8. Tell the truth, or at least don’t lie
There's nothing to change or add here.
According to Craig Keener, during the period when New Testament events were taking place, people swore by all sorts of things other than God to testify that their word was true. They reasoned that if they broke their oath based on any of these lesser things, at least they were not bringing God’s name into disrepute. Things got so bad that it eventually became necessary for rabbis to decide which oaths were completely binding.
In the 5th chapter of Matthew, arguing the point in part from Isaiah 66:1 (i.e., heaven is God’s throne and earth is his footstool) the Messiah taught that everything by which one could swear is ultimately God’s, and demanded that people simply be as good as their word.
I thought about using that text: “Be as good as your word,” not to mention “Do not bear false witness.” But, in the end, “Tell the truth,” probably says it best.
So, starting afresh with Peterson's list of 12-Rules for life, I now have...
- Do what matters.
- Treat yourself as one of the Father’s most treasured possessions.
- Befriend those who already inhabit your ultimate destination.
- Never compare yourself to others. Rather, be conformed to God's image by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Train children in the way they should go, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
- Get your own house in order before offering advice to the world.
- Live in light of eternity.
- Be truthful.
To remember this one, I'll imagine dividing the numeral 8 in half using a vertical line so that the resulting right half of the image forms a capital letter "B."