Truth-telling has fallen on hard times. Our culture has shifted to the ethics of expediency and self-advancement, so falsehood is not only tolerated but even encouraged in many cases. As a result, many of us have come to feel better about lying to others.

If it takes a small lie to complete a sale, the falsehood is justified for the good of the company. If a slight exaggeration of one's productivity is needed to beat out someone else for a raise or promotion, the untruth is considered a "competitive edge." Such thinking has actually transformed nontruth from a vice to a virtue. Unfortunately, this undermining of the absolute value of truth has devastating consequences.

Truth has valuable allies. It is the underlying foundation for trust, confidence, integrity, faith, security, and stability. When truth is disposed of, her allies crumble and disappear as well.

Conversely, falsehood is allied with suspicion, doubt, withdrawal, insecurity, conflict, resentment, and anger. Whenever nontruth replaces truth, the friends of falsehood always appear.

Augustine said, "When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful." This erosion of trust and confidence weakens every relationship into which nontruth is injected. Homes are victimized, governments become suspect, media information is viewed with skepticism, and business relationships wear the shrouds of suspicion.

No relationship can survive, let alone succeed, if it is based on that which is false.

Spiritual consequences

Scripture emphasizes the serious spiritual consequences of tampering with the truth. A moratorium on lying is included in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16). A lying tongue is included in the list of things God detests (Proverbs 6:17). Liars are included with those whose lives will be judged in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). God desires for truth to dwell within us (Psalm 51:6). But why is truth so important to God?

For one thing, truth aligns us with God. God's intense concern for truthfulness centers on His very nature. He is a "God of truth" (Psalm 31:5). God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Jesus Christ is "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of truth," and His mission is to guide us into the truth (14:17; 16:13). All the ways of God are true (Psalm 25:10). Truth is the basis of our worship (John 4:24). Therefore, a commitment to truth aligns us with God, His nature, and His mode of operation. It is a matter of fellowship.

Second, we are redeemed to reflect God's character. Our very purpose in existing as God's children is to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). When we participate in falsehood, we abort the purpose of our redemption and tarnish the reflection of His glory through us. If God is truth, then we too must portray truth to accurately reflect God's image in our lives.

And third, truth-telling is a matter of submission to God's will. God's Word commands us to speak the truth regardless of the cost. "A righteous man hates falsehood" (Proverbs 13:5 NASB). Paul wrote, "Do not lie to one another" (Colossians 3:9). Nowhere in Scripture does God grant exemption from these commands. They are absolute. Our consciences cannot be clear before God and our joy cannot be full if we get involved with falsehoods.

Many people have attempted to categorize the distortion of truth. Let's look at four categories we need to understand.

1. Beguilement

This is the tendency to reach a wrong conclusion and perhaps even share our false assumptions with all who will listen. Our quickness to jump to wrong conclusions is a subtle trap, because it victimizes us when we have no intention to be deceived or to deceive.

You can't always prevent others from reaching false conclusions about you, but you can become more aware of your own assumptions about others.

I recall discovering some money missing from the church office when I was a pastor. Immediately, a suspect's name and face came to mind. I caught myself mentally degrading the person, planning how I would confront him, and wondering who I should tell so they could "pray about the situation." Then it was as though the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and said, "What if you are wrong? Do you have all the facts?"

It occurred to me that I had not an ounce of proof. Even our secular system of justice proclaims a man innocent until proven guilty—which is more than I found myself willing to do.

Beguilement is the sin of disseminating false conclusions. It is to delude or be deluded. And though often done innocently, it is devastating. It plants seeds of mistrust, doubt, and confusion. It can irreparably destroy reputations. We must learn to resist the temptation to draw conclusions until sufficient information is gathered. Being careless with details and having insufficient facts quickly lead to false accusations.

How can we fortify ourselves against this temptation to misjudge and pass along false information? We must develop:

• A patient spirit that suspends judgment until sufficient facts are verified (Galatians 5:22).

• A love that believes the best until facts prove otherwise (1 Corinthians 13:6-7).

• A faith that prays the situation into the courts of heaven, where an all-knowing God promises to judge all men righteously (1 Peter 1:17).

• A willingness to protect others by encouraging those who are sharing false accusations to reserve judgment until sufficient facts are gathered (1 Corinthians 13:4).

• A boldness to go directly (if necessary) to those involved to clarify the facts (Matthew 18:15).

The alternative is to become spiritual jackrabbits who jump to all the wrong conclusions, leaving in our trails broken lives and relationships that we could have protected and healed.

2. Deceit

We tend to equate facts with truth, yet it's amazing how "facts" can be arranged to distort the truth. The tremendous power of deceit is demonstrated in Genesis 3:1-6. Through deceit, Satan not only gained control of Eve but also caused Adam to sin, and imposed the curse of sin on all of God's creation (Romans 5:12).

Satan's ploy began with a question: "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1). At this point, Satan was dealing with factual information. But Satan's presentation of the facts suggested that God was restrictive and stingy. To Eve, serving God was now perceived as enslavement. She concluded that God was keeping her from experiencing the completeness of life.

God had actually said, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat" (2:16-17, emphasis added). After reading God's words, I am struck with His generosity and love. Adam and Eve could eat from every tree in the garden except one—what a kind and generous Creator!

