Truth telling – At the point of sale, when the seller and the buyer meet face to face, the seller has opportunities to be “less than candid” to make the sales offer appealing. Stretching the truth, exaggerating performance expectations, being silent when less than positive facts ought to be shared, answering questions with half-truths, and making promises that cannot be kept are all ethical temptations. The inevitable rationalizations accompanying such behavior are generally grounded in the belief that statements “smoothing the way” are insignificant. If people truly believed such behavior was insignificant, though, they would avoid it and build their reputation on impeccable integrity, which God desires. God cannot ignore such self-promoting behavior. He hates lying in any form, and broken promises violate His will. David once asked and noted,

O LORD, who may abide in Thy tent?
Who may dwell on Thy holy hill?
He who walks with integrity and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart...
[And] swears to his own hurt, and does not change. (Ps. 15:1-2, 4)

Quality/price – Tampering with a product’s quality while maintaining the price, or even raising it (without disclosing the intended change), is likened to harlotry by God (see Isa. 1:21-22). In a world of material abundance, the opportunities to adversely alter quality yet maintain existing price structures in highly competitive markets facing rising costs are temptations many succumb to. If the product can be reengineered to reduce costs without adversely affecting the quality, that is good stewardship. But reducing a product’s quality while maintaining its price is deceitful. The intentions of the heart are always open before God, and we must avoid self-serving rationalizations in such matters and carry out justice in the marketplace for our customers. God’s requirements for behavior and standards are clearly devoid of even the appearance of deception or dishonesty, and ours ought to be, too.

Service – Because the United States economy is rapidly becoming service oriented, doing justice in service areas is going to become much more ethically significant. It is important to meet the expectations for service we generate at the time of the original sale. To do less is to perpetuate injustice. For example, the quality of replacement parts used in servicing products should be a major concern of persons offering the service. Customers need to be made aware of their choices as to quality of replacement parts and the extent of the service made available. To illustrate, if a new fully warranted (three years) electric motor costing $785 is available as a replacement, and a rebuilt motor with a ninety-day warranty is also available for $350, the customer needs to be fully informed of these options and allowed to choose accordingly. Otherwise, potential problems and the appearance of deception cannot be avoided in the future. If the owner assumed a new motor was installed, but the cheaper motor was used and it broke down in 250 days, a misunderstanding is obviously at hand. Although customers can bring disappointments on themselves by “sharp bargaining” and the self-generation of false expectations, Christians should make every effort not to create those situations or allow them to develop. Clarifying actions should be taken up front to minimize this possibility.

From Richard C. Chewning (ed.), Biblical Principles and Business: The Practice (NavPress, Colorado Springs, 1990).  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.  Content distributed by HisChurchatWork.org > Used for non-profit teaching purposes only.

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