Heidelbergian Children's Catechism (age 8- 10 years)
Lord's Day 43
The ninth commandment says that you shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. What does this mean? You should not tell lies about your friends so that other people dislike them or hate them .. In the Bible we read that Satan is called the father of lies. He began in Paradise when he lied to Eve. Unfortunately she Iistened to him. Lying and deceiving is the work of the devil. The Lord does not want us to lie, or to cheat, or to spread rumours about other people. When you speak about someone you should speak positively so that other people will like them. Why would someone want to lie? Usually they lie to look better than they actually are. In the process, often someone el se is blamed. That is evil! Another sin is enjoying it when someone commits a great sin. All the attention is focussed on that great sinner, and your own small sins are not noticed. The Lord does not want you to be happy when others sin! He wants us to love one another. He does not want us to hide the evil things that we have done ourselves. You can also sin against the ninth commandment without Iying. It may sound strange, but sometimes when you teil others something that is true, it is still wrong. Here is an example: you are talking with your friends about a new girl in school. You know her, and you tell your friends that she failed grade three. You are not Iying, because she did fail. But wouldn’t it be much nicer to say something positive about her1You should not tell on people either. If people want to know something about another person, they can ask that boy or girl instead of talking to you. It is hard to obey this command. You need to think before you say something. You have to ask yourself if it would be nice for other people if you talk about them. The Lord has given us this ninth commandment to help us love one another. Life with our family and friends will be much nicer if we keep the ninth commandment.