Is It Ever Right to Lie?

      This is a difficult question. Conducting my own research, I found that even pastors don’t find it easy to address it in its entirety. There are many variables to consider that the Bible doesn’t say anything about. Since it would take too long to include every detail and circumstance in this post, I plan to address just some of the more important aspects of the question. Please understand, also, that I am in no way an expert in this area, and that I’m bound to making mistakes as well. From what I concluded from my search, though, I hold to my belief that lying is not the best way to face any situation.

      Firstly, I would like to establish the definition of a lie: A lie is a false statement told with the intention to deceive. We also understand that the Bible explicitly commands us not to lie.

      Here comes the difficult part. Many would argue that there are times when lying is acceptable, or even permitted. One such case would be when you have to protect someone. Two of the most famous Bible scenarios that are often brought up are found in the book of Joshua, when Rahab the harlot lied to protect the Israelite spies, and in the book of Exodus, when the Israelite midwives lied to Pharaoh to save the male babies. The supporters for conditional lying, or lying when “necessary,” would go on to say that these people were blessed for what they did.

      However, nowhere in the Scriptures do we find God’s commending their act of lying, no matter how good their intentions may had been. The Bible never approves of it, but it didn’t condemn these particular persons for it either. Rahab was blessed. She was even mentioned in the “faith chapter” of Hebrews 11. A plain study of what Scripture says, however, would tell us that Rahab was commended and blessed for her heart of faith. Her lie was not mentioned. Scripture also says that the midwives in Egypt were blessed “because [they] feared God.” Again, their lie was neither commended nor condemned. From here, we cannot say that lying was permitted or condoned.

      Another famous example of lying to protect someone is the story of Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie lived in the Netherlands during the Nazi takeover of the country, and she is known for rescuing and hiding Jews from the Germans. Nazi soldiers repeatedly came to her house and asked if she were hiding Jews, and she always denied it. Ironically, it was Corrie’s own sister, Nollie, who believed in being truthful at all times. One day, when the Nazis once again came to inquire about any Jews they might be harbouring, they had hidden the Jews in an underground cellar, the door of which was under a table. When Nollie was asked the question point-blank, she said yes. When asked where, she said, “Under the table.” The soldiers looked, saw nothing there, and thought that Nollie was playing a joke on them. They left without spotting the cellar door, and Nollie was faithful to her conviction of truthfulness.

      Previously we talked about lying to protect others. What about lying to protect ourselves? My answer to that is quite simple. If we did something wrong, we know we shouldn’t cover it up with a lie. A sin leads to another sin. If we did something right, why would we need to lie? We should rejoice in persecutions!

      Finally, I would like to leave you with a thought. Is it possible that lying, whether to protect ourselves or others, reflects a lack of faith in God? In His will? In His power? If the Lord rescues us physically, like He did for Nollie, praise be to Him! If He doesn’t, is that reason enough to take the situation into our own hands by means of falsehood?

      These are just the main aspects of the question that are commonly raised. As I said, there are other scenarios. Nevertheless, this is a matter that lies (pun not intended) between you and God. Search Him and His Word, and I pray that He will lead you in all righteousness and wisdom.

Blessings,

Nathanael Chong

"Walk This Way, Trust Me"

      Just recently, I was watching a Chinese talent show with my family, and one particular act caught our attention. It was an apprehensive act in which a little girl of five years climbed a wall, using darts that her father threw into it as leverage. The following video from the show recounts the event.

      As you could see, the father gave all he had. He knew what was at stake. His daughter’s success was dependent on how well and how strongly he paved the way for her climb. Everyone in the audience was worried. It is not shown in the shortened video above, but one of the judges wanted to inspect the darts himself. Everything in the show was spoken in the Chinese language, so my aunt translated for me, and I learned that the darts were buried into the wall at an average of half an inch. The little girl weighed 30 kilograms, and, ideally, the darts had to be able to bear a weight of about 40 kilograms. The father’s job was done. Now the rest fell upon the shoulders of his daughter, and she succeeded.

      My aunt said that there was a meaning behind this act. The father paved the way for his daughter, but the girl had to independently climb the wall herself. She went on to say that this is like how our parents do what they can to guide us and teach us, but, in the end, the responsibility ultimately falls on us.

      Pondering on this, I took the observation further. This little girl of five years placed in her father a trust that we older folks struggle to have. Her father set up her steps and anchor points, and said, in effect, “Climb this wall. Trust me.” It was then her decision to do her part, and she did.

      Doesn’t this also reflect our relationship with our Heavenly Father in some way? He gave us instruction through His Word, and gave us wisdom and strength through the Holy Spirit. He paved our way, both to salvation and to the life He wants us to live. He gave all He had—His life—and now He calls to us, “Walk this way. Trust me.” And everything in our lives waits with bated breaths for our answer to the question: “Will we?”

      Is it possible that the trust portrayed by the child reflects what is meant by “childlike faith”? As we grow older, we start thinking for ourselves and learning about reality. And as a result, we tend to think that we know everything, and that our judgements and decisions are the best. Now, understand that I’m not saying we should be simpleminded or gullible. In fact, quite the contrary. The Bible warns against simplemindedness, and instructs us to live wisely, discreetly, and prudently. However, childlike faith is an appropriate state of the heart when it concerns our walk with the Lord. This will be explained in the next point.

      There is a difference between the talent act described above and our walk with God. The darts thrown by the father is fallible. There are chances that some of the darts are weakly embedded, and thus risk the girl’s safety and success. Not so with God. The stepping stones He lays before us are firm and true. Because God knows what is truly best and He loves us enough to give us that best, we can confidently believe that His ways are infallible. This is why we can, and should, have childlike faith in Him—because He never fails us when He does His part. The blame, then, for any failure is ours (Real failure; not what seems like failure. There are things that appear to be failures but are actually victories in God’s plan). The path is sure; it is our choice whether to walk on it or not. We will reap the rewards if we do, and the consequences if we don’t.

