Many will suggest it is okay to lie under certain conditions; however, Scripture makes clear that this is not acceptable behavior.
God abhors lying and forbids it; according to Revelation 21:8, all those caught lying will spend eternity in Hell – with no exceptions allowed.
Table of Contents
1. You will be punished
Lies are one of the most prevalent sins in this world, yet few see it as being serious a matter. Lying can have serious repercussions that could cost someone their life; according to Scripture (Revelation 21:8) it will be punished in Hell (Revelation 21:8-10). Yet many don’t see an issue with telling occasional lies or think they don’t matter – these individuals may have an unhealthy view of God and may deceive those around them with deceptive words and actions.
God detests lying and considers it to be an extremely serious sin, violating His ninth Commandment by using lies against others and viewing them as murderous. Lying lies at the core of evil; Satan was born lying (1 John 3:4). God even revealed this fact through Exodus 20:16 wherein “there shall be no false witness against any neighbor; therefore the LORD abhors a false swearer.” Moreover, The New Testament lists people who engage in lying as cowardly, unbelieving, abominable persons as thieves murderers sexually immoral sorcerers idolaters or idolaters (2 Peter 2:11).
Some attempt to justify lying by appealing to events in the Bible which seem to indicate it’s okay, but upon closer examination this only serves to misinterpret or make assumptions about them. Furthermore, remember that right and wrong are determined by law rather than earthly circumstances.
Some have taken to arguing that God condones lying. Yet the story shows just the opposite; rather than rewarding those who are disobedient even with character flaws, He honors their obedience.
Bible passages often quoted to justify lying include 2 Thessalonians 2:12. It teaches that when people reject truth and continue in their ways, a strong delusion may arise and cause them to believe what is incorrect – but only truth can set them free from error in their path.
2. You will be lost
As a Christian, it is your responsibility to read and interpret God’s Word properly. Unfortunately, it’s easy to misinterpret Scripture through your own understanding, leading to distortion of truth. Eve did just this when she misquoted God’s command that “you will surely die” by misquoting it so as not to seem like an absolute certainty – changing its meaning from an indisputable outcome into something less certain that allowed her to mislead Adam by lying (Genesis 2:17-3:3). This subtle shift altered meaning completely and made lying appear permissible – an indisputable warning against lying (Genesis 3:1-5).
God abhors lying, and this principle applies equally to anyone who engages in it. According to Scripture (Proverbs 6:16; 12:22), those who commit acts of dishonesty will find themselves separated from a loving and holy God forever after (Revelation 21:8).
Although God disfavors lying, some Christians will attempt to justify it by citing situations in which lying is necessary or desirable and even events from the Bible that they think demonstrate this point.
These arguments are frequently invalid and will ultimately be undermined by God’s Word. For instance, some might suggest that since God blessed the midwives who lied to Pharaoh in Exodus 1, He must have approved of their deception; but this interpretation of Exodus 1 is incorrect as God favored those midwives due to their fear for Him rather than because of their lies.
Amid these revelations of God’s forgiveness for confessed sins with repentance comes an illustration of His infinite mercy: when confessed with sincerity. However, to truly escape his wrath is through accepting Jesus Christ as your savior (Revelation 21:8); thus it is important that you read and comprehend the Bible to understand right and wrong and determine righteous behavior from wrong. Otherwise you risk living a world filled with lies and confusion without seeing truth or hearing God’s voice, leading you into further destruction; when finally realizing your fate it may already be too late!
3. You will be separated from God
Lies are an insult to God as He is a God of truth (Numbers 23:19), as well as violating Proverbs 13:5’s principle that states a “righteous man hates falsehood”. Speaking falsely to Him is also indicative of lack of godliness in us all and can indicate sinfulness within. Thus it’s all the more concerning when Christians try to justify lying by citing scripture that suggests otherwise or pointing out situations or events they think require it as justifications for lying.
However, this line of reasoning can lead to self-righteousness and assume that you can create a more plausible story in order to gain what you desire. Such lies will eventually keep you from following Jesus, leading him away.
First time anyone ever lied to God was in Eden when Satan told Eve an outright lie and she believed it – leading them all into sin and ultimately leading to death – all due to a single lie from Satan. All evil started from one such lie!
Many people wonder whether Christians can lie. While there may be Christians who live deceitfully, there are also those who strive to follow the Lord faithfully and be honest – these individuals might not intentionally lie, but may sometimes tell incomplete or partial truths as part of their everyday behavior; some even struggle with this habit and struggle to control it.
Many people may cite God’s inability to lie as justification for their own dishonesty, often making the false argument that He must approve of midwives who lied to Pharaoh during Exodus and were blessed as a result – when this fact alone should demonstrate otherwise! Furthermore, He warns us of sin’s dire consequences but reminds us to repent of it quickly so as to avert death by turning from sins we’ve committed.
4. You will be destroyed
Christian leaders sometimes seem surprised at how often Christians justify lying, often by appealing to difficult or extreme circumstances as justification for lying. Unfortunately, God hates lying; Proverbs 6:17 states this truth clearly. Those who use truthful methods instead can find His delight.
God makes it abundantly clear that those who lie will be destroyed. According to Scripture, unrepentant liars will join other sinners such as cowards, faithless people, fornicators, murderers, idolaters, spiritism practitioners and cowards in being burned in hell (Revelation 21:8).
Lying can quickly spiral out of control if allowed to continue, eventually becoming impossible to control and impossible to comprehend. That is why it is imperative that any time someone discovers they are lying they should immediately stop it immediately and stop lying before it spirals into more damaging behaviours.
Many lies will lead to catastrophe and can bring great harm in this life and the next, while some might appear harmless at first. Whatever its size may be, any lie is sinful in God’s eyes and must not be tolerated.
Genesis 3:4 describes the first time a lie was ever told in Scripture and its devastating results. Satan deceived Eve into thinking God forbade them from eating from certain trees in the garden when in fact He hadn’t. Adam and Eve both consumed fruit from said tree and, thus, death, sickness, and all sorts of bad came into this world.
By resorting to extreme and difficult circumstances as justifications for their lies, those defending them prove they don’t understand the significance of God’s Word or how He views it; rather they rely on their own understanding rather than on what Scripture reveals about what constitutes right and wrong behavior.
Recite this verse whenever you find yourself thinking it might be appropriate to tell a lie: ‘Let your yes be yes and your no be no.’ Keep this phrase in mind whenever determining whether it would be acceptable to tell lies.
