted that public censure no longer even discourages lying. That demand must come from within.

Are you truthful?

Now comes the important question to you personally: Do you lie?

Maybe it would be kinder to word the question a little differently: Just how important is being truthful to you? Or, reversing the coin: Is lying repugnant to you? These questions are crucial. You need to ask and answer them truthfully to yourself.

Temptations to lie never cease. They are always present. Lying is such a quick and effortless way to gain an advantage over others. It appears to offer easy and swift escape from embarrassment, fear and guilt. But the Bible says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22).

We face a fundamental choice. We follow God’s example of truthfulness and honesty in our actions and communications, or we follow the example of the originator of lying, Satan. Jesus tells us that the devil is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NIV). He deceived Eve, then she talked Adam into partaking of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-6, 17). This act of disobedience brought suffering and death on our first parents. The devil has relentlessly misinformed and misled people ever since. Satan’s malicious influence is so great that he “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). It is all too easy for us to follow his example in our dealings with others, especially when lying is so commonly practiced all around us.

Human nature is deceitful

Learning to be firmly and consistently truthful requires self-discipline and courage, and in our firmness and consistency we must rely on help from God.

We often find ourselves doing things that we know are wrong. So why, then, do we do them? The prophet Jeremiah gives us the answer. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:9-10, NASB).

God understands our nature and reveals how to combat it. Jesus explained that, even though we may be willing to obey, our flesh is weak (Mark 14:38). We lack the resolve and strength to resist temptation. How, then, can we neutralize this weakness?

God, through the pen of the apostle Paul, explains the cause of and solution to this universal human problem. Citing himself as an example, Paul described the timeless human struggle: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:14-15).

We can relate to Paul. We have experienced the same frustration and remorse. Paul continues: “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (verses 22-24). Paul had learned that people need help to rise above the weaknesses of human nature.

Overcoming deceit

Another apostle, Peter, denied Jesus Christ and even lied, on the night of His betrayal, about being acquainted with Him (Matthew 26:69-74). Like Peter, most people find it almost impossible to abandon all forms of deceit until they surrender their lives to God and begin sincerely seeking His help. That help is readily available, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

We must ask for that help. And how can we get it? God’s Word tells us: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

We have at hand the solution to this pervasive and insidious human weakness. Paul urged Church members in Ephesus to “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” How were they to do this? By “putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:24-25).

The way of truth

Those who willingly believe and obey the truth of God can, by being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit, become members of the Church that Jesus Christ built. He refers to them as the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). They represent “the way of truth” (2 Peter 2:2).

Paul calls God’s Church “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Its members are the servants of “the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). By “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), it is commissioned by Christ to preach “the truth of the gospel” to all the world (Galatians 2:5; Matthew 24:14; 28:19).

Everything in the life of a Christian is anchored to truth. God wants us, as His children, to commit ourselves to truth and reflect it in everything we do. That is why God commands us: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).

The Eighth Commandment: Practice Giving Rather Than Getting

The Eighth Commandment safeguards everyone’s right to legitimately acquire and own property. God wants that right honored and protected.

“You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15).

The Eighth Commandment, which forbids theft, calls our attention to two opposite ways of thinking and living. An approach that emphasizes getting rather than giving wins all contests for popularity. But the giving approach epitomizes God’s love for others.

Theft is the ultimate assertion of the greedy, lustful way of life, one that emphasizes acquiring material and intangible things with no regard for the rights and feelings of others. It scorns conventions and boundaries established by society and God. It is the epitome of selfishness.

The spiritual intent of the commandment against stealing tells us where the battle against selfishness begins. It originates when we learn to appreciate the rights and needs of others.

The right to own property

The Eighth Commandment safeguards everyone’s right to legitimately acquire and own property. God wants that right honored and protected.

His approach to material wealth is balanced. He wants us to prosper and enjoy physical blessings (3 John 1:2). He also expects us to show wisdom in how we use what He provides us. But He does not want possessions to be our primary pursuit in life (Matthew 6:25-33). When we see material blessings as a means to achieve more-important objectives, God enjoys seeing us prosper.

To Him it is important that generosity rather than greed motivate the choices we make. Because they are qualities of His own character, He asks that we, from the heart, put giving and serving ahead of lavishing possessions on ourselves.

God loves cheerful givers

Jesus addressed this approach when He spoke of assisting the less fortunate with risky loans. “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours [such as money lent to the poor], do not demand it back. And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way . . . And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:30-35, NASB).

