Without Guile

 

John 1:47
47        Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" (NAS)

What is guile?

Guile is living life in a deceitful manner.  People lie to cover their evil actions.  They lie to protect themselves.  They lie to get someone else to do what they want.  People lie to make themselves look better than they are, or to impress people.

Definition:  "a bait, snare, deceit,"

What do you think would be the opposite of guile?

The opposite of guile is truth.  One who is without guile is in a habit of speaking truth. 

Why would Jesus praise Nathaniel for being a person without guile?

It is so unusual to find this kind of person.  Jesus was refreshed as he talked to Nathanael.  When Nathanael spoke he could trust what Nathanael said.

Why is it important to be free of guile?

Guile works in the short term.  It may get you out of a pinch temporarily.  It will however come back and bite you.  It creates distrust.  If you have been caught lying once, people will always have in the back of their mind, “Is he or she telling me the truth?”

I read in a quote book once that, "the good thing about telling the truth is that you do not have to remember what you said".  Lying complicates life.

Related LInks

A Man of Guile

A World Full of Guile

Satan the Inventor of Guile

Twenty Cans of Success

Guileless Life

Jesus, Our Model of a Guileless Life

 

Back to homepage