May 30 - I Am A Liar

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.

Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…       Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: