【双语灵修】弥天大谎A BLATANT LIE
约翰福音 8:42-45
耶稣说：“倘若神是你们的父，你们就必爱我。因为我本是出于神，也是从神而来；并不是由着自己来，乃是他差我来。你们为什么不明白我的话呢？无非是因你们不能听我的道。你们是出于你们的父魔鬼，你们父的私欲你们偏要行。他从起初是杀人的，不守真理，因他心里没有真理。他说谎是出于自己，因他本来是说谎的，也是说谎之人的父。我将真理告诉你们，你们就因此不信我。
8月25日
弥天大谎
“蛇对女人说：‘你们不一定死……’” - 创世记 3:4
有时，基于礼貌或顾及他人的感受，我们可能会听到、甚至说出一些“善意的谎言”。虽然并不提倡，但这类谎言跟那些出于冷酷的私利、为谋取个人好处，甚至怀着恶意去伤害他人的谎言，本质上有很大区别。在人类历史上，所有的谎言中，最公然、最恶毒的谎言，莫过于魔鬼在伊甸园里诱惑亚当和夏娃时所说的那句话（《创世记》3章）。
那时，撒但化身为蛇，针对神“不可吃园中那棵树上果子”的命令，以及严重后果，撒下了弥天大谎。魔鬼企图以此破坏神对受造物的完美旨意，并永远摧毁祂所造的人类。撒但对神自身的真实性（Truthfulness）撒了谎，它的虚假暗示唤醒了我们始祖内心的嫉妒与欲望。自那天起，那场欺骗的余震便在我们的世界里不断回荡，延绵出无尽的敌对、苦难与死亡。耶稣的降临，正是为了将我们从这场宿命般的毁灭中拯救出来，祂一针见血地指出撒但是“谎言之父”。
如何胜过这世上谎言的致命伤害呢？我们应当承认神绝不撒谎（《希伯来书》6:18），而且祂憎恶谎言。我们要转向耶稣，祂是真光，是生命的真理（《约翰福音》14:6），求祂帮助我们辨明真理，并在所到之处，向我们的邻舍传递真理。如此，我们便成为了神救赎计划的同工，将祂的真实与慈爱化为生命，分享给这个世界。
祷告
众光之父，愿我们的言语始终浸润在爱与怜悯之中，好彰显你的真理。奉耶稣的名祷告。阿们。
John 8:42-45
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
A BLATANT LIE
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said. . . . —Genesis 3:4
Sometimes we might hear or even tell little lies in attempts to be polite or to spare someone’s feelings. Though not recommended, those kinds of lies are far different from lies that are told out of callous self-interest for personal gain or even malice to harm others. Of all the lies told in history, the most blatant, malicious lie of all took place when the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
There Satan, appearing as a serpent, lied about the consequences of disobeying God’s command not to eat the fruit of one of the trees in the garden. In this way the devil aimed to thwart God’s design for his creation and to mar his human creatures forever. Satan lied about God’s own truthfulness. His false insinuation awakened a jealousy and desire in our first parents, and the results have reverberated across our world ever since that day, causing hostility, suffering, and death. Jesus came to save us from the certain destruction we would face, and he called Satan out as “the father of lies.”
How do we overcome the deadly shadow of lies in our world? We do so by acknowledging that God never lies (Hebrews 6:18) and that he hates lying. And we turn to Jesus, the true light and living truth (John 14:6), asking him to help us recognize the truth and to share it with our neighbors everywhere. Doing so, we begin to participate in God’s redemption plan by sharing his truthfulness and love with all people.
Father of light, may our words embody your truth in genuine love and mercy always. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.