Proverbs 13:5. The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
Solomon says that the righteous person hates falsehood. Hate is good when we hate what God hates. God hates falsehood. He hates lies. He hates slander and smear tactics. He hates it when we try to shame and disgrace others just so that we can look good. Why? Because God IS truth.
There is a strong possibility that right now you are considering skipping today’s devotion because you don’t struggle with falsehood. As a good Christian you would never tell a lie. But consider that it is not only your words that can be false, but also the life you project to others. Even the idea that you are a good Christian therefore you don’t lie, isn’t this a form of falsehood? If you have chosen to be truthful in order to show that you are a good Christian, then you are false to the truth. As Jesus told another self-righteous man, only God is good. If your hatred of lies is meant to show how good you are then you are a liar. But if your hatred of lies is meant to show how good God is, then you are much closer to the truth.
Another irony revealed in this proverb is that often the self-righteous, who hate falsehood, are the same ones that love to shame and disgrace others. Isn’t this exactly how the Pharisees of Jesus’ day lived? They never told a lie, they were “perfect” in appearance, therefore they felt the need to reveal everyone else’s sins. They loved to shame the guilty. They longed to disgrace sinners.
You see, true righteousness, in contrast with self-righteousness, hates falsehood, but it also hates disgracing others. It hates lies, but it also loves forgiveness, grace, and transformation. Transformation into Christ that shame and disgrace will never produce.
In Christ, we have his righteousness imputed to us. It is not by our own works of righteousness (like truth telling) that we are considered righteous by God, because all of our “righteous” deeds are polluted with pride. All our truth is speckled with lies. There’s vice in all our virtue. Our only hope of righteousness is in our union with Jesus. And this is a union that not only counts us as righteous, but also allows us to actively participate in the righteousness of Jesus.
The Christ in you hates falsehood, yet never shames and never disgraces. What does this mean for us who are in Christ? It means that we too can love truth telling and hate falsehood. When you know who you are in Christ there is no need to do the right thing in order to appear righteous. We ARE righteous. No need for masks or stage acting. No need to shame others to make yourself look better than you are.
You ARE better than you are…in Christ.
You: Do you tell the truth. Why? Be honest.
You in Christ: How does knowing who we are in Christ allow us to love truth for God’s sake rather than for our own sake?
Christ in you: The Christ in you wants to be truthful yet not shaming of others. How can you personally balance these two virtues today from faith in him?
Pray: Father, I want to hate lies because you are truth. I want to hate falsehood without shaming others. Fill me with the true and humble righteousness of your son. Amen.
To Live is Christ 