Do Not Lie
Lying is a serious thing
The first thing to internalize is that lying is a serious thing. This is because God hates lying.
Prov 6:16, 17 There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Prov 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.
God hates lying so much that He puts it in the same category as murderers and homosexuals.
1 Tm 1:8-11 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
To hell with liars
The final destination of those who practice lying is hell.
Rev 21:8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Rev 21:27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
What is better? Riches or integrity?
Prov 19:22 What is desirable in a man is his kindness, and {it is} better to be a poor man than a liar.
It is easy to say that we are believers. But what do we believe? Do we really believe God’s word? Do we really believe God’s word that says that it is better to be a poor man than a liar?
If we really believe that it is better to be a poor man than a liar then would we ever tell a lie so that we can gain some money or some honor or some respect?
If we really believe that all liars go to hell then would we tell a lie so easily?
Who is our father and brother?
The devil is the father of lies.
Jn 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
On the other hand, Christ is of the truth.
Jn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
When we lie we are exhibiting the nature of the devil, not of Christ. That is why God hates liars, and that is why God sends them to hell.
Lying is judged in Scripture
The first sin that was judged publicly in the New Testament is the sin of lying.
Ac 5:3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
The first sin that was judged publicly in the Old Testament is also the sin of lying.
Gen 3:14-15 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel."
Just imagine that – the first sins judged in both the old and the new testaments is lying!
When God looks at you, what do you think is the first thing He examines about you? Could it be that He asks, "Is this person someone who can tell a lie without batting an eyelid?"
What about half truths?
Telling half truths is not good either. Sin entered into the world because Satan told a half-truth.
Gen 3:4-5 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
It was true that Adam and Eve would not die physically. It was true that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would be like God.
What Satan didn’t tell them was that they would die spiritually (which was far more serious). What Satan didn’t tell them was that being like God in the area of moral knowledge would open them up to be accountable for their actions and they would become sinners.
Conning people by not telling them the whole truth is a behavior of Satan.
The very first sin described in the Bible is that of Satan lying.
Do we tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
When we sell stuff to others do we tell them everything that needs to be told or do we leave certain important facts out?
Is being crafty okay?
To be crafty is to be skilled in deception. It is to get someone to believe that you hold to one position when you actually hold to another position. It is to give someone the impression that you like them when you actually don’t like them. It is to lead someone to think that you plan to do something when you actually don’t intend to do it. The intent behind a crafty man is one of personal gain in some area or the other.
The Bible tells us that Satan is crafty.
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?"
2 Cor 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Therefore, when we are crafty we are exhibiting the behavior of the devil.
What does God think of a crafty man?
Prov 12:2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a crafty man.
Some people find that their life is one of failure after failure. They spend time doing stuff but nothing useful comes out of it. If that is your experience then it is good to examine yourself while considering the following passages:
Ps 18:26 With the pure You show Yourself pure, and with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
1 Cor 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS ";
Job 5:12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
Are you sly, cunning, with guile, underhanded or tricky? That is not the wisdom of God but the wisdom of the world. If you are like that then you need to understand that God is not on your side. If you deal crookedly with others then God will deal similarly with you.
Our Goal
Remember Jacob, the deceiver – the man who deceived Esau and Laban? When God blessed Jacob God called him Israel. In Jn 1:47 we see what it means to be of Israel – it means to be one in whom there is no deceit.
Jn 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"
We must have the testimony of Nathanael – we must be people in whom there is no deceit. Our ‘yes’ must be ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ must be ‘no’.
Mt 5:33-37 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
Jas 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.
Here is Paul’s testimony:
2 Cor 4:2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
If we are servants of God who teach God’s word, we must be careful that we don’t adulterate the word of God. That is, we must not twist the word of God, mixing it with our own ‘wisdom’. There are people who do that, in craftiness, just so that they can gain the trust and favor of other people.
Our goal, my brothers and sisters, is to stop lying. Why? Because God hates lying.
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