I heard a sermon recently on a subject that has always been very important to me—the subject of honesty. I have always prided myself on being truthful; but over my lifetime, I have, as is often said, “bent the truth.” Although it is now infrequent for me to do so, it nonetheless happens. I never intend to do it, and it is never blatant; but after the fact, when I review my words, I realize I have indeed lied. Sometimes we reason we have not truly lied because we never actually said the words. If we are caught doing something we don’t want to admit to, we may act innocent or talk around the deed, a tactic often used by children. This, too, is a form of lying. It is a sin I strive to correct in my life, as I am sure is true for most of God’s people.

In the sermon, we were reminded of how many lies people are willing to tell in their lives, even to those closest to them. Parents lie to their children about Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, Easter bunny and even where babies come from. Innocent enough, right? Wrong! When asked a sensitive question, people might lie. “Just a little white lie,” they say. People reason they have to tell these lies so as not to hurt someone’s feelings or to spare themselves from an embarrassing situation.

It has become commonplace for people to lie and then say they have misspoken if called on it. This often happens in politics, when each party makes up stories about the other, or if they try to make themselves look better than they really are. It is common for people to pad their resumes, tell you they know something when they really do not, but do not want to appear ignorant. It is a horrible practice benefitting no one.

Little white lies

In a 2007 Family Circle article titled “Truth, Lies and Consequences,” this line appeared: “Honesty isn’t always the best policy. Learn how to tell the difference between little white lies that help a marriage and those that hurt.” The article goes on to say, “Fibbing is okay when you want to protect your mate, but it can harm a marriage when you’re trying to protect yourself.” The overall message is that lies can hurt you, but at the same time, it is saying that it is okay at times to gloss over the truth so as not to hurt someone.

I think the old saying “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” applies here. Why do we find it necessary to cover our true feelings with untrue words? I, for one, would love to know if I am leaving my home looking worse for wear, or if I have spinach in my teeth before approaching someone at a party. I also would rather have you say nothing at all rather then telling me how fat I may be or that one of my ears may be longer then the other. These are not useful comments and are unnecessary to convey. A person is fully aware of his or her body flaws and may or may not choose to change them.

Think about the following scenarios. Have you ever gone to the dentist and had him ask you if you brush twice a day and floss? Do you tell him “yes,” even if you do not? Do you ever tell your husband or wife how good they look, while in the back of your mind you are thinking you wouldn’t be caught dead in what they are wearing? Have you ever told a police officer you were not speeding or never saw a sign? How about telling your parents you cannot come home to visit because… (insert lie here). When we stop and think about it, we can probably come up with many instances where we tell “white lies” or maybe even bold-faced lies.

Scamming the other guy

Even everyday advertisements are often based on lies. A product may be called new, even if the brand has been around for four decades. It’s new and improved, so does that mean last year’s model was junk? If it states it is an advanced formula, does that mean there was a basic formula? Stores may say they are having a big sale and then jack up their prices before marking them down. They may put one or two items on sale and then convince you that all the other items they have at higher prices are actually cheaper than before.

Most of us have walked through a car lot, found a car we liked and then watched the salesman fidget as we try to offer a lower price before he goes running to the manager, who then at the last moment approves it. I once walked all the way to my car and had gotten in, when suddenly the salesman came running out the door with the good news—it seems my offer had suddenly been approved by the manager at the last minute. Oh what a surprise! These claims can be very subtle or in your face. We probably brush them off as just doing business, but if it walks like a duck…

The pastor also spoke about people living in poorer areas of the world who will use ploys and deception to con people out of their money. The people are poor and need the funds to survive, so it is okay, right? So what, if a few “richer” people lose a few dollars? What’s the big deal?

It reminded me of a news story, broadcast in 2006. It talked about disingenuous people, outside the United States who make money by conning others. They are people in poorer countries and they have worked out a scam that, while making them rich, lays claim to plenty of unsuspecting victims and their cash. If you use e-mail, you have probably been contacted by one of them. You would recognize them by their words—the people who say they are princes, widows, etc. They have a lot of money, they say, but it is tied up in an account somewhere and they need your help and your money to get it out of the country and, of course, there would be a hefty cut for you if you comply. The greed of the person being called also plays a big part in their scam, but that is another subject.

People willingly send these scammers their cash and, of course, never see anything in return. It is such a lucrative business that some of the con artists have even made music videos about it, with lyrics that talk about how they have taken the money of stupid people, although they use their own term for the word “stupid.” They especially victimize those in America. They make their living off of lies and deception.

Father of lies

Who was and is the father of all lies? John 8:44 says that Satan “was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Satan would like nothing more than to separate us from God. He has made the most progress with us through lies, beginning in the Garden of Eden and continuing with his corruption of the true Holy Days, the calendar, the Sabbath and the list could go on and on. He works continually on breaking us down, and we help him do it. Every time we lie, we hurt our reputation, our friendships, extended families, our marriages and our business dealings with others. Think about it, how often have you wanted to deal with someone who you know has lied to you in the past? Being a liar is so bad that people who lie are named as being among the abominable.

In Revelation 21:8 we read, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Throughout the Bible, we are told repeatedly how important truth is, and yet we are still so willing to lie. White lies, bending the truth, compromising the truth and making excuses do not make what you say any less of a lie.

God is truth

God wants nothing but truth to come from our lips. It is very important to Him and should be very important to us.

Christ said in John 3:21, “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

In Zechariah 8:16 we see, “These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace.”

God is truth and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Everything with God is truth—“And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth’” (Exodus 34: 6). In Zechariah 8:3, we are even told that Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth during God’s Kingdom. If God lied even a little, how could we follow Him? It is critical we remember how important truth really is to God. Do we want to be of God? To do so, we must all live according to His way and His way is truth.

Lastly, in Philippians 4:8 God says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, , whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”