Let's Not Lie

“The devil is a liar”, one of the most popular phrases in Christianity. When I was younger, I used to think it was funny. I guess because of the circumstances when it was used, I’m not really sure. But I am sure of how true it is! The devil IS a liar! And when we lie, especially intentionally, we are just as bad as he is. Do we really want to be in the same category as Satan?

So to start off, I came up with something new to get you all excited to learn new words: “Term Time”! Now, guess what time it is? You guessed it! It’s Term Time! First term of the day is “lie”. A lie is an intentional false statement. In other words: deliberately not telling the truth. Essentially, we’re willfully sinning when we do so. And when we sin willfully, we’re rejecting Christ’s sacrifice for us. In Hebrews 10:26-27, the Hebrew writer tells us, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” (NKJV) Notice how verse 26 says “if we sin WILLFULLY”, AFTER “we have received the knowledge of truth”. As children of God, we should do what we know is right, and abstain from doing what is wrong. I have the perfect example of this for the parents out there. Let’s say there’s a huge mud puddle, and you and your family are dressed up for a very important event. You tell your child, “Watch out for that puddle! If you walk in it, you’ll mess up your clothes and shoes.” You’re sure to provide them with this truth more than once to ensure that your instructions are sticking to their little brain. The moment you turn around to get something out of the car, they jump right into the puddle, ruining their good clothes! How would that make you feel? Wouldn’t you be furious? And what would probably bother you the most is that they KNEW that they weren’t supposed to do it. And they also knew WHY they shouldn’t have. They purposely disobeyed you! That’s how it is when we sin willfully and lie intentionally. Jesus did not die in vain! He died to save us from our sins. So, if we’re sinning knowingly, then our behavior is showing that we don’t care about His death and all of the suffering He went through just to save us. 

Another definition of “lie” is: “Used with reference to a situation involving deception or founded on a mistaken impression.”  “Deception”. Interesting. Term Time! Deception is “causing someone to believe something that's not true typically in order to gain some personal advantage”. There is so much that we can gather from this definition. Firstly, as Christians, we are to embrace truth and promote honesty. In Ephesians 4:25, Paul writes, “Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” (NKJV) Paul is writing to the Ephesians about the new life they should be living as Christians, and this new life involves telling the truth. Even people of the world frown upon one another for lying. How much more are followers of Christ expected to be honest? And to highlight the latter part of that verse, “for we are members of one another”, lying to our brothers and sisters in Christ is equivalent to us lying to ourselves.”So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” according to Romans 12:5. If you hurt your hand, is that not a part of you? If you injure your ankle, is that not a part of you? And it’s also been scientifically proven that hurting one body part can easily affect another. Ponder on that for a little while.

Secondly, as Christians, we are not supposed to do anything for our personal advantage, as mentioned in the latter part of the definition of deception. Ananias and Sapphira tried this back in Acts 5:1-11. When selling their possessions, they kept back a part of the proceedings for themselves, and lied to Peter about how much they sold it for. But notice in verse 3 how Peter asked Ananias why he lied before he even fixed his mouth to tell the lie. This goes to show that we can lie through our actions. If we are doing something in hopes that someone will believe something that’s not true, we are lying! And the weight of that lie is not lighter than letting one come off of your tongue. In this same verse, Peter tells him he lied to the Holy Ghost before he even said a word. Can you imagine being accused of lying to God? This is what we do each time we lie. Whether the receiver of the lie knows of our deception or not, God does. And in verse 9, Peter tells Sapphira that she and her husband tempted the Spirit of the Lord. But more interestingly, neither one of them ever even received a chance to explain themselves or plead their case. After committing their deceitful acts, they died immediately. This goes to show how much our Lord hates lying! As a matter of fact, it’s written in His Word! Proverbs 6:16-19 lists 7 things that are abominable to the Lord, with lying being among the first that were listed in verse 17. If the Bible plainly tells us that the Lord hates lying, why do we do it? Speaking from experience, I can name a few reasons.

