Protected Against Lies – The Ninth Commandment

Protected Against Lies

Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20

“You shall not bear false witness.”

Psalm 12:6, 7

The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined on the ground, purified seven times. You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.

In the blizzard of lies, seek shelter in God’s Word.

The pervasive practice and promulgation of lies that characterizes our culture and society should be cause for alarm to every lover of truth. But where can we turn to shelter against this storm? And how shall we equip ourselves to offer a moral, relational, and cultural alternative to the lies of our day? Only by resort to the Word of God. The level of Biblical ignorance and indifference is rising among the followers of Christ. Believers will listen to sermons from the Bible, go to Bible study groups, read books about Biblical themes, and probably possess several Bibles of their own. But, increasingly, they are not taking the time to read, meditate in, and study their Bibles in order to learn how they may resist the lie in every area of life. If we do not imbibe the truth of God, dear friends, we will breathe the air of lies until they coat our spiritual lungs and choke us to death along with the rest of our culture. You may think you can “get by” with just listening to a sermon or reading a good Christian book. But Jesus is determined that His people will be sanctified for service in His Name only by the Word of truth (Jn. 17.17), and if we are not growing in our understanding and use of that truth, then we are opening ourselves to the influence of lies.

Is your own practice of Scripture reading and study adequate to equip you to resist the lies of our culture?

—

“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.