Basing what comes next on what He has already told us about having a generous rather than a selfish heart, Jesus continued: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (verse 38).

God is willing to be our partner in serving others if we replace greed with a devotion to serving. He looks at the measure of the intensity of our commitment to that giving way of life.

Paul expresses it clearly. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace [His favor] abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

God rejoices when He sees us, once our own needs are met, using any additional abundance in blessings to increase our usefulness and service to others. He then can know we are beginning to understand and follow His way of life.

Changing the heart of a thief

How does all of this relate directly to the command not to steal? Paul gives us the connection. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).

A thief must go far beyond simply ceasing his larceny to please God. Someone once wisely observed: “A thief who has quit stealing may still be a thief at heart—a thief just temporarily unemployed. He really ceases to be a thief only if and when he replaces stealing with giving.” A thief has to change his heart and outlook.

Other forms of stealing

Directly taking another’s possessions is not the only way to steal. Con artists use sophisticated scams to swindle their victims. Deceptive advertisements do the same. Manufacturers who misleadingly advertise their products of substandard quality cheat their customers. Laborers who bill for more hours than they work or charge more than their services are worth are stealing from those who hire them.

Then there are those who “borrow” but never return. Aren’t they stealing? There are so many ways to take what is not ours that we must stay on our guard. We could be breaking God’s commandment against stealing without realizing what we are doing.

Employees who do not work although paid to do so are stealing from their employers. People who delight in consuming what others produce while refusing to carry their share of the labor and responsibility or their part in the production of goods and services engage in still another form of stealing. They siphon away what others produce but make little or no contribution themselves. They take and give little in return. Notice Jesus Christ’s parable of the person who refuses to assume personal responsibility: “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed’” (Matthew 25:24-26).

The man in this parable knew that his job was to produce for his master. But, because of his own distorted outlook, he willingly chose to be unproductive. He knew the rules and responsibilities placed on him. He had no excuse for his slack behavior.

Jesus’ parable continues: “So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents” (verses 27-28).

The man’s employer called him “wicked and lazy.” At heart he was no different from a thief. Therefore his boss gave his reward to another who had worked hard to benefit someone besides himself. Jesus used this parable to illustrate God’s low opinion of self-pity and selfishness.

Can we steal from God?

The Bible helps us recognize yet another form of stealing. From the time of Abraham (Genesis 14:20) forward, the Bible shows examples of how God’s faithful servants formally acknowledged who really owns everything—God. They faithfully gave Him one tenth of their increase. In the covenant God made with ancient Israel, a tenth of the people’s increase was set aside for the priests to finance their spiritual service to the nation. Needless to say, this practice of tithing (meaning giving a tenth) never became popular with most people. It required faith that God would amply supply their needs if they were a giving people.

By 721 B.C., general disobedience to God’s laws had become so entrenched in ancient Israel that God sent the northern 10 tribes into captivity by the hand of the Assyrians, leaving only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and scattered Levites, in the southern kingdom of Judah. They continued the pattern of disobedience and were taken as captives to Babylon in 587.

About a century later a small group of Jews returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the city and the temple under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. But their loyalty to God soon began to wane, as it had before their captivity. Through the prophet Malachi, God reprimanded the priests for neglecting the teaching of His laws (Malachi 2:7-9).

Meanwhile, He reproved the people for keeping His tithe for themselves. “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation” (Malachi 3:8-9).

The leaders of the Jews at that time reversed the nation’s disobedience and instituted detailed regulations to force everyone to comply with the law. The physical aspects of these regulations were strict, but many people continued in woeful negligence when it came to the spiritual aspects of the law.

Later Jesus condemned their misguided priorities. He supported the Jews’ continued observance of the physical aspects of the law and their faithful tithing. But He criticized their failure also to emphasize the spiritual virtues of faith, mercy and justice.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23). Jesus told them they should have been doing both—practicing the law of tithing along with exercising faith, mercy and justice. Jesus Christ affirmed the practice of tithing—of giving back to God a portion of what He gives us. We are not to take for ourselves the tenth that belongs to Him.

Beyond the here and now

God wants us to have confidence in the future. His Word is full of promises concerning our future in His Kingdom. If we believe those promises, we will invest our time and energy in acquiring a wealth of spiritual treasures that will last forever—treasures that no thief can take from us.

That is the advice of Jesus Christ. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,” said Jesus, “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

We need to understand and apply true values to life. We need to concentrate on building character traits that will endure beyond physical life. At the heart of it all is love. Godly love defeats the desire to steal.