As the moral climate of our society has been deteriorating, lying and deceit have become major problems. The business world is particularly plagued by this problem-men’s dishonesty with each other, meetings “forgottenâ€, company theft, promises not kept, contracts broken, etc. Lawyers have increased in numbers over the last decade, mainly because of irresponsibility and broken contracts among men due to lying and deceit.
The Lord has put on my heart the past few weeks a desire to learn more about the subject of lying and deceit. In the brief time I have studied it I have discovered that there have been volumes of material written on the subject of lying, not to mention the ethics and moral issues regarding lying. Therefore, in the time we have tonight, I can only scratch the surface on the subject of lying. What I have to say can no means be construed as the final say on the subject. I am not an expert, but the goal of my instruction tonight is to:
Look at the definition of lying
Determine at least one principle truth about lying which everyone would agree. We will do that by examining Scripture and looking at a couple of illustrations, one secular and one biblical
Show how applying this principle of truth can help us guard against a couple of common mistakes as to what constitutes a lie
Offer a couple of points of application---
What does the Bible say about lying?
Col 3:9-10
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10 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
Lev 19:12
12'And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.
Prov 25:18
18 Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
Zech 8:17
17'Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD. "
Prov 14:5
5 A faithful witness will not lie, But a false witness speaks lies.
1 Kings 22:16
16 Then the king said to him, "How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"
Prov 19:5
5 A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will not escape.
Deut 19:17-19
17 then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days.
18 And the judges shall investigate thoroughly; and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely,
19 then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.
Rev 21:8
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."
Prov 19:9
9 A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will perish.
Prov 24:28
28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, And do not deceive with your lips.
Ps 58:3
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.
James 3:14
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
Ex 23:1
1 "You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.
Prov 12:19
19 Truthful lips will be established forever, But a lying tongue is only for a moment.
A lying tongue is not only something God hates, it is also something that is an abomination to Him.
Prov 6:16-19
16 There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.
So, if a lying tongue is something that is an abomination to our LORD, then would it not behoove us to understand what constitutes a lie?
Let us first give a definition as to what a lie is according to Webster’s dictionary:
To make a statement that one knows is false, especially with the intent to deceive.
To give a false impression or action or false statement, especially with the intent to deceive.
To make a false statement in order to evade the truth.
The invention of a false story or excuse in order to deceive.
lie2
lie (li) noun
A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood.
Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression.
verb
lied, ly·ing (li ing), lies
verb, intransitive
To present false information with the intention of deceiving.
To convey a false image or impression: Appearances often lie.
verb, transitive
To cause to be in a specific condition or affect in a specific way by telling falsehoods: You have lied yourself into trouble.(1)
de·ceive
de·ceive (di-sev) verb
de·ceived, de·ceiv·ing, de·ceives
verb, transitive
To cause to believe what is not true; mislead.
Archaic. To catch by guile; ensnare.
verb, intransitive
To practice deceit.
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