Be a truth teller
“You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.” (Lev. 19:11 ESV)
Lie defined: A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood. Something meant to deceive or mistakenly accepted as true. To present false information with the intention of deceiving.
Question: When is it acceptable to tell a lie?
Correct Answer: Never!
I I know, I know! You may say, “It’s okay to tell a ‘white lie’ to spare someone’s feelings.” But, there is no such thing as a white lie. A lie is always a lie and aways wrong to resort to. There is always a way to be truthful without being unkind, mean or rude. Ask God for wisdom in every situation. Unfortunately, lying has become common and acceptable, even encouraged, these days. We tell our children that Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are real. By doing this we are telling (and teaching) our children that we believe it’s acceptable to tell lies sometimes. Then, when we tell them about Jesus, they are skeptical. Because of this, we told our children these things were only pretend. None of them felt cheated because we were truthful with them. They always knew that Christmas was about Jesus and presents came from loved ones. By the way, they are all adults now and raise their children the sane way.
What the Bible teaches about telling lies
God hates lying: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” (Prov. 6:16-19 ESV
Lying is of the devil: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44 ESV)
Liars will perish: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” (Prov. 19:9 ESV) “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.” (Rev. 21:8 ESV)
Therefore…
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Col. 3:9-10 ESV)
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Eph. 4:25 ESV)
Quote:
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.” - William Faulkner