LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT STEP 12
STEP 12 “SPEAKING THE TRUTH”
On lying
Throughout the Ladder John Climacus discusses the logical progression from one vice to another. And so it is with the vice of falsehood. It arises out of undisciplined chatter, talkativeness and foolery. Falsehood, or lying, John states, is the destroyer of charity and perjury is the denial of God himself. Thus, he tells us, we must not be fooled into thinking that lying is a minor offense. In reality, it is a sin "above all others."
The effects of one who lies are not restricted to himself, but have the consequence of leading others into sin. Through their ability to deceive, and provoke laughter in doing so, they often distract others from their spiritual pursuits and dry up their tears of contrition. Therefore, John argues that we should seek to separate ourselves from such people, or, when appropriate and helpful, to offer fraternal correction with charity.
To combat such a vice we must foster a genuine fear of the Lord and the judgement He will bring. A strong and well-formed conscience will serve us well in this task. Likewise, true compunction will aid us in this struggle. Sorrow for one's sins will destroy this vice. Compunction is by definition, a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain
What Scripture says:
Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. (Leviticus 19:11)
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. (Psalm 101:7)
The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. (Proverbs 12:22)
Better to be poor than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22)
He whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. (Proverbs 17:20)
1. The offspring of flint and steel is fire; and the offspring of chatter and joking is lying.
2. A lie is the destruction of love, and perjury is a denial of God.
My observation is that we have become desensitized to lying. No longer do our consciences bother us when we are less than honest. Worse yet, we often justify our lying and excuse it as being “necessary.”
3. Let no one with right principles suppose that the sin of lying is a small matter, for the All-Holy Spirit pronounced the most awful sentence of all against it above all sins. If Thou wilt destroy all who tell lies, as David says to God, what will they suffer who stitch an oath on to a lie? (Psalm 5:7)
Why is desensitization to truth so spiritually dangerous? The key issue is our hearts. Every time we lie, shading or stretching the truth, our hearts become spiritually confused. It divides our hearts and makes us unstable, unsteady, and if we continue we become internally disconnected from the truth. Where we are no longer able to know the difference between truth and lies, we blur our ability to apprehend the truth.
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). God is the author of Truth because He is Truth. Satan is, according to the Scriptures, the father of lies (John 8:44).The more we tell the truth, the more pure our hearts become, and the more surely and intimately do we know God. I said “know God” not “know about God.” We are told only the pure in heart are allowed to see God (Matt 5:8).
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4)
Without clean hands and a pure heart, without complete dedication to the true God, without honesty and habitual truth-telling, we cannot ascend to or stand in His presence. As like seeks like, if our hearts are used to falsehood, we will seek the presence of satan and avoid the presence of God. But, if our hearts are accustomed to Truth, we will flee from the presence of satan and pursue the presence of God.
This is why God led Adam and Eve out of the Garden, to protect them from His purity and the absolute splendor of His divinity. All of the Old Testament ceremonial regulations had this as their goal, to protect the people of God from premature contact with the splendor of His divinity. Remember what happened to Uzzah when he touched the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Again, when we are unpure, we cannot stand in His presence.
By truth, and habitually telling the truth, we are made pure. Think why it was necessary for God to find a pure human being before He could come in the flesh. Think and marvel for a second, the fact that her womb, Mary’s womb, contained the fire of His divinity without being consumed by it. She received the truth of the angel’s word, and conceived the Truth within her womb. By the truth we are made pure in heart. To experience full joy, we must prepare ourselves by sanctifying our souls and become pure in heart.
4. I have seen some who, priding themselves on their skill in lying, and exciting laughter by their jests and twaddle, have pitiably destroyed in their hearers the habit of mourning.
Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!" (Proverbs 26:18-19)
5. When the demons see that in the very beginning we intend to keep aloof from the witty lecture of a coarse leader, as from an infectious disease, then they try to catch us by two thoughts, suggesting to us: ‘Do not offend the story-teller,’ or: ‘Do not appear to love God more than they do.’ Be off! Do not dally, otherwise at the time of your prayer the jokes will recur to your mind. And not only run, but even piously disconcert the bad company by offering for their general attention the thought of death and judgment. For perhaps it is better for you to be sprinkled with a few drops of vainglory, if only you can become a channel of profit for many.
(Translation) But when the demons observe that we stay clear of the sallies of some outstanding wit, as though we were avoiding the plague, they try to catch us with two seemingly plausible thoughts, namely that we should not be offensive to the person telling the witty story and we should not give the appearance of loving God more than he does. Be off! Do not dawdle! Otherwise the jokes will start coming back to you when you are at prayer. But do not simply run away. Break up the bad company in a devout way by setting before them the thought of death and judgment . .