Satan presented truth in a way that deceived Eve into thinking wrongly about God. He twisted the facts to ultimately gain advantage over Eve and all the created order of God. God's Word calls it deceit (3:13; 2 Corinthians 11:3). It is a powerful tool in the tactical warfare of Satan.

Deception has become a widely used technique for manipulation, self-advancement, and self-protection. It is evident in the lives of many people:

• Those who, living in known sin, carry the facade of pious behavior through the halls of the church.

• Businesspersons who carefully word the fine print to cloud the true commitment being made on the dotted line.

• Pastors who purposely use Scripture to manipulate a congregation.

• Professors who selectively choose statistics to prove a point.

Deceit is a prevalent reality in our society. It is a destroyer of trust. It is a menace to stable, growing relationships. The writer of Proverbs says, "Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel" (20:17). Deceit is the sign of a wicked heart (12:20).

Both beguilement and deceit tamper with, twist, and distort the truth. Lying, on the other hand, is the direct communication of nontruth.

3. Lying

Lying is the base of Satan's strategy. In Genesis 3, not only did Satan deceive Eve about God's goodness, but he also lied to her about God and His Word. He told her, "You surely will not die!" (Genesis 3:4). That was a clear communication of nontruth. God had said, "In the day that you eat from [the tree] you will surely die" (2:17). Lying was a central part of Satan's strategy.

It is not surprising that nontruth is still Satan's main method of operation today. He has pervaded our culture with the lie that there are no consequences to sin. His system tells us that wealth and possessions will make us happy. He lies to us about God by suggesting, "If God is good, why did He permit your parents to divorce? Why is there so much suffering?"

His lies are abundant:

• Be as good as you can, and you'll go to heaven. Just be sincere.

• Mankind is the result of a chance evolutionary process.

• Success can be measured by wealth, cars, and houses.

• Freedom is found in doing anything you want to do.

Lying is the strength of Satan's system. Not only does he lie, but his desire is that we will lie as well. When we lie, we imitate Satan rather than God.

Nontruth is the language of the world's system. James warns us that friendship with the world is hostility toward God, and that anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4).

Lying is part of the believer's past. Lying is a product of the flesh that we should leave behind as we mature spiritually. "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" (Colossians 3:9-10).

Why do we lie so readily? Lying is a quick and easy way to gain advantage, protection, and promotion of personal interests:

• We lie to get people's attention and have them think more highly of us.
• We lie to get rich or to get elected.
• We lie to protect our reputations.
• We lie to escape punishment.

Most lies are dedicated servants of self. But there are also common "social lies" that keep everyone smiling in spite of how they really feel.

Admittedly, it is sometimes hard to apply the truth tactfully. What do you say when you're expected to comment on a newborn, red, wrinkled baby in the hospital? How do you respond when asked to admire a new dress, hat, or tie that should have been left on the store shelves? In such cases, we often tell "little white lies." But there is never anything "little" about lying.

This is not to say that we are to express truth brutally. God's Word commands us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). The truth must be accompanied by mercy, gentleness, understanding, and grace. There is no virtue in glorifying God by telling the truth while simultaneously destroying the glory of God's grace with an insensitive spirit.

As Pascal said, "The abuse of truth ought to be as much punished as the introduction of falsehood." We need to pray for wisdom in our speech (James 1:5). And we should train ourselves to search for the truth in every situation.

For instance, we can say that the red, wrinkled baby is precious (because all babies are). And there's bound to be something to be commended about that awful dress—color, design, or style.

As Proverbs says, "A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word!" (15:23). And Paul tells us, "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Colossians 4:6).

4. False Witness

Another sin against the truth is bearing false witness. Though the term false witness can be applied to any false testimony, it specifically refers to those who bear false testimony against another person, often for some personal gain. In a plot to acquire a garden for King Ahab, Jezebel found two "worthless men" to lie about Naboth, the owner of the land.

As a result, an innocent man was stoned to death, and a sulking king got his garden (1 Kings 21:1-16). At the crucifixion of Christ, the high priest brought in two "false witnesses" to testify against the Lord (Matthew 26:60-61). The verbal sin of "bearing false witness" is a serious offense before God. In fact, it was this term God used when He included a prohibition against lying in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16).

This sin is offensive because it strikes injury, often irreparable, to innocent people, their reputations, and their families. It is a violent use of the tongue. It had the power to kill Naboth and to crucify Christ. It's not surprising that Proverbs 19:5 says, "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape."

Living in the Truth

Beguilement, deceit, lying, and false witness are all methods of Satan to defeat God's glory in us and through us. It is through these patterns of falsehood that he enlists us into the network of his "nontruth system."

Nontruth is part of every sin that Satan promotes. Whether it be lying to cover marital unfaithfulness or the destruction of a godly reputation by beguilement, whether using deceit to gain an unjust business advantage or bearing false witness to carry out some selfish scheme, tampering with the truth supports, promotes, and protects the welfare of sin. Can you think of a single sin where nontruth isn't a natural by-product or companion? It is the lifeblood of Satan's system.

Oliver Wendell Holmes expressed it well: "Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all."



Adapted from The Weight of Your Words, copyright © 1998 by Joseph M. Stowell. Used by permission of Moody Publishers. All rights reserved.