Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
The Bible has taught us not to lie. It is the devil’s nature to lie and twist the words, including the Word of God. Indeed, this is how he deceived Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s instruction to them was utterly clear. There was only one tree which they could not eat from, and the consequence of the breaking the command was death.
The cleverly-crafted question, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” deceived Adam and Eve into thinking that it was all right to eat from every tree, but of course, what was not mentioned was the consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is that they should surely die. This scheme of deception was a mixture of trickery, deception, craftiness, and manipulation put forth by the devil.
Doesn’t it sound familiar when all the good things and promises are highlighted to us in bold but the critical items that trap us are only found in the fine prints? That is why we should be thankful for those who are observant and detail-oriented among us, such as corporate lawyers or even our spouse!
We need to know that it is a slippery road the moment we attempt to keep the truth from others by being vague, fuzzy, and secretive while presenting a business plan or establishing a partnership relationship. This lack of consistency or clarity will tempt us to break our promises after the contractual agreement has been made, and we will want to protect our own interest thereafter by twisting our words, giving preferential treatment to ourselves, and justifying our actions. This is especially true when we are being pressurised in a tough business environment.
Remember that it was the devil who twisted the Word of God with craftiness and trickery. Therefore, when we are not engaging in real dialogues with others, we are evading the consequences of not delivering what is expected of us. When we are selfish, inconsistent in our actions which are based upon our best interests, we will likely break our promises down the road. However, what we need to remember is that once we lose our credibility, nobody will trust us, do business or partner with us again. It is a huge price to pay!
Sermon Series: It Is More Precious Than Gold
做诚实人
创世纪 2:16-17 耶和华神吩咐他说：“园中各样树上的果子，你可以随意吃， 只是分别善恶树上的果子，你不可吃，因为你吃的日子必定死！”
圣经教导我们不要说谎。说谎并且扭曲字义是魔鬼的天性，其中亦包含曲解上帝的话语。这也是牠用来引诱亚当和夏娃的伎俩（曲解 神的话），说服他们吃了禁果，就是那分别善恶树上的果子。其实 神对他们的指示相当清楚明了：园中各样树上的果子，他们都可以随意吃， 唯独分别善恶树上的果子不可吃，任谁违背了这个命令，他的下场就是死！
“神岂是真说不许你们吃园中所有树上的果子吗？”这是个经过巧妙设计的问题，哄骗亚当和夏娃，说服他们去相信“园中所有树上的果子都可以吃”，当然，魔鬼没有提及的是吃了分别善恶树上的果子的下场，那就是“必定死”。这种欺哄集结了魔鬼所有欺诈、诡计、狡猾以及操控的手段。
我们是不是也曾经历过类似的情景呢？我们的目光总是被那些标注着“美好”和“承诺”的斗大字体所吸引，而往往忽略那些以小字体呈现的关键的附属细则。这就是为什么我们需要感谢我们中间那些观察敏锐并注重细节的人，例如公司律师甚至是我们的配偶！
要知道，当我们在提出业务计划或建立合伙关系时，一旦为了试图掩盖事实，行事含混不明、模糊不清并且偷偷摸摸地，我们就是踏上了一条铤而走险之路。缺乏一致性或透明度会诱使我们在签约后又毁约，为了保护自己的利益，我们就会曲解曾经说过的话，使自己处于优势，合理化自己的行为。愈是在艰难的商业环境中受到压力时，愈是如此。
让我们牢记，只有魔鬼才会以花言巧语曲解上帝的话语。因此，我们在与人洽谈时若不能以诚相待，我们就要小心那因我们不遵行公义而来的后果。当我们为着一己之私而言行不一，我们就很可能一再地出尔反尔。不过，要记得，一旦我们失去信用，人们就再也不会相信我们，也不会与我们交易或合伙。这可是个巨大的代价！
讲章系列：比黄金更宝贵