For one, we tend to fear the consequences of man more than the consequences of God. I have a prime example! Remember back in Matthew 26:33 when Peter said “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended”? This was his first lie. And a great example as to why we should never say never! Because in the following verse Jesus told Peter that he will deny him 3 times before the cock crows. And of course this came to pass in verses 69 through 75, because our Lord and Savior does not lie! Peter saw how they treated Jesus and heard how they wished to have Him put to death. It’s human nature to be afraid under these circumstances. And this is why he lied. He was so terrified that he lied 3 different times! He denied even knowing Jesus at all. And don’t forget, this is the same man that told Jesus that he would follow Him until His death. We may not be put in circumstances as severe as this one, but regardless, we should fear the Lord and not man. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus tells His disciples to “not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Surely it’s easier said than done, but that doesn’t make it impossible.

Another reason we lie is to make ourselves look or feel better. I asked a few of my co-workers to name a time they lied to make themselves feel good or look better to others. Most of them used resumes and interviews as an example. At first, I honestly wasn’t satisfied with the answers I was receiving, but then I thought about it on a deeper level. No matter how small the lie is, it’s still wrong! What if Jesus was the interviewer? It may sound silly, but in all seriousness, what would your resume consist of if you knew you’d be interviewed by Christ? How much more honest would you be, knowing that He already knows the truth? As Christians, we have to keep in mind that Jesus IS at that interview. He DOES see our resume. He KNOWS who we are. Whether we’re lying to ourselves or others. He knows the truth, and expects us to tell it no matter what. As written in 2 Corinthians 5:15, “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (NKJV) No point in lying to look or feel better for others, not even for ourselves. Everything we do should be for Christ. Which ties into the last reason I wanted to discuss: lying to please others. 

Galatians 1:10 reads, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (NKJV) We have to choose who we are going to live for. The verse says do I persuade men OR God. It is impossible for us to do both. If we keep the Lord in the forefront of our minds then others and their opinions won’t matter as much. Colossians 3:2 tells us, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (NKJV)  When we prioritize heavenly, God-centered thoughts over earthly concerns, there is no desire to lie. God cannot lie because He is truth (Num. 23:19). 

So, what good does it do us to tell lies? Revelation 21:8 tells us that liars are provided a home! As it is written, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Notice that it doesn’t speak only to the “big liars”. All of the “little white lies” and lies of omission count as well. Remember when Abraham told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister in Genesis 20? Well that is true according to verse 12; they had the same dad, but not the same mom. But he left out the fact that she is his wife! Friends, just because we’re not outright telling the lie doesn’t mean it’s not one. True enough Sarah was his sister, but that was all that he wanted Abimelech to believe. That is deceitful, and lying by omission. Another thing we can learn from this story is that our lies affect others involved. 

In verse 3 of Genesis 20, God came to  Abimelech in a dream and told him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” (‭‭‭NKJV‬) In verses 4 through 5, Abimelech explains how he’s innocent because he didn’t know that was Abraham’s wife because Abraham told him otherwise. Yet, he was still going to be punished whether he knew the truth or not. And not only him, but his family also. The last two verses of this chapter tell how Abimelech’s family suffered because of this, and God even closed up all wombs of the women in his household! All because of what the world likes to call a “little white lie”. There’s no such thing as half truth. It’s either true, or it isn’t. 

So, I ask you again, what good does it do us to tell lies? Well I’ve already mentioned that it comes with a new home. But not only that, it comes with a new father too! Jesus says so in John 8:44. “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (NKJV) Did you catch how this verse as well as the one mentioned earlier, Revelations 21:8, implies that a murderer is just as bad as a liar? God sees all sin the same; it all does the same amount of damage, and it all crucifies Christ over and over again. As said by my wise husband, “Lying might help you short term, but it doesn’t help long term.” Do we want to suffer eternal damnation simply because we didn’t want to tell the truth? Are we okay with hanging our Lord and Savior on the cross repeatedly over “a little white lie”? Let’s not get caught up in the fear of, or the pleasing of the world. No lie is worth losing eternal life with Christ. Thank you for talking with me, let’s walk with Him.