Proverbs 6:16-17. 16There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17…a lying tongue.
Solomon’s list of sins that God hates continues with the lying tongue.
It can be pretty tempting to lie can’t it? We often think that lying gives us an advantage over others, or that it might keep us out of trouble. Lying can make us look better than others, and it can hurt our enemies. Sometimes people lie so much that they don’t even know that they’re lying anymore.
All of the problems in our world started with a lie, didn’t they? Satan, the Father of Lies, lied to Adam and Eve and they ate from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and people have been lying to each other and to God ever since. Satan’s lie was veiled in the form of a question – did God really say? How sneaky was that? The Devil knows that a bold faced lie about God would be hard for us to swallow, but a question about God? That might just start to make me believe something about him that isn’t true. And not only about God, but about ourselves. Satan’s lies about God’s goodness became a lie about our self-autonomy too. We can be like God by forsaking God. We’ve all been believing that lie since the beginning.
Usually, we lie because we are afraid of the truth. The truth might get us into trouble, or be shameful, or it might let others get something that we want. Telling ourselves the truth might keep us from having something that we desire, so we lie to our own conscience in order to justify having it.
The best way to overcome being a liar is to stop being afraid of telling the truth. Jesus said it this way in the Gospel of John – the truth will set you free. But how? How does the truth set us free? Was Jesus simply saying that the truth or knowledge can help a person overcome their problems or addictions? Or was he saying much more than this?
In John’s gospel, Jesus will say that God’s word is truth. Later, he will call himself the Truth. Truth is reality. God’s word is reality. Jesus is reality. That’s what God’s wisdom and Proverbs are all about – we are free when we come into subjection to God’s reality. The truth doesn’t set us free to live however we want; the truth sets us free to live bounded to God and his reality in Christ.
When you know the truth of your union with Christ, of the reality of his complete forgiveness of your past, and hope for the future, then you can look lies in the eye and forsake them knowing that the truth can never take away what is real – the love of God for us in Christ.
The more we trust who we are in Christ the more we can practice truth telling, and the more our hearts will be free from the bondage of guilt and shame. The lies that once propped us up will be replaced by the eternal love of God.
You: Do you ever lie? Do you tell half-truths sometimes? Do you withhold truth when asked?
You in Christ: How can God’s love for you replace your need to lie to yourself and others?
Christ in you: Is there a specific lie that you’ve been living that Christ wants you to overcome today with the truth? Will you choose freedom or bondage?
Pray: Jesus, you are the Truth. Help me to be truthful in all things knowing that the truth will never separate me from your love for me. Amen.
To Live is Christ 