The Eighth Commandment: To Tell
the Truth
You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
We all learned from a young age
that telling a lie was a bad thing. The
eighth commandment is not simply about why we should not lie; it is about why
we need to say the truth. Being a witness
to the faith is something we are all called to do; so to bear false witness is
to go against the faith, the truth, who is God.
What is truth? Truth is that which corresponds to reality. Truth is infinite. “God is the source of all truth. His Word is
truth. His Law is truth.” (CCC 2465)
“I am the way, the truth and the
life” (John 14:6). For John, the truth is the divinely revealed reality of the
Father manifested in the person and works of Jesus. The possession of truth confers knowledge and
liberation from sin.
“If you remain in my word, you
will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set
you free.” (John 8:31-32)
In life, we are seeking God, we
are seeking the truth. The problem is in
our society today, people think they have their own truths and that is all they
need. The fact is, there is objective
truth. That means that there are no
personal truths. Truth exists outside of
our personal understanding. The phrase
“what is true for you might not be true for me” holds no merit. If truth is only what we make it, then there
is an end to it; truth becomes finite.
Truth is infinite, truth is God.
Lying is a direct offense
against truth. “To lie is to speak or
act against the truth in order to lead into error someone who as the right to
know the truth.” (CCC 2483)
If God is truth then to lie is
an offense against God. Jesus describes
the devil as the father of lies and says there are no truths in him.
So there are three conditions
that have to be in place to make a statement a lie:
(1) “Speak or act against the
truth”: In other words, the words or actions have to be not true.
(2) “In order to lead into
error”: A misspoken word or erroneous statement said in ignorance is not a lie.
(3) “someone who as the right to
know the truth”: “No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not
have the right to know it” (CCC 2489) We
cannot “lie” to save a life, but we can tell an untruth if necessary, but in
doing so, that is not a lie. (Nazi Germany)- extreme situations
As Christian’s life isn't about
us searching for God, it is about God searching for us. So really, truth is always seeking us and
leading others away from the truth is lying.
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