From "Respectable" To Vile

“Help,Lord,for the godly man ceases to be,for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.” (Psalm 12:1-2)

Honesty is not something I would say I "struggle" with. In fact, as Christians, it probably wouldn't even make the "top 5 list" of sin we are battling. Dishonesty, lying, or any evasion from the truth, seems to find itself on the list of those 'respectable' sins. But what we often fail to realize is that God sees dishonesty, lying, or whatever you want to name it, as far worse than we often do. Yes sin is sin, but lying makes it in his list of 7 abominations. That is a pretty weighty thought. "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, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-19). That word abomination in this context means loathsome, detestable, hateful or vile. Those don't sound 'respectable' to me. And if lying is viewed as so vile in the eyes of the Lord, we must fight to recognize it in our lives, and fight against it, for the glory of His name.

What Christians have failed to realize is that lying is not merely that, telling a lie. It encompasses so much more. Lying involves everything from omission of the truth to exaggeration and everything in between. There have been countless arguments over the years as to if telling a lie is every acceptable, maybe in the context of a surprise birthday party, or for the protection of family if there is danger present. But I would encourage you to move away from the "what-if" scenarios, and move to the command of Scripture. Instead of asking where the line is, look at the black and white meaning found in Scripture, and rather strive for obedience and the pursuit of holiness. The bottom line is that lying is a sin, and if God calls it that, we must too. There never is an "acceptable" time to lie, to exaggerate, or to avoid the truth.

I can think of many times when I have embellished a story, left out an important detail, or simply sat by and listened to untruths without correction. In all of these scenarios, I have sinned. I have committed what God calls an abomination. And although I am forgiven, by the grace of God, it does not negate the fact that in most of those cases I failed to even recognize what I was doing as sin. The truth always wins in the end. There is no getting around that. Your lies will find you out, light will shine in the darkness, and the consequences of creating your own fantasy will be much more costly than speaking the truth immediately. Not only are you disobeying God when you lie (in any form or fashion) you are bringing discipline and chastening from His holy hand upon yourself.

There are countless passages in Scripture that speak to Truth-telling. Here are just a few:

Exodus 20:16
Exodus 23:1-7
1 Peter 2:12
Matthew 15:17-19
John 8:44
Psalm 58:3
Proverbs 19:5
Psalm 63:11
Ephesians 4:25
I Corinthians 13:1
Ephesians 4:29
Proverbs 3:3
James 3:5-6
I Peter 4:11
James 3:17-18; 4:8

You will be face with the temptation to lie, exaggerate, evade the truth, etc., almost every day. Whether that involves an actual explicit lie to make yourself look better, to cut corners at work, to be quiet when truth is misaligned, to withhold the truth because of fear of man, and the list goes on...We must strive to see this 'respectable' sin as anything but, as God does, vile and repulsive. And fight it head on!