On Sunday nights our church has been doing a study on The Way of the Master. It's basically an evangelism method that so far for me has been the most practical and the easiest thing to remember. It's not a whole lot different than the Netcasters program our church uses, just a little less intimidating and lengthy.
One of the things I like the most about it is how it addresses up front the issues that "All have sinned." And it starts the demonstration by using the Ten Commandments. I'll use this method, but the first commandment they've used over and over and over in their examples is actually a modification of Scripture, and that bothers me greatly. Exodus 20:16 is NOT a commandment not to lie. It's a commandment against slander - lying about another person. And most of the Old Testament references that relate to that passage also deal with speaking false things ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON. There's a subtle difference there. Before you puff up like a bullfrog, yes I very clearly remember the passage/song from Revelation that liars go to hell. (to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?" : Revelation, Revelation, 21:8, 21:8, Liars go to hell, Liars go to hell, Burn, burn, burn. Burn, burn, burn. - and yes, I was horrified the first time I heard it. I'm not sure that's what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he told us to sing Scriptural songs.) But I wonder if we're not adding/changing Scripture when we take the command of "Don't bear false witness against your neighbor." and modify it to "Don't lie." Rahab the Jericho prostitute lied to protect the spies, and God honored her for it. Honored her so much, in fact, that her son born as an Israelite is listed in Matthew in the lineage of Christ. Her grandson was Boaz, who married Ruth.
The Bible does clearly teach that honesty and truth are virtues we should have. Earlier in Exodus, the leaders chosen under Moses were to be men of truth. All throughout the Old Testament stories, leaders are constantly asking whether or not someone is telling the truth. So if honesty is a virtue, what are we saying about ourselves when falsely state a ten commandment dealing with slander is actually a broad statement about lying?
One thing I do like about the approach we've seen so far is it's not confrontational. It recognizes the Gospel is offensive to people. Many are going to find the cross and its story offensive. We're simply asking them to consider it. Nothing more; nothing less. While the thought of offending someone still does not appeal to me, I was reminded of WHY we must sometimes be offensive while reading a blog this morning. A Navy/Marine chaplain made this statement: "... the farther you are from the light the more it effects you." During the night when I have to get up and turn a light on, it's offensive to my eyes. Sometimes it actually hurts. Shining the light of truth onto someone's shortcomings will hurt. I should expect some reaction and hurt/offense. But just as a medic wouldn't continuously shine a bright light around a coal miner who's been trapped in darkness, we can show them the light, and leave them considering what they saw during it's brief time.
For me, it goes back to the Golden Rule: do unto others what you would have them to do to you. In the old days I HATED reaching back to flush the toilet and accidentally knocking something off the back of the lid. Some well-meaning person had stupidly left a tract there and I had a few seconds to decide whether or not to attempt to retrieve it or let Wal-mart have the joy of having another backed up toilet. I left it. I've also been in a stall where you squat to use the bathroom and look down to see some preacher's face staring up at you where someone threw a tract in the floor. Really, people? And I've worked the drive-through in fast food and lost a raise because lunatics tried to witness (we were timed per customer and it was part of our personal and store evaluation) and wouldn't shut up and go on even when I politely said "Yes, I go to church." Or chucked many a tracts because our Taco Bell uniforms didn't have pockets and there was no place to put the thing in my minuscule place between the coke dispenser and cash register. I'm not about to do that to someone else. Sharing our faith is a good thing and should be done. But it doesn't mean I have to violate the other teachings of Scripture and lose what little common sense I have. Sometimes I think we try to make things harder than they really are.
One of the things I like the most about it is how it addresses up front the issues that "All have sinned." And it starts the demonstration by using the Ten Commandments. I'll use this method, but the first commandment they've used over and over and over in their examples is actually a modification of Scripture, and that bothers me greatly. Exodus 20:16 is NOT a commandment not to lie. It's a commandment against slander - lying about another person. And most of the Old Testament references that relate to that passage also deal with speaking false things ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON. There's a subtle difference there. Before you puff up like a bullfrog, yes I very clearly remember the passage/song from Revelation that liars go to hell. (to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?" : Revelation, Revelation, 21:8, 21:8, Liars go to hell, Liars go to hell, Burn, burn, burn. Burn, burn, burn. - and yes, I was horrified the first time I heard it. I'm not sure that's what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he told us to sing Scriptural songs.) But I wonder if we're not adding/changing Scripture when we take the command of "Don't bear false witness against your neighbor." and modify it to "Don't lie." Rahab the Jericho prostitute lied to protect the spies, and God honored her for it. Honored her so much, in fact, that her son born as an Israelite is listed in Matthew in the lineage of Christ. Her grandson was Boaz, who married Ruth.
