DISHONESTY & LYING
By Timothy Glover
Webster defines honesty in three ways: “(1). Originally honorable; held in respect; respectable, creditable, commendable, etc. (2) That will not lie, cheat, or steal; truthful; trustworthy (3) As showing fairness and sincerity; straightforward; free from deceit.
Lying manifests itself in many ways. According to John (1 Jn. 1:8,10), one may lie by denying that he sins. We lie if we profess to serve God while walking in darkness (1 Jn. 1:6). If we profess to know God or be in fellowship with him and yet do not keep his commandments, we are liars (1 Jn. 2:4). The one who claims to have talents that he in fact does not possess is a liar (Prov. 25:14). Lying is dishonesty and God hates a false witness that speaks lies (Prov. 6:19). Jesus speaks of the Devil in John 8:44, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof”. /font> Genesis 3:3,4 is an example. When God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate of the tree in the midst of the garden, Satan responded, “Ye shall not surely die.” We need to be sure that we are not his children. John wrote in Rev. 21:8 that “all liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.”
There are different kinds of lies. There is the boldfaced lie as with Isaac who said that Rebekah was his sister to avoid someone killing him to take her (Gen. 26:6-11). Other lies are half-truths as when Abraham told the Egyptians on two occasions that Sarah was his sister. What is the truth? She was his half-sister and his wife. The idea of a lie is the intent to deceive. With this as his motive, Abraham held back the truth regarding his relationship with Sarah. Another good example of this is found in Acts 5 when Annanias and Saphira lied about giving all the proceeds from the sell of their property. They wanted their gift to appear as if they had sacrificed as much as anyone else (Barnabas gave all).
Be honest. Tell the truth at whatever cost. Then, you will be like Jesus who is full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14). If we are guilty of telling lies, we should set the record straight and be a person of integrity.
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