‘I didn’t do anything illegal.’

Over the last few years, as various officials in high office have been accused of criminal behaviour, I’ve listened carefully to their language.

Their defence is never ‘I didn’t do it.’ Instead it’s the subtly nuanced ‘I didn’t do anything unlawful.’ Or some variation on that theme which emphasises legality rather than morality.

This reaction is fascinating. No one has been prepared to add public lies to secret sins. There’s obviously a paramount desire to retain some personal integrity through a carefully–edited version of the truth. In fact, I’m sure many of the officials concerned would feel able to state with perfect conviction that they are scrupulously honest!

These situations highlight the importance of individual perception when it comes to the law.

Oftentimes I’ve read that the Ten Commandments are not substantially different from a multitude of ancient (and earlier) legal systems such as the Code of Hammurabi, Code of Ur–Nammu or Laws of Eshnunna. That the laws Moses gave the Israelites had precedents all the way across the Middle East.

Joel Hoffman, however, in his significant book, And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning (with which I disagree passionately in parts) makes a very shrewd point. The Ten Commandments are unique. They are one–of–a–kind because they simply say: ‘Don’t lie.’ ‘Don’t kill.’ ‘Don’t steal.’

Because it’s wrong. Period. No arguments. No excuses.

The other ancient legal codes specified particular punishments for those who were caught breaking the law. It was the punishment that defined the crime.

Not so for the Ten Commandments.

Their austerity seems harsh to most of us. Surely if we accidentally kill someone, it is not as bad as if we deliberately commit murder. The Ten Commandments sets this attitude in perspective. Action trumps intent. Killing is simply wrong.

Nonetheless, while killing is an offence against God regardless of intention or circumstances, His justice meets His mercy through the establishment of cities of refuge. Anyone involved in an accidental killing could flee to safety. Only on the death of the high priest would the transgression of those guilty of manslaughter be wiped out, so they could return home and resume their lives.

As for the command, ‘Don’t lie,’ you might think its utter simplicity would leave no wiggle–room when it came to the truth. But, as our various public officials facing the courts in recent years have shown, society leans much closer to the Code of Hammurabi than to the Ten Commandments. And this is not a recent development. It was also true in the time of Jesus.

Andrew Reid in Exodus: Saved for Service discusses these words of Jesus: ‘Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.” But I say to you, do not swear at all… But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No.” For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.’ (Matthew 5:33–37 NKJV) He points out that Paul took oaths so this is not against oath–taking per se. Rather it was directed at the lawyers who had created an entire scheme of legal loopholes: the plain meaning of vows and promises could be set aside by various verbal subterfuges.

Doesn’t that sound like the situation we have today where our public officials hide the plain meaning of their words as they try to project their innocence?

So a massive challenge exists with the Belt of Truth that Paul tells us to gird around ourselves. Jesus is just as uncompromising when it comes to truth and falsehood as the Ten Commandments. This shouldn’t be a surprise. God does not change.

We, on the other hand, tend to ignore His words to give ourselves some leeway. We’ve got a theology of grace, not law, after all. So we like to take account of intention.

But the reality is that, where ‘grace’ throws aside the words of Jesus in favour of our own interpretation of ‘truth’, we’ve become just like those slippery lawyers of the first century.

I find this a staggering challenge. How often have we Christians evaded truth, just as so many public officials have? I don’t like to think.