mvchina Remember Milli Vanilli?  They were the pop group from Germany who were rising stars in the late 1990’s and won a Grammy only to have it stripped when it was discovered they were lip synching someone else’s voice.  The two guys looked very cool.  The problem was, they couldn’t sing.

Well today the Olympic media is reporting that the Chinese pulled a Milli Vanilli of their own during the opening ceremonies.   According to the press, 7 year old, Yang Peiyi had the perfect voice, but was not as pretty as Lin Miaoke, the little girl who we all saw on TV.  Come to find out Lin lip synched little Yang’s recorded voice.    The Chinese music director is reported to have justified this decision by saying that "The reason for this is that we must put our country’s interest first.”

This story causes me to ask several questions.

  • Is it OK to deceive if someone is seeking a greater good? 
  • Can a nation’s “interests” be defined as a greater good?
  • Is deceit OK if it is limited to purely entertainment?
  • How should I respond to deceit?

I think the answer lies in our motivations.  But it’s an answer that many of us don’t want to hear.

A review of God’s word shows that deceit in all its forms is never good.  There are numerous examples in the Old Testament that point to the fact that Israel’s interests were not served by deceit.  Also, Jesus clearly condemns the presentation of outward appearance that in contrary to the inward (Matt 23:27-28 and the Scribes and Pharisees) as hypocrisy.  Deceit is also part of the human condition.  It is an evidence of our depravity (Jer 17:9).   Likewise, in our depravity we tend to worship deceit; choosing ourselves over God.

In contrast to us,  Jesus stands as the ultimate revealer and healer of the deceitful.  The story of Zacheus comes to mind.  My story comes to mind.

I think the response to deceit needs to be one of pointing the deceiver, and the deceived to the truth of the Gospel.  For it is through the Gospel that absolute truth is revealed.  It is also through the Gospel that our deceitful heart and its fruits are exposed.  Finally it is through the Gospel that the grace of God is purposefully bestowed, sanctifying the believer through a process of revealing and healing.

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