The Bible does clearly teach that honesty and truth are virtues we should have. Earlier in Exodus, the leaders chosen under Moses were to be men of truth. All throughout the Old Testament stories, leaders are constantly asking whether or not someone is telling the truth. So if honesty is a virtue, what are we saying about ourselves when falsely state a ten commandment dealing with slander is actually a broad statement about lying?
One thing I do like about the approach we've seen so far is it's not confrontational. It recognizes the Gospel is offensive to people. Many are going to find the cross and its story offensive. We're simply asking them to consider it. Nothing more; nothing less. While the thought of offending someone still does not appeal to me, I was reminded of WHY we must sometimes be offensive while reading a blog this morning. A Navy/Marine chaplain made this statement: "... the farther you are from the light the more it effects you." During the night when I have to get up and turn a light on, it's offensive to my eyes. Sometimes it actually hurts. Shining the light of truth onto someone's shortcomings will hurt. I should expect some reaction and hurt/offense. But just as a medic wouldn't continuously shine a bright light around a coal miner who's been trapped in darkness, we can show them the light, and leave them considering what they saw during it's brief time.
For me, it goes back to the Golden Rule: do unto others what you would have them to do to you. In the old days I HATED reaching back to flush the toilet and accidentally knocking something off the back of the lid. Some well-meaning person had stupidly left a tract there and I had a few seconds to decide whether or not to attempt to retrieve it or let Wal-mart have the joy of having another backed up toilet. I left it. I've also been in a stall where you squat to use the bathroom and look down to see some preacher's face staring up at you where someone threw a tract in the floor. Really, people? And I've worked the drive-through in fast food and lost a raise because lunatics tried to witness (we were timed per customer and it was part of our personal and store evaluation) and wouldn't shut up and go on even when I politely said "Yes, I go to church." Or chucked many a tracts because our Taco Bell uniforms didn't have pockets and there was no place to put the thing in my minuscule place between the coke dispenser and cash register. I'm not about to do that to someone else. Sharing our faith is a good thing and should be done. But it doesn't mean I have to violate the other teachings of Scripture and lose what little common sense I have. Sometimes I think we try to make things harder than they really are.
Comments
But getting to your point about the 9th commandment, I think we need to keep two things in mind. One is the translation of languages and the other is the new convenant under Christ.
Looking at the Hebrew words used in "bearing false witness" I see that this can be translated as "lie, deception, disappointment or falsehood" (Strong's #8267 or TWOT 2461a). The KJV translates this in various spots as deceit, false, liar, lying, etc. The NASB translates it roughly the same.
As I read various commentators on this verse I see that most point to a general rule or letter of the law being laid down here regarding anything that is untruthful. As Adam Clarke states, "Not only false oaths, to deprive a man of his life or of his right, are here prohibited, but all whispering, tale-bearing, slander, and calumny; in a word, whatever is deposed as a truth, which is false in fact, and tends to injure another in his goods, person, or character, is against the spirit and letter of this law." Guzik even goes so far as to say, "We can break the ninth commandment through slander, talebearing, creating false impressions, by silence, by questioning the motives behind someone's actions, or even by flattery. The New Testament puts it simply: do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9)"
And it's here that I think we begin to see the "letter of the law" which Christ expounded upon in the Sermon on the Mount under His new covenant. Christ knew how much the Pharisees lived off of the exact wording of the law while totally disregarding its intent and found any way possible to get around it. So He opened up the law. No longer was just adultery a sin but even lust was now to be considered the same thing. While the commandment was specifically against murder, it was now opening up anyone who even hated, bringing them under danger of the judgement.
So I don't think it's a twisting, etc. at all for us to use lying when leading people through the commandments. Keep in mind that God never said people were to be lead through the commandments in a witness encounter, either. ;-)
It's a man-based approach (while fully trying to honor the letter of God's law in being obedient to evangelize) and happens to use something very familiar to everyone (even though most are lucky to remember even 2 of the 10) to help make our "job" easier when preparing their hearts for the good news of the Gospel message.
For what it's worth!