A Split Tongue

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 6:12-19

No where in scripture is lying considered the right thing to do. The ninth commandment prohibits bearing false witness Exodus 20:16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” There is no such thing a “little white lie”. A lie is wrong according to scripture. This evening we are going to look into scripture to see what it has to say about lying.

A Lying Tongue and False Witness:

Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

“A lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies” are two of the seven abominations to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 13:6 “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” Love “rejoices with the truth”

Other Scriptures that speak negatively of lying, are:

Psalm 119:29 “Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.”

Proverbs 12:22 “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful”

Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”

Colossians 3:9 “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices”

Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Results of Lies in Scripture:

There are many examples of liars in Scripture, from Jacob’s deceit in Genesis 27 to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Each time, we see that falsehood leads to misery, loss, and judgment.

Pastor Matt, what about the lies the Hebrew midwives told Pharaoh in Exodus 1:15-21? It seems the result was the Lord’s blessing on them and it probably saved the lives of many Hebrew babies.

What about Rahab’s lie to protect the Israelite spies in Joshua 2:5?

God never condones these lies, despite the “positive” outcome of these lies, nowhere does the Bible praise the lies themselves...

The Bible does not state that there are instances where lying is the right thing to do. It also does not declare that there is no possible instance in which lying is an acceptable option.

Is There Ever A Time When Lying Is The Right Thing To Do?:

Here is an example from the life of Corrie ten Boom. The time, Nazi-occupied Holland. Corrie ten Boom was hiding Jews in her home to protect them from the Nazis, soldiers come to her home and asked her if she knew where any Jews are hiding. What should she do? Tell the truth and allow the Nazis to capture the Jews she was trying to protect? Or, should she lie and deny that she knows anything about them?

In an instance such as this, where lying may be the only possible way to prevent a horrible evil, perhaps lying would be an acceptable thing to do.

This instance is somewhat similar to the lies of the Hebrew midwives and Rahab. In an evil world, and in a desperate situation, it may be the right thing to commit a lesser evil, lying, in order to prevent a much greater evil. However, such instances are extremely rare, it is highly likely that the vast majority of people have never faced a situation in which lying was the right thing to do.

What Does God Require Of Us?:

We are to reflect God’s character. He is a truthful God who does not and cannot lie. Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” When we name the name of Jesus we are to accurately reflect His character.

Christians are new creations in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We reflect His nature, we have been released from our “old self” and its evil practices such as lying and bearing false witness. Christians are to reflect to the world the character of Christ that identifies us as His own.