IS LYING EVER JUSTIFIED?

IS LYING EVER JUSTIFIED

The Bible presents the character of a good person as one who seeks to please God’s heart. One of the main attributes of such a person is speaking the truth. Throughout Scripture, believers are consistently encouraged to tell the truth and discouraged from lying.

The tree in the midst of the garden was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, Adam, Eve, and their descendants were able to discern between good and evil. Consequently, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, one of which strongly prohibits lying. God said, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exod 20:16, NKJV). God desired His people to tell the truth because lying inevitably produces other sins, and someone is often hurt by the lie. A person may lie to protect themselves, but doing so reflects a lack of trust in God to protect them if they speak the truth. Simply put, the Lord wanted His people to tell the truth and rely on Him consistently throughout their lives.

Solomon expresses God’s attitude toward lying, saying, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Prov 12:22, NKJV). From a biblical perspective, lying cannot be justified for at least three reasons: telling the truth is God’s design for His people, people ought to tell the truth to glorify God, and lying has harmful consequences.

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Telling the Truth as God’s Design

Speaking the truth and not lying is essential in every society and at every court. It is a natural law for humans to value truth because falsehood inevitably results in injustice. Human history shows the serious consequences of false witness. In ancient Athens, false witnesses were liable to heavy fines, and upon three convictions, they lost all civil rights. In Rome, under the law of the Twelve Tables, false witnesses were hurled from the Tarpeian Rock. In Egypt, false witnesses were punished by amputation of the nose and ears.[1] Similarly, a Hebrew bearing false witness against someone else would be punished according to what they intended to cause the victim (Deut 19:16-19).

By nature, humans tend to value truth, unless they consciously choose to conceal it, which constitutes sin. God emphasizes the seriousness of lying.

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Glorifying God by Speaking the Truth

Believers ought to speak the truth to glorify God. God desires His people to guide others in accordance with His will. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt 5:14, NKJV). He wanted His followers to reflect His work in their lives.

Allan Moseley explains, “Jesus said that His followers are to shine the light of their good works. It’s what we do, wherever we are. We do good works, other people see our good works, and they give glory to God who saved us and made us new. All God’s people are serving God full-time somewhere.”[2]

Since God created Adam and Eve in His image and gave them authority over creation (Gen 1:26-27), He intended for them to reflect His glory through their lives. The Psalmist declares, “The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure” (Ps 111:7, NKJV). Believers reflect God’s honesty and justice through their actions and words. Speaking the truth brings glory not to humans, but to their Creator.

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The Consequences of Lying

Lying carries serious consequences. People may believe they can escape the consequences, but they ultimately reap what they sow. In some cases, lies can cost lives. The book of Acts provides a clear example with Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a possession but kept back part of the proceeds, with both aware of the deception (Acts 5). The Holy Spirit revealed their lie to Peter, who asked Ananias, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” (Acts 5:3, NKJV). Peter then asked Sapphira, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?” (Acts 5:9, NKJV).

This story illustrates that lying is more than merely failing to speak the truth; it is a trust in Satan over God. Tragically, Ananias and Sapphira immediately died because of their lie. Craig L. Blomberg comments, “Even though the two died, there is no reason to question their salvation. They are depicted as believers who lost merely their physical lives. Compare those who died after profaning the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30.”[3]

Born-again Christians are called to speak the truth naturally according to their new nature in the Lord. Paul reminds the Colossians, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col 3:9-10, NKJV). Ananias and Sapphira died because they acted contrary to the image of God, refusing to put off the old nature, and lied to the Lord, thereby losing their physical lives. John MacArthur explains, “Believers must remove the remaining sinful nature and continuously renew themselves to be conformed to Christ.”[4]

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Conclusion

Not everyone desires to please the Lord, and some choose to lie for personal gain. However, every action has consequences. Those who do God’s will and live truthfully as believers are rewarded on earth and in heaven. Those who lie and do not follow the Lord face consequences both here and eternally. Believers, led by the Holy Spirit, naturally seek to glorify the Lord in all they do, because they fear only God and strive to live according to His will.

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Bibliography

Blomberg, Craig L. From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts Through Revelation. Nashville: B&H, 2006.

Swaggart, Jimmy. Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary. Baton Rouge: World Evangelism, 2004.

MacArthur, John. Colossians 3. John MacArthur Bible Commentary. Al Matn: Dar El Manhal, 2012.

Moseley, Allan. Living Well: God’s Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs. Bellingham: Lexham, 2017.

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[1] Jimmy Swaggart, Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary (Baton Rouge, LA: World Evangelism, 2004), 356.
[2] Allan Moseley, Living Well: God’s Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs (Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2017), 166.
[3] Craig L. Blomberg, From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts Through Revelation (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2006), 33.
[4] John MacArthur, Colossians 3, John MacArthur Bible Commentary (Al Matn: Dar El Manhal, 2012), 2092. (translated from Arabic)

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