Speak the Truth

What is a lie? 

A lie or the act of lying, as defined in the dictionary, is a willful intention of deceiving another person. It is an intentionally false statement or falsehood, or a statement intended to deceive or mislead.

Suppose for a moment that you have two people, and one of them doesn’t like the other person at all. Filled with hatred, the first person goes out and spreads all kinds of untrue statements about the other person. What that person is doing is trying to deceive others into believeing something that is false. They put forth a misleading statement and try to get others to believe that it is the truth. That is a lie, and it is a sin.

What is one of the 10 commandments? 

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

To “bear false witness” against someone is to speak things that are untrue about someone else, or, to lie. 

However, when Jesus was brought before the high priest just before His crucifixtion, the other chief priests, elders, and council seemed to forget this command. As teachers of the Law, they should have known this command of God, but they hated Christ so much that they sought to find out anyone who would bear false witness against him, so that they could have a reason to put Him to death. 

In the book of Acts we have another example of lying. At the end of Acts 4, we read about how people were selling their possessions, lands, and homes, and giving the money to the apostles and the ministry. Then in Acts 5, we have the account of Ananias and Sapphira.

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 

And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 

Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 

And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 

And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 

Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.” Acts 5:1-10

It really is sad, isn’t it? How, because of their lies towards the Holy Ghost, they perished. It seems that their love for their money was greater than their love for the Lord. 

Many, many times throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament, it speaks about how much the Lord  abhors lying, and how we are to speak the truth always.

“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” Proverbs 19:9

“Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22

Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

“Be not a witness against thy neighbour without a cause; and deceive not with thy lips.” Proverbs 24:28

In John 14:6, what does Jesus say? “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus is the truth. He speaks the truth, and His word is the truth. Did Jesus speak lies or spread falsehoods about others? Of course not! Did He try to mislead or deceive others into believing things that were not true? No.

As Christians, we need to be just like Christ. We need to model our lives after Him, and do the things which He has commanded and taught. Jesus spoke the truth. That is what the Apostle Paul did. He taught the same things that Christ taught. 

“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” Colossians 3:9-10

Ephesians 4:25, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”

Don’t end up like Ananias and Sapphira. Put away lying, and speak the truth.

In Christ,

Andrew