Lying is not Our Style
As we’ve been working on a new place to meet for our congregation, we sat at a round table with our commercialist (an interesting Italian breed of lawyer-accountant), a bank manager, a property owner, a pastor, and a deacon. It’s so hard to describe, but if I could stereotype northern Italians into one person, the bank manager would’ve taken the cake. At the risk of the dreaded political incorrectness I could say I’ve never met a more northern Italian than this man. He had a big booming voice, dressed to cultural code, ever-so rounded face, and he utilized every local phrase in AND out of the book.
While discussing different possibilities, we came to an important point. As the bank manager grabbed the lapels of his jacket, he says, “Now I think we should represent it this way… Now we don’t want to say lies… (quickly with tongue in cheek) because lying is not our style… we want to do such, such, and such.” I looked around the table to see if anybody caught it and they hadn’t, but I had to laugh in amazement.
It just rolls off the lips as it bubbles from the heart — man’s noble, moral style. As men of God, we have to be so careful in this land to share with others that honesty is more than our style, it’s our command.
You see, if this man feels he’s lied in any way (since he sets his own standards), he believes that he’ll just go down and attend a mass or do some confessional booth time (if it’s a doozy). Then, with his false sense of self-forgiveness he’ll continue on in his sin and flesh because he’s been told his root of original sin was removed when he was an infant under the sprinkling priest’s baptism. Not so for the Bible-follower! I can’t look to myself or a system of flesh and tradition for appeasement if I think anything’s gone bad. No, I have to look squarely into the eyes of the offended Party. It’s the Spirit I offended — not a system; a real Person Who knows — not hides.
And this is why we would say that lying makes us lawbreakers — not just culturally un-stylish.
“For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” 2 Corinthians 1:12-13
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