Quit Lying to Yourself About Lying

Lying is a sin. Few Christians will deny this, but when we dig deeper into what the Bible says about lying, we tend to redefine terms to justify our actions to ourselves. When we truly understand what the Bible says about lying, it shines a bright light on how often we all lie to ourselves and to one another.

God hates lying because He is truth and everything He says is true (Prov 6:16-19).

Lying as defined in the Bible is anything done with the intent to deceive; a false representation. This includes blatant falsehoods but also partial truths and hypocrisy (Psa 119:118, 1Ti 4:2).

Most agree that a blatant falsehood is a lie, but when it includes the intent to deceive, it’s a little closer to home.

Have you ever partially told the truth and justified it to yourself? That’s a lie.

Have you ever told a white lie to try and “protect” someone? God hates that lie too.

Have you ever “spun” a story a certain way that’s “mostly” correct? Yep, definitely a lie.

Have you ever promoted Santa Claus to children? A literal big fat lie.

Have you ever been a hypocrite? We all have… and it’s a lie worthy of death.

We often don’t view lying in the same category as murder, adultery, or rape, but God knows better and sees the impact that a lie can have. It can lead people to hell, cause divisions in the church, and promote a carnal walk. It’s listed in the works of the flesh and is worthy of death (Rom 1:21-32).

Lying is Satan’s primary tactic against the body of Christ and the world. He wants us to believe a lie so that we propagate it and deceive others with it. In Ephesians 4:25, after putting off the old man, renewing our mind, and putting on the new man (which is Christ), the Apostle Paul writes:

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”

We see the same charge in Colossians 3:8-10.

We can’t build each other up with lies, no matter how “small” we might think they are. It’s never the right thing. We need to speak the truth in love to one another so that souls can be saved, saints can be edified, and we can glorify God with the life He has purchased and given us with His own blood (Eph 4:15, Col 1:14,20, 1Co 10:23).