Oh - It's Just a Little White Lie!

April, 2003

by: Jack Hughes

• Spiritual Growth

Living in the world we sometimes hear people deceive others and then defend their actions with the phrase, “Oh — it's just a little white lie." In their minds there are two different kinds of lies, “white lies” and “black lies.” And it makes you wonder if there is another fuzzy category of “gray lies” which they believe are just shy of out and out sin. In this Calvary Review we want to look at the sin of lying.

The Definition of Lying

In the Old and New Testaments, there are several words used to describe lying. These words are for the most part synonyms and have the same basic meaning. They speak of deceiving, deluding, leading astray, seducing, misleading, beguiling, speaking falsely, fraudulently, or deceptively. They describe the act of trying to get someone to believe in something that isn't true. We often think of lies in degrees. Our conscience may allow us to “stretch the truth,” “rewrite history,” “adjust the facts,” or “speak only the partial truth so as to make someone reach a conclusion they would not reach having all of the truth.” Yet all of these are forms of lying. In God's eyes, all lies are black.

Lying always has as its final result the propagation of what is false. It causes people to believe error as truth and by consequence, to believe truth is error. All truth is antithetical which means when something is right, everything that contradicts it must be wrong. Hence, when we lie to someone, we cause them to believe that error is truth and truth is error. For instance, if you pretending you are a Christian, when you are not, you are lying. The Apostle John warned against this in I Jn. 2:4; 4:20 when he says, “The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;” and “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Attempting to make others think you are someone or something you are not is lying.

The Origin of Lying

The headwaters of lying are found in Gen. 3. Adam and Eve were told by God not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil “lest you die” (Gen. 2:16-17). Eve, when she was being deceived by Satan, told Satan (Gen. 3:3) that very same thing. But Satan, wanting to kill Eve and steal glory from God, lied to Eve saying, “You surely will not die.” This was the birth of lying and the entire human race has suffered greatly from the consequences of Eve's being deceived by that first lie. This treachery earned Satan a fitting title given to him by Jesus in Jn. 8:44. Speaking to the hypocritical, self–righteous Pharisees Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Here we see the principle taught that kind produces kind. Cats reproduce other cats after their kind and dogs reproduce other dogs after their kind. Satan, “the father of lies,” produces children after his kind i.e., other liars. No wonder one of Satan's names is “the deceiver” for lying and deception are his trade.

Motives people have for lying

There are many motives people have for lying. Some lie to get fame, prestige, money, or power. Some lie about their age, lie about their marital status, their income, or their job experience and education in order to gain some advantage, some power, or an image in the sight of others. They want others to think they are someone they are not. Jacob lied to his father Isaac in order to get the blessing of the first born. Others lie out of fear in order to escape punishment. Moses, for instance, lied about killing the Egyptian because he was fearful of what might happen to him. Abraham lied about the identity of Sarah in order to protect himself. Some lie to hurt others, like Satan, who lies to and deceives men in an effort to hurt both man and God.

Lying can become such a terrible habit that the truth is always distorted and embellished. The fisherman receives little pleasure or praise from telling others that he caught a scrawny six–inch fish, so he nourishes that scrawny fish in the pond of his wicked mind, feeding it on deception until it grows into a fat five–pound, twenty–inch trophy. He is now pleased to tell others about it and proud of catching such a large fish. He enjoys the many praises, accolades, and admiration he receives from others who hear about his incredible fishing prowess. After telling his lie many times, he may even become self–deluded and begin to believe it is true. Once self–delusion is firmly in place, the fisherman is willing to go to blows to defend his lie because he is convinced in his mind that it is true. He is petrified in a state of lying self–deception.

Salesmen may lie to get a sale and make more commissions. The doctor may lie to save the patient grief. The parents of a child may lie about Santa Clause in order to save their child disappointment among peers and to give them hopeful anticipation of presents under the tree on Christmas morning. A child may lie to his parents in hope of deceiving them so that he may escape the consequences of his sinful actions. Church leaders may lie to their congregations in order to hide their sins and to escape being disqualified from the ministry. Lies are always the devil's spawn. There are no good motives for lying.