Some lies mask themselves as prudence and as serving the good. Admittedly, John states, there may be some circumstances when one may resort to concealing the truth, but only when there is no desire to do such a thing and when compelled by fear or necessity. True innocence, however, knows nothing of this vice.
By his mention of vainglory, this is the moment when we know the truth will fix the problem, but we would rather not the fight it may cause, we keep silence. Remember, vainglory is all about us. For this moment though, we decide not to enter into the ordeal. But remember, by vainglory, the ordeal in truth keeps going on like an endless habit or cycle.
6. Hypocrisy is the mother of lying and often its purpose. For some define hypocrisy as no other than meditation on falsehood, and an inventor of falsehood which has a reprehensible oath twisted up with it.
7. He who has obtained the fear of the Lord has forsaken lying, having within himself an incorruptible judge—his own conscience.
8. We notice various degrees of harm in all the passions, and this is certainly the case with lying. There is one judgment for him who lies through fear of punishment, and another for him who lies when no danger is at hand.
9. One lies for sheer wantonness, another for amusement; one, to make the bystanders laugh; and another, to trap his brother and do him injury.
10. Lying is wiped out by the tortures of superiors; but it is finally destroyed by an abundance of tears.
Magistrates can root out lying with tortures, though it is an abundance of tears that truly destroys it
11. He who gives way to lying does so under the pretext of care for others and often regards the destruction of his soul as an act of charity. The inventor of lies makes out that he is an imitator of Rahab (Joshua 2), and says that by his own destruction he is effecting the salvation of others.
A man may lie on the grounds of prudence, and indeed regards as an act of righteousness the actual destruction of his own soul. The inventor of lies declares that he is following the example of Rahab and maintains that his own destruction is the cause of salvation for others.
12. When we are completely cleansed of lying, then we can resort to it, but only with fear and as occasion demands.
13. A babe knows nothing of lying; neither does a soul that is stripped of evil.
A baby does not know how to lie, and neither does a soul cleansed of evil. A soul that is cleansed of evil only know the truth. And therefore only can speak truth.
14. He who has become merry with wine involuntarily speaks the truth on all subjects, and he who is drunk with compunction cannot lie.
One who is honest with himself will be honest with others. Truth, John concludes, is the root of all blessings. The more we tell the truth the more pure our hearts become and the more surely and intimately do we know God. "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit" (1 Peter 3:10).
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. (Psalm 34:12-13)
The twelfth step. He who has mounted it has obtained the root of all blessings.
On lying
Throughout the Ladder John Climacus discusses the logical progression from one vice to another. And so it is with the vice of falsehood. It arises out of undisciplined chatter, talkativeness and foolery. Falsehood, or lying, John states, is the destroyer of charity and perjury is the denial of God himself. Thus, he tells us, we must not be fooled into thinking that lying is a minor offense. In reality, it is a sin "above all others."
The effects of one who lies are not restricted to himself, but have the consequence of leading others into sin. Through their ability to deceive, and provoke laughter in doing so, they often distract others from their spiritual pursuits and dry up their tears of contrition. Therefore, John argues that we should seek to separate ourselves from such people, or, when appropriate and helpful, to offer fraternal correction with charity.
To combat such a vice we must foster a genuine fear of the Lord and the judgement He will bring. A strong and well-formed conscience will serve us well in this task. Likewise, true compunction will aid us in this struggle. Sorrow for one's sins will destroy this vice. Compunction is by definition, a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain
What Scripture says:
Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. (Leviticus 19:11)
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. (Psalm 101:7)
The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. (Proverbs 12:22)
Better to be poor than a liar. (Proverbs 19:22)
He whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. (Proverbs 17:20)
1. The offspring of flint and steel is fire; and the offspring of chatter and joking is lying.
2. A lie is the destruction of love, and perjury is a denial of God.
My observation is that we have become desensitized to lying. No longer do our consciences bother us when we are less than honest. Worse yet, we often justify our lying and excuse it as being “necessary.”
3. Let no one with right principles suppose that the sin of lying is a small matter, for the All-Holy Spirit pronounced the most awful sentence of all against it above all sins. If Thou wilt destroy all who tell lies, as David says to God, what will they suffer who stitch an oath on to a lie? (Psalm 5:7)
Why is desensitization to truth so spiritually dangerous? The key issue is our hearts. Every time we lie, shading or stretching the truth, our hearts become spiritually confused. It divides our hearts and makes us unstable, unsteady, and if we continue we become internally disconnected from the truth. Where we are no longer able to know the difference between truth and lies, we blur our ability to apprehend the truth.
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). God is the author of Truth because He is Truth. Satan is, according to the Scriptures, the father of lies (John 8:44).The more we tell the truth, the more pure our hearts become, and the more surely and intimately do we know God. I said “know God” not “know about God.” We are told only the pure in heart are allowed to see God (Matt 5:8).
