May 30
I am a Liar
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying…
Pastor Smith was a
liar! He stood quiet for a moment behind the pulpit Sunday morning and then
made the following confession to his congregation; “I am a liar!” The gasps and
concerned looks quickly changed when he continued; “And you are all liars too!”
He explained that
nearly everyone who ever loaded software on a computer has checked the box that
says “I have read and agree to the terms for using this software” – even though
they had not read all that fine print, they lied and said they had.
OK but perhaps we should clarify what a lie is? When a woman asks her husband if a dress makes
her look fat and he avoids telling her the truth, is that a lie or just being
polite? There is a nearly endless list of “pleasantries and affirmations” we
say which do not match up with the facts.
Time to go ask Mr. Webster what is the definition of a
lie. “A false statement made with the intention to deceive.” For our purposes the reason for telling a lie
is probably more important to understanding what Scripture requires of us.
There are several reasons people lie.
1.
Fear – to avoid the consequence of telling the
truth
2.
Fraud- to gain an advantage over another by deceiving
3.
Foolishness- Habitual lying without regard to
morals or values
4.
Failure –belief that something is true without
checking facts
Here are some examples of each.
1. Fear.
Ge 26:7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife;
Isaac lied so men would not kill him and take his
attractive wife. He wanted to avoid the consequence of telling the truth. That
form of lying is common today. Lies are told to avoid even the mildest of
consequences. For instance, “The dog ate my homework!”. 2. Fraud
Ge 27:19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn;
Here we find Jacob deceiving his father to gain the
birthright that should have gone to his brother Esau. Abraham, Isaac and now
Jacob all lied on occasions of fear or fraudulent intent. All of them lied to
deceive others.
3. Foolishness
Pr 18:7 A fool's mouth is his destruction,
and his lips are the snare of his soul.
We have all met foolish people who blabber on and on
about their great exploits. When you tell them anything their response is
often; “Oh that’s nothing. One time I …” Then they tell you some tale which is
difficult to believe. If you have one, they have three. If yours is big theirs
is bigger, etc. etc. They always have faster, bigger, smaller, or whatever is
greater than anyone they meet. They mingle truth and lies together beyond anyone’s
ability to separate fact from fiction.
4. failure - repeating something without checking the facts.
The resurrection of Christ was a huge problem for the chief priests. Their solution was to have the soldiers lie about what happened.
Mt 28:13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night,
and stole him away while we slept.
Mt 28:15 So they took the money,
and did as they were taught: and this
saying is
commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Here we find people who repeat things that are not true,
but they believe them to be true. The worst lies are the ones that everyone
believes are true.
In the United States today it seems that truth is becoming
a rare commodity. The Internet is awash with lies and misinformation. “Click
this box for your absolutely free…” Only to discover you are going to be billed $39.95 a month. Even your phone is
used by con artists trying to run a scam. Television is no better. Political
campaigns are so filled with lies and misinformation most people have given up
trying to sort it out. Even the president of the United States looked into the
cameras and said “I did not have sex with that woman!”
But as Christians we are expected, nay, required to do
better. The Bible is very clear that we are not to lie to one another. Since I am
neither a theologian nor a philosopher, I do not know exactly where the line is
between being polite and telling outright, deceptive lies. So for this morning
let us meditate on what we recognize as flat out, bald faced lies and consider
what scripture says about them.
Pr 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished,
and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
Perhaps we smile as we read these dire warnings and think
that no one will ever know we were a false witness or one that speaketh lies (habitually).
Who will ever know, so how shall we be punished?
Pr 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good.
When I did a Bible search I found 22 places that refer to
the eyes of the Lord. Who will ever know? God will! Proverbs 19:5 is repeated
with a different ending in Proverbs 19:9.
Pr 19:9 A false witness shall not be unpunished,
and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
The requirement that Christians speak the truth in love
is continued in the New Testament.
Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbour:
for we are members one of another.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have
put off the old man
with his deeds;
For our meditation today let us consider our own speech.
The scripture does not require us to be rude, or obnoxious with the truth. But
it does require that we do not let greed, fear, covetousness, anger, or any
other negative quality, rob our speech of the truth. We live in a culture where
lies are common. Let us not be conformed to this world, but consider how we can
be more careful to ensure we speak the truth in love. None of us is perfect.
The Christian life is one of growth. Let us go on to maturity.
