What Does the Bible Say About Lying?

by | Articles, The Ten Commandments

Introduction

Lying, the act of deliberately deceiving with false information, is addressed with moral clarity in the Bible. Scriptures emphasize the significance of truthfulness, honesty, and the consequences of deceit. This exploration delves into the biblical teachings regarding lying, its impact on individuals and communities, and the transformative power of embracing the truth.

The Commandment Against False Witness: The Ten Commandments, foundational moral guidelines for believers, explicitly condemn bearing false witness:

  1. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16 ESV) This definitive command establishes bearing false witness as morally wrong in God’s eyes. It categorically prohibits deceit and perjury, making integrity a moral baseline. As foundational divine law, this shows dishonesty as incompatible with righteous character.
  2. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Deuteronomy 5:20 ESV) Moses’ reiteration doubles down that spreading dishonesty stands unconditionally condemned, violating godly virtue. This secondary affirmation of the same command leaves no doubt that God sees truthfulness regarding others as non-negotiable.
  3. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (Matthew 15:19 ESV) Jesus identifies false witness as among sins flowing from internal corruption. Christ highlights the weightiness of this offense by listing it alongside moral atrocities like murder. This pairs deception with the ultimate breach of virtue.
  4. “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” (Luke 18:20 ESV) Here Jesus lists the prohibition among the enduring Ten Commandments, confirming its ongoing relevance. Though millennia had passed, Christ teaches that the ban on false witness still shaped godly virtue, on par with bans on killing or stealing.

The Consequences of Lying: The Bible highlights the negative consequences of engaging in deceitful practices, both in earthly and spiritual terms:

  1. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” (Proverbs 12:22 ESV) Scripture forcefully warns that God finds dishonesty morally disgusting and repulsive. This reminds believers of the jeopardy deceit brings before a holy God who loves truth. It hints at divine consequences, while contrasting God’s pleasure with integrity.
  2. “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” (Proverbs 19:9 ESV) This further warning underscores that God will enact consequences on liars, whether in this life or the next. It reminds believers that no deceit goes unseen by the God who perfectly sees all motives and deeds. The verse suggests that ultimately those characterized by deceit will reap destruction.
  3. “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.” (Psalm 101:7 ESV) This psalm of David establishes definitively that dishonesty precludes fellowship with God. Just as human relationships suffer from lying, so deceit damages believers’ communion with the God of truth. This reminds Christ-followers that ameliorating deceit is imperative for intimacy with God.
  4. “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”” (Revelation 21:8 ESV) This eschatological warning identifies unrepentant liars as destined for eternal condemnation. It powerfully pairs deceivers with the most immoral company. This underscores the absolute moral gravity of dishonesty in God’s economy in terrifying terms.

The Transformative Power of Truth: The Bible emphasizes the transformative power of embracing truth and rejecting deceit:

  1. “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25) This verse encourages believers to repudiate falsehood completely and embrace lifestyles of total honesty with others. It hints at social transformation through a community-wide commitment to transparent integrity as God designed.
  2. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7 ESV) This hints that God’s lavish grace offers redemption even for habitual liars willing to walk in repentance. It implies God can wholly transform those previously characterized by deceit. Grace hints at releasing entrenched deceivers into complete authenticity.
  3. “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie is of the truth.” (1 John 2:21 ESV) John draws a moral contrast between the realm of truth believers know through Christ and the realm of deceit they must utterly forsake. This dichotomy helps anchor Christ-followers in a commitment to truth and honesty. Even white lies cannot mix with walking in God’s light.
  4. “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1 John 1:6 ESV) John warns believers that duplicity regarding sin signals complete self-deception. Acting faithful while hiding moral failures makes one wholly a liar before God. Only sincere repentance and fully walking in God’s light accord with truth. This underscores the importance of truthfulness with oneself before God.

Honest Communication: Scripture encourages believers to engage in honest, edifying communication:

  1. “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:9-10 ESV) As those spiritually reborn, deceiving others proves radically incongruent with believers’ new nature as image-bearers of the God of truth. Lying among regenerate believers thus amounts to a complete denial of their new identities.
  2. “Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.” (Proverbs 16:13 ESV) This reiterates how much those in authority value subordinates they can trust to speak truth. Beyond pleasing leaders, honest communication fosters community, while deceit corrodes relationships from marriages to nations. God designed truth-telling to be socially cohesive.
  3. “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?” (Jeremiah 5:30-31 ESV) Jeremiah links dishonest leadership with the moral downfall of nations, as false prophets, priests and citizenry spiral downward together. This demonstrates on a national scale the social disintegration dishonesty fuels, alienating societies from the blessings of truth.
  4. “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25 ESV) For a third time Scripture calls believers to wholly renounce falsehoods. This time the motivation is enhancing community among spiritual siblings. The verse envisions local churches built on members’ commitments to nurturing relationships of trust through mutual honesty.

Deceptive Hearts and God’s Omniscience: The Bible acknowledges the deceitful nature of the human heart and underscores God’s omniscience:

  1. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESV) Jeremiah unrestrainedly diagnoses the human heart as fundamentally characterized by deceit flowing from moral sickness. This hints at the natural inclination toward deceit requiring supernatural intervention. But the verse pairs this with God’s greater discernment exposing all deceit, ominously suggesting divine judgment.
  2. “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar… Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1-4 ESV) David awe-fully recognizes God’s immediate awareness of everything going through his mind. This suggests no deceitful thought or motive escapes God’s notice, underscoring His unmatched discernment and human inability to hide lies from Him.
  3. “If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:12 ESV) Solomon cautions human ignorance cannot excuse misbehavior before the divine Judge. Despite forgotten deeds and motives, God never loses sight of anything. His oversight of the soul renders pretended obliviousness to one’s sins moot before Him.
  4. “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13) The author of Hebrews confirms that when believers stand to give account at judgment, God will have full visibility of all their unspeakable secrets. This terrifying scrutiny leaves no room for glossing over or disguising one’s true heart condition, eliminating grounds for self-deceit. The verse implies coming to terms with one’s inner reality proves vital with judgment ahead.

Repentance and Restoration: The Bible highlights the possibility of repentance and restoration for those who have engaged in lying:

  1. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13 ESV) Solomon gives hope that those hiding deceit can still find mercy through humbly exposing their falsehoods before God, coupled with repentance in forsaking lies completely. This possibility of redemption cautions against despair.
  2. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV) John echoes that God will forgive specifically when believers confess and acknowledge their sins. Just as deceit confuses relationships, honesty before God restores broken bonds with Him. Confession suggests opening deceitful lives to His transforming light.
  3. “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?”” (Ezekiel 18:30-31 ESV) Through Ezekiel, God confronts deceivers with impending judgment yet pleads for them to find new life through repentance. This underscores freedom to abandon lifelong patterns of duplicity through God’s power and embrace spiritual rebirth.
  4. “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found.” (Psalm 32:5-6 ESV) David testifies that undeserved mercy met him when he made no excuses for his misconduct. This offers hope to liars that fully owning rather than hiding wrongdoing prompts God’s forgiveness and restored favor.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Bible categorically denounces lying as contrary to God’s holy nature. Scriptures confront deceivers with the moral gravity of distortion, highlighting its disastrous impacts on relationships and communities. As the God of truth who sees all deception and false motives, God promises to judge unrepentant liars. But through His grace, even those long characterized by duplicity still have hope of transformation by fully embracing honesty, confession and dependence on the Spirit of truth. As redeemed image-bearers of the God of truth, followers of Christ must value integrity, renounce falsehoods, acknowledge their need for God’s forgiveness, and walk in the light through the Spirit’s empowerment.