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4)
Without clean hands and a pure heart, without complete dedication to the true God, without honesty and habitual truth-telling, we cannot ascend to or stand in His presence. As like seeks like, if our hearts are used to falsehood, we will seek the presence of satan and avoid the presence of God. But, if our hearts are accustomed to Truth, we will flee from the presence of satan and pursue the presence of God.
This is why God led Adam and Eve out of the Garden, to protect them from His purity and the absolute splendor of His divinity. All of the Old Testament ceremonial regulations had this as their goal, to protect the people of God from premature contact with the splendor of His divinity. Remember what happened to Uzzah when he touched the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Again, when we are unpure, we cannot stand in His presence.
By truth, and habitually telling the truth, we are made pure. Think why it was necessary for God to find a pure human being before He could come in the flesh. Think and marvel for a second, the fact that her womb, Mary’s womb, contained the fire of His divinity without being consumed by it. She received the truth of the angel’s word, and conceived the Truth within her womb. By the truth we are made pure in heart. To experience full joy, we must prepare ourselves by sanctifying our souls and become pure in heart.
4. I have seen some who, priding themselves on their skill in lying, and exciting laughter by their jests and twaddle, have pitiably destroyed in their hearers the habit of mourning.
Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!" (Proverbs 26:18-19)
5. When the demons see that in the very beginning we intend to keep aloof from the witty lecture of a coarse leader, as from an infectious disease, then they try to catch us by two thoughts, suggesting to us: ‘Do not offend the story-teller,’ or: ‘Do not appear to love God more than they do.’ Be off! Do not dally, otherwise at the time of your prayer the jokes will recur to your mind. And not only run, but even piously disconcert the bad company by offering for their general attention the thought of death and judgment. For perhaps it is better for you to be sprinkled with a few drops of vainglory, if only you can become a channel of profit for many.
(Translation) But when the demons observe that we stay clear of the sallies of some outstanding wit, as though we were avoiding the plague, they try to catch us with two seemingly plausible thoughts, namely that we should not be offensive to the person telling the witty story and we should not give the appearance of loving God more than he does. Be off! Do not dawdle! Otherwise the jokes will start coming back to you when you are at prayer. But do not simply run away. Break up the bad company in a devout way by setting before them the thought of death and judgment . .
Some lies mask themselves as prudence and as serving the good. Admittedly, John states, there may be some circumstances when one may resort to concealing the truth, but only when there is no desire to do such a thing and when compelled by fear or necessity. True innocence, however, knows nothing of this vice.
By his mention of vainglory, this is the moment when we know the truth will fix the problem, but we would rather not the fight it may cause, we keep silence. Remember, vainglory is all about us. For this moment though, we decide not to enter into the ordeal. But remember, by vainglory, the ordeal in truth keeps going on like an endless habit or cycle.
6. Hypocrisy is the mother of lying and often its purpose. For some define hypocrisy as no other than meditation on falsehood, and an inventor of falsehood which has a reprehensible oath twisted up with it.
7. He who has obtained the fear of the Lord has forsaken lying, having within himself an incorruptible judge—his own conscience.
8. We notice various degrees of harm in all the passions, and this is certainly the case with lying. There is one judgment for him who lies through fear of punishment, and another for him who lies when no danger is at hand.
9. One lies for sheer wantonness, another for amusement; one, to make the bystanders laugh; and another, to trap his brother and do him injury.
10. Lying is wiped out by the tortures of superiors; but it is finally destroyed by an abundance of tears.
Magistrates can root out lying with tortures, though it is an abundance of tears that truly destroys it
11. He who gives way to lying does so under the pretext of care for others and often regards the destruction of his soul as an act of charity. The inventor of lies makes out that he is an imitator of Rahab (Joshua 2), and says that by his own destruction he is effecting the salvation of others.
A man may lie on the grounds of prudence, and indeed regards as an act of righteousness the actual destruction of his own soul. The inventor of lies declares that he is following the example of Rahab and maintains that his own destruction is the cause of salvation for others.
12. When we are completely cleansed of lying, then we can resort to it, but only with fear and as occasion demands.
13. A babe knows nothing of lying; neither does a soul that is stripped of evil.
A baby does not know how to lie, and neither does a soul cleansed of evil. A soul that is cleansed of evil only know the truth. And therefore only can speak truth.
14. He who has become merry with wine involuntarily speaks the truth on all subjects, and he who is drunk with compunction cannot lie.
One who is honest with himself will be honest with others. Truth, John concludes, is the root of all blessings. The more we tell the truth the more pure our hearts become and the more surely and intimately do we know God. "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit" (1 Peter 3:10).
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. (Psalm 34:12-13)
The twelfth step. He who has mounted it has obtained the root of all blessings.
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