Lies
Jesus is full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14; Eph. 4:21). The Word of God is truth (Jn. 17:17). The church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 315). As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), especially the truth of the gospel (Col. 1:5). Jesus said there is no truth in the devil; he is a liar and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). When we speak the truth we are like Christ; when we tell a lie we are like the devil.
Do not lie to yourself. We do that in many ways. One of the ways we do that is to say that we have no sin. John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8). We lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves when we hear the Word of God and do not do what it says (Jas. 1:22). It is dangerous to lie to yourself. “Don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he
ceases to love” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov).
Do not lie to others. In Colossians 3, Paul argues that believers should put off various vices. In order to emphasize that he issues three commands. First, he says, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Second, he says, “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8).
Then, instead of giving another list of sins, he says,“Do not lie to one another (Col. 3:9). Paul empathically condemns the sin of lying by singling it out and by putting it at the climax of his list. Lying is particularly serious. My mother said, “If you lie, you will do anything.”
To lie is to tell an untruth, to distort the truth by only revealing part of it, or exaggerating it. Many people would never think of committing sexual sins, but think nothing of telling lies, especially ones they think is “only stretching the truth.” A sausage manufacturer advertised rabbit sausage. The Food and Drug Administration found that it was less than 1% rabbit and over 99% horsemeat.“How can you call this rabbit sausage?” asked the inspector. “Because,” replied the manufacturer, “It is half rabbit meat. It’s made of one horse and one rabbit.”
It is dangerous for teachers to lie. Vladimir Lenin said, “A lie told
often enough becomes the truth.”People listening to a false teacher who repeats a lie over and over believe that what he or she is saying is the truth! In the minds of people who are listening, when a lie becomes the truth the truth becomes a lie.
Be a Berean. When Paul preached in the synagogue at Berea, they “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Test what you hear, think, and say.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 1/31/2014
Do not lie to yourself. We do that in many ways. One of the ways we do that is to say that we have no sin. John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:8). We lie to ourselves and deceive ourselves when we hear the Word of God and do not do what it says (Jas. 1:22). It is dangerous to lie to yourself. “Don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he
ceases to love” (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov).
Do not lie to others. In Colossians 3, Paul argues that believers should put off various vices. In order to emphasize that he issues three commands. First, he says, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Second, he says, “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8).
Then, instead of giving another list of sins, he says,“Do not lie to one another (Col. 3:9). Paul empathically condemns the sin of lying by singling it out and by putting it at the climax of his list. Lying is particularly serious. My mother said, “If you lie, you will do anything.”
To lie is to tell an untruth, to distort the truth by only revealing part of it, or exaggerating it. Many people would never think of committing sexual sins, but think nothing of telling lies, especially ones they think is “only stretching the truth.” A sausage manufacturer advertised rabbit sausage. The Food and Drug Administration found that it was less than 1% rabbit and over 99% horsemeat.“How can you call this rabbit sausage?” asked the inspector. “Because,” replied the manufacturer, “It is half rabbit meat. It’s made of one horse and one rabbit.”
It is dangerous for teachers to lie. Vladimir Lenin said, “A lie told
often enough becomes the truth.”People listening to a false teacher who repeats a lie over and over believe that what he or she is saying is the truth! In the minds of people who are listening, when a lie becomes the truth the truth becomes a lie.
Be a Berean. When Paul preached in the synagogue at Berea, they “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Test what you hear, think, and say.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 1/31/2014