A Little White Lie and Some Whoppers
For several days now I’ve enjoyed a new kind of happiness and even a little excitement. Why? Because my notebook computer is now running Windows 11. Yes, I know, I need to “get a life,” but let me explain.
Ever since Windows 11 first came out, Microsoft has offered a free upgrade for Windows 10 users. They provided a handy tool you could run to see if your computer was capable of running the new version. Mine did not qualify. As an unhappy Windows 10 user, I was disappointed. But the situation changed last week when I learned that a clever programmer had developed a way to install Windows 11 despite Microsoft’s lie.
Yes, it was a lie. The lie has been exposed. As I contemplated this discovery, I thought of some other lies that have been exposed.
The most famous lie was a simple one: “You will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve, unaware that that she had been confronted with a lie, accepted it as true and acted on it. She was deceived. She involved her husband, Adam, who also thought the lie sounded pretty good. Their outright disobedience of a simple command clearly stated by God, changed history.
Adam and Eve were not the only ones who fell victim to the lie. Every day since the deception and sin of Adam and Eve, people continue to think they can make choices that seem perfectly innocent. Underneath the façade lies (pun intended) a desire to be like God and know good and evil for themselves. The problem is that their choices do not make them “like God”—they prove themselves to be sinners in rebellion against God and very much not like God. The enemy of God knew that to be the case, but he offered something he could not deliver, and that brought eternal condemnation. It was a deliberate deception because no one can be like God. But it seems so desirable that it has continued working.
Another lie that continues to be used to destroy the lives of people was told by Woman Folly in Proverbs 9. This metaphorical woman bears all the marks of being a prostitute, an immoral woman, or an unfaithful wife. In verse 17 she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” The result of “drinking her water” and “eating her bread” is a “free trip” to spiritual death where she has many victims (v. 18).
There is one other “lie” we should consider—Satan also lied to Judas. It was a most subtle lie in that Satan entered into Judas and apparently led him to think that betraying Jesus was somehow a good idea. Judas hoped he would receive financial gain as he approached the chief priests with the offer of delivering Jesus to them in exchange for money (Mt. 26:14). Neither Satan nor Judas knew that the result of Judas’ action would be such an important element in God’s plan. The death Judas facilitated was the central focus of God’s way of providing his perfect salvation to all who would put their trust in Jesus.
Microsoft’s “little white lie” does not have the eternal moral implications of any of these “whoppers.” They were simply trying to encourage people to buy new computers with Windows 11 preinstalled. Their motive was merely for financial gain. Like all lies, there is a moral element. Many computer users like me experienced years of frustration and disappointment being stuck with a despised operating system. Windows 10 will become obsolete and unsupported in a few months. This impending mini-disaster motivated programmers to find a way to overcome the lie.
In conclusion, I want to be perfectly clear that my happiness over getting Windows 11 on my computer does not compare with my infinite eternal joy that comes from God’s faithful and true promise of salvation and abundant life.
Jay Swisher
Ever since Windows 11 first came out, Microsoft has offered a free upgrade for Windows 10 users. They provided a handy tool you could run to see if your computer was capable of running the new version. Mine did not qualify. As an unhappy Windows 10 user, I was disappointed. But the situation changed last week when I learned that a clever programmer had developed a way to install Windows 11 despite Microsoft’s lie.
Yes, it was a lie. The lie has been exposed. As I contemplated this discovery, I thought of some other lies that have been exposed.
The most famous lie was a simple one: “You will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve, unaware that that she had been confronted with a lie, accepted it as true and acted on it. She was deceived. She involved her husband, Adam, who also thought the lie sounded pretty good. Their outright disobedience of a simple command clearly stated by God, changed history.
Adam and Eve were not the only ones who fell victim to the lie. Every day since the deception and sin of Adam and Eve, people continue to think they can make choices that seem perfectly innocent. Underneath the façade lies (pun intended) a desire to be like God and know good and evil for themselves. The problem is that their choices do not make them “like God”—they prove themselves to be sinners in rebellion against God and very much not like God. The enemy of God knew that to be the case, but he offered something he could not deliver, and that brought eternal condemnation. It was a deliberate deception because no one can be like God. But it seems so desirable that it has continued working.
Another lie that continues to be used to destroy the lives of people was told by Woman Folly in Proverbs 9. This metaphorical woman bears all the marks of being a prostitute, an immoral woman, or an unfaithful wife. In verse 17 she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” The result of “drinking her water” and “eating her bread” is a “free trip” to spiritual death where she has many victims (v. 18).
There is one other “lie” we should consider—Satan also lied to Judas. It was a most subtle lie in that Satan entered into Judas and apparently led him to think that betraying Jesus was somehow a good idea. Judas hoped he would receive financial gain as he approached the chief priests with the offer of delivering Jesus to them in exchange for money (Mt. 26:14). Neither Satan nor Judas knew that the result of Judas’ action would be such an important element in God’s plan. The death Judas facilitated was the central focus of God’s way of providing his perfect salvation to all who would put their trust in Jesus.
Microsoft’s “little white lie” does not have the eternal moral implications of any of these “whoppers.” They were simply trying to encourage people to buy new computers with Windows 11 preinstalled. Their motive was merely for financial gain. Like all lies, there is a moral element. Many computer users like me experienced years of frustration and disappointment being stuck with a despised operating system. Windows 10 will become obsolete and unsupported in a few months. This impending mini-disaster motivated programmers to find a way to overcome the lie.
In conclusion, I want to be perfectly clear that my happiness over getting Windows 11 on my computer does not compare with my infinite eternal joy that comes from God’s faithful and true promise of salvation and abundant life.
Jay Swisher
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