Friday, July 2, 2021

Question 77: What is required in the Ninth Commandment?

Answer: The Ninth Commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbour's good name, especially in witness-bearing.

Dear Neighbor,

Proverbs 14:5, 25 says,
A trustworthy witness will not lie,
But a false witness utters lies.
A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who utters lies is treacherous.

This morning, in my daily recitation of John’s gospel, I recited John 19:35, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”

The children of God speak truth because God’s nature is truth and the children of the devil speak lies because it is the devil’s nature to lie. Whenever a person lies, he makes himself a son of the devil, but when he tells the truth, he is a son of God. (Jn. 8:43-44) 

Above all else, the Christian must be truthful in all matters, because our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth of God. (Jn. 14:7) How can one represent our Lord in the world if he is a liar? People lie for many reasons but ultimately it is for selfish reasons that people lie.

Michael Peek
Your Servant for Jesus’ Sake