Honesty - God's standard

Yesterday in Sunday School we discussed honesty and truthfulness. We looked at God’s standard for honesty. It is probably is no surprise to anyone who is reading this, but God’s standard is quite different from what is practiced in our society today.

A study done last year and reported in US News and World report said almost two thirds of high school students surveyed said they cheated on a test at least once in the past year. A recent Gallup Poll shows that 57% of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standard of members of Congress as low or very low. It sounded a little too much like Judges 17:6 when the Israelites had no king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

The Bible is pretty clear that God demands total honesty. Proverbs 20:23; Proverbs 12:22 and Proverbs 6:16-17 are just a few of the verses that are pretty specific that God detests cheating, dishonesty, and lying. Two of the Ten Commandments are devoted to not lying or stealing. God is obviously concerned about honesty.

But why is God so concerned about our honesty? I believe there are at least three reasons.

The first is because truthfulness is an attribute of God. John 14:6 says I am the way, the truth and the life. If we are going to emulate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), we too must be totally truthful and honest. (1 Peter 1:15,16).

The second reason is that it is the opposite of who Satan is. John 8:44 says he is a liar and the father of lies. It is no wonder that God demands total honesty of His children. If we are honest and truthful we reflect God’s character. When we are not, we reflect the character of Satan.

But I believe there is a third reason that God demands total honesty. We are instructed throughout the Bible to love our neighbor. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19; Mark 12:31) The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) is pretty clear that anyone is our neighbor. And then we read in Philippians 2:4 that we need to look out for the interest of others.

So if anyone is our neighbor and we must love them and look out for them, it is pretty hard to be dishonest on our income taxes (yes, the IRS is our neighbor). When we get undercharged on a bill or given too much change, remember it is your neighbor who is being short changed.

There are other reasons that God demands total honesty. It builds creditability for evangelism (Philippians 2:15) and confirms God’s direction (Proverbs 4:24-26) in our lives.

God’s standard for honesty is extremely high. We as followers of Jesus Christ are called to this high standard. Not only are we called to reflect Christ’s charter which is truth, but we must always be looking out for the good of others. Just remember the next time we are tempted to take a few bites from a salad bar that someone else is paying for or sharing a bottomless drink, it is God’s standard of honesty we follow, not the world’s.