Counsel #24 — Honesty

Picture: Counsel #24 — HonestyCSL 34.1

Honesty is far more than just telling the truth; it’s foundational in what it means to be a Christian and live in alignment with Christ’s identity. At its core, the Christian journey is a pursuit of truth, since God Himself is truth,^{[43]John 14:6} and we are called to reflect His perfect image. This goes beyond simply avoiding outright lies and cheating; it means living with integrity. Dishonesty can subtly creep in through exaggeration, where we inflate or distort facts for personal gain or to impress others. It also manifests as minimization, where we downplay our faults or responsibilities, or through omission, where we deliberately leave out crucial information to mislead. Plagiarism, the theft of intellectual property, is another clear breach of honesty, as is the seemingly innocuous "white lie," which, despite its good intentions, still compromises truth. While no one can achieve perfect honesty on their own, the good news is we can invite God’s transforming Spirit to work within us, empowering us to be aware of and overcome deceptiveness.^{[44] https://whiteestate.org/devotional/hp/06_21/} CSL 34.2

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:9, 10 ESVCSL 34.3

“He whose heart is filled with the love that proceeds from God does not allow self-exaltation or dishonesty to find place in his life.” Ellen White in My Life Today, p. 331CSL 34.4

Reflect: Can you identify instances in your life where forms of dishonesty such as exaggeration, minimization, and omission might have subtly crept in?CSL 34.5