God's Attitude Toward Liars

Since God is a god of truth, He hates both lying and liars. We often hear the saying, “Love the sinner, but hate the sin.” The problem with this saying is that the Scriptures tell us that God not only hates the sin but also the sinner. Psalm 5:4-6 says, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” Here we find that God “hates all who do iniquity” and listed among the sinners He hates are those who “speak falsehood,” and who are men of “deceit.”

In Prov. 6:16-19 Solomon reminds us of the same thing when he writes, “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.” Here we are told that God hates “a lying tongue,” and considers an abomination “a false witness who utters lies.” Notice the text does not say God hates merely the sin of the “lying tongue,” but the “false witness who utters lies.” So we can see from texts like these that God hates both lying and liars.

Consequences of Lying

The consequences of lying are legion. The Scriptures are full of both instruction and illustrations concerning the consequences of lying. God has given us ample warning in His Word to act like the flaming sword to keep us from the sin of lying. For instance, Prov. 21:6 says, “The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.” This proverb teaches us that by lying to gain wealth a person is in reality pursuing death. Prov. 26:28 says, “a lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” Here lying is described as hateful. To lie to someone is to show hatred both to them and God. It is also spoken of as something like hammer that crushes others. Lies, in other words, destroy people.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. The early church was growing, and Ananias and Sapphira, like others, decided to sell some property and give most of the proceeds to the church. They also decided together to lie and say they were giving all of the proceeds of their property to the church, even though they were holding some back. Why would they do this? Well, because they lusted after the praise of men. They wanted the Apostles and others to laud them for their great sacrifice. Well, if you know the story, you know that God struck both of them dead for lying.

The Word of God is clear concerning the ultimate consequence of those who practice lying. Psa. 101:7 says, “He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.” The Apostle John wrote these chilling words in Rev. 21:8“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” The Scriptures teach that those who practice lying place a sign on their life which says, “I am an unbeliever.” This is why Puritan preacher Thomas Watson said, “He that lies in his trade, shall lie in hell.”

Believers Are Truth Tellers

The unbeliever, according to the Scriptures, “loves evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking what is right” (Psa. 52:3). The reason we lie is that we are born sinners. Psalm 58:3 says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies, go astray from birth.” You don't need to tell a young child how to lie, they are born liars and lie because they are liars. The only cure for a liar and his lying is to be born again, not physically, but spiritually through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Once a person places their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins to work truth in them so they become speakers of truth. Oh, they may lie occasionally but they quickly confess and repent of their sin and excel still more in truthfulness.

Col. 3:8-10 says, “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” Being a believer is to “put aside” lying and to put on the new self, Godlikeness and Christlikeness. The Psalmist, in Psa. 15:1 asks, “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?””Then in vs. 2 he begins to answer the question saying, “He who walks with integrity, and work s righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.”

When we go to the doctor they can take X–rays, CAT scans, MRI's, and ultrasounds to look inside us and see what is going on in our bodies. But one thing those instruments can't do is see our sin. As you stand before the scanner of the Word of God, what does it reveal in your heart? Hebrews makes it clear, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:3). What does God see right now in your life? Are you living a lie? Have the verses above, become like needles to prick your heart? If so, it is time to deal with your sin. If lying is the habit of your life, the Scriptures are clear, you are not going to heaven. You are not a believer. You are headed for the lake of fire!

The solution is to repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can save you from the consequences of sin and change you into a truth telling believer. Don't lie to yourself, don't tell yourself that you are going to heaven when your heart tells you that you are not. Don't deceive yourself into thinking your lies are merely “white lies.” Your lies are black as coal to God. Let Christ turn you from lies and deceit unto truth and righteousness. Heed the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians in Eph. 4:25, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”