More good than true

"You are not to bear false witness against your neighbor." What is this? Answer: We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light. (Luther: The Small Catechism)

To speak well of our neighbors, that is the point of the seventh commandment (or the eighth, according to the Orthodox or Reformed reading). There are several aspects of interest here. To begin with, a good reputation is something invaluable for a person. To lose face has always been a disaster, but never has it been such a threat as in the internet era. To ruin someone's reputation has never been as simple to do as it is today. Once suspicion is leveled (about, say, sexual harassment or economic dishonesty) no explanations will suffice to clear one's honor. Even when the allegation is proved to be entirely false, the rumour does not vanish from the net. To speak well and to speak true is something we do not live without as human beings.

It is worth to note that Luther turns the prohibition ("do not!") into a positive commandment ("speak well!") Luther does the same with the other commandments, too. The fifth commandment does not merely preclude killing, but enjoins instead to "help and support [our neighbor] in all of life's needs." Is it fair to say that Luther anticipates the modern, positive pedagogics? It is largely known that prohibitions and bans have limited success in educating children. When I am told what I ought to do (or what I can do), it motivates me more than if I were just told what I am not to do. 

  The seventh commandment has to do with our speech about other people, and not just that. According to the Genevan Catechism, it involves our thoughts as well. Calvin explains that we are "to think well of [our neighbors] as far as the truth will permit." Speaking about truth, it is noteworthy that Luther does not mention it here at all. Instead, Luther seems to think that one has to make up good things in favor of one's neighbor. To speak well is more important than to speak true. That is indicated by the words "interpret everything they do in the best possible light." In a word, positive lies are allowed in the name of love.

What is the reason to speak more good than true - a principle that ultimately violates the objective truth? There are hardly other than theological reasons, since this kind of action is not tenable within a strictly human realm. The doctrine of justification through faith alone tells about God who acts precisely this way. God sees us as holy and perfect in Christ, a vision that contradicts everything that is obvious. Behind the everyday truth there is a truth more deep and wide: if it is true that Christ has taken away the sin of the whole world, then God must see nothing in the world but "purification and righteousness", as Luther puts it in his Commentary on Galatians. A Christian must observe the world similarly to God. That is why it is proper to speak more good than true.