      Finally, as we think of how the Heavenly Father gave all He had to provide us a path to salvation, we should never forget how He set His Son’s path to Calvary. The time was right, the world was ready, and the stage was set. The Father paved the way, but Christ had to bear the weight by Himself, just as the little girl had to climb the wall by herself.

      Will we have such faith? Will we let God set the path instead of insisting on doing it ourselves? Will we let God write our story? When God says, “Walk this way. Trust me,” will we do it?

Blessings,

Nathanael Chong

Seek God’s Face, Not God’s Hand

      Senator Ted Cruz is a Christian Republican who is running for the Presidency of the United States in the current election. His father, Rafael Cruz, told the story of how Ted decided to join the Presidential race:

My son Ted and his family spent six months in prayer seeking God's will for this decision. [...] It was a Sunday. We were all at his church, First Baptist Church in Houston, including his senior staff. After the church service, we all gathered at the pastor's office. We were on our knees for two hours seeking God's will. At the end of that time, a word came through his wife, Heidi. And the word came, just saying, "Seek God's face, not God's hand." And I'll tell you, it was as if there was a cloud of the Holy Spirit filling that place. Some of us were weeping, and Ted just looked up and said, "Lord, here am I, use me. I surrender to you, whatever you want." And he felt that was a green light to move forward.

      The sentence that Heidi Cruz gave, which they believe to be divinely inspired, is the subject of this post. Before I continue, however, I want to clarify that what I’m going to say is by no means meant to explain what Ted Cruz received from the Lord. I do not know what this sentence means to Ted personally and how it spoke to him. Instead, I will use this post to share what it means to me personally.

      What does “God’s hand” refer to? It refers to His works, His miracles, and His personal workings in the world (“The hand of God”). What is “God’s face”? I believe it is His person, His character. It’s Who He is.

      Seek not for God’s miracles. They should not be our primary focus. Instead, seek His person. Learning more about the character of our Heavenly Father should be our focus. Don’t seek primarily for what God does; seek for Who He is. There are times when God will not give us miracles, but we know that His faithfulness endures.

      This was the problem for many of Jesus’ “followers,” the crowds that gathered around Him everywhere He went. While some of them genuinely wanted to learn from Christ and be His disciples, the majority of the people followed Him mainly because of the great miracles He can perform. They sought for the miraculous signs as proof that Jesus was the Christ. They went after Him because He could give them bread. They wanted to see Him overthrow the oppressive Roman government. The Messiah’s power would be able to give them physical freedom, glory, and wealth as the nation of Israel. Jesus, however, wanted to point out to them that the supernatural manifestation of His Divine power will never satisfy, as man will keep asking for more miracles, and that what they really needed was to know Christ as a person.

      In John 14, Jesus was teaching His disciples, and He said, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

      Philip requested, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

      I have a feeling that Philip was asking for an explicit sign or revelation. But Jesus replied by asking how Philip could not see the Father in Christ Himself after being with Him all this time. The very revelation Philip asked for was standing before him. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

      From what I can draw from this passage, Christ was telling His disciples that they do not need a sign to understand His Divinity. If they had known His person well, with the contribution of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 16:16), they would have comprehended Who He was.

      Does this mean, however, that we should not pay attention to God’s works? Definitely not! Jesus also said that if the people will not believe Him, they should at least believe His works. The miracles of Christ also testify to Who He is and to the authority with which He carried out His ministry.

      The sentence “Seek God’s face, not God’s hand” means something to me because it is what I need to remind myself many times. Especially during this period of time in my life when I’m seeking God’s direction in my life, I often find myself seeking for a sign. Most of my prayers are basically saying, “Show me something, Lord.” Although there is nothing wrong with asking God to give me a sign, something needs fixing if that is my main focus. I need to remind myself that the surest answer I can have comes from knowing God intimately. Signs can be questioned and doubted later, but the reassurance that we have from knowing the character of God is lasting. As the saying goes: Don’t search for the miracle; search for the Miracle-Worker.

      It is natural and human to desire explicit signs and expressions, but we need to constantly remind ourselves not to be like the multitudes who depend on miracles, but to remember that it is much more important to seek the face of God and to understand His character. Also, God often do not give us the miracles we ask for because He wants us to learn to trust Him. Our faith should not be in the works, but in the Person. That is what will get us through in the path of life.

Blessings,

Nathanael Chong

Psalm 23 (Meditation) [Part 6]

Note: In Meditation posts, I will be sharing the lessons and insights I have personally gained from studying and meditating on God’s Word. Please note that these are from my personal viewpoint. I am aware that God may reveal many different insights to different people from the same verse or passage. That is what makes the Bible alive! So don’t stop searching for God’s own personal revelation to you.

Verse 6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

      King David closes this chapter by reiterating his security in the Lord and his joy at having God as his shepherd. All through the psalm, David expresses how the Lord cares for him, protects him, and provides for him. The Lord brings us to green pastures and still waters. He restores our souls and leads us in the path of righteousness. His grace covers us as we journey through times of trials and danger, and He honors us. Surely His goodness and mercy will be with us all the days of our lives. We will abide in Him, and He will abide with us, in the house of the Lord forever.

      This promise that God’s Word presents to us is for the Lord’s sheep. Are we His sheep? Jesus said, “My sheep hears my voice.” Are we hearing the Lord’s voice? Do we listen to His teachings and commands? A shepherd’s sheep follow him faithfully and trustingly. Are we the Lord’s sheep? Let us reflect on our lives and follow Him.

As we walk with Him, may we remember that He is not just any shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd.

Blessings,
Nathanael Chong