Ephesians 4:25
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”
Lying is a disgusting and destructive sin. For some reason, it seems that many people don’t look at lying the same way that God does. Many people think that lying is acceptable if it is done to keep them from answering uncomfortable questions. Some think that lying is fine if it is done to keep from hurting someone’s feelings. Yet, God commands the Christian to put lying away. When you look at what lying says about you and what it does to others, you will soon realize the repulsiveness of a lie. Six results come from telling lies.
First, lying shows your total disrespect of others. The verse above tells us that we should put lying away because “we are members one of another.” You show what you think about others by how truthful you are to them. You have no respect for another person if you won’t tell them the truth even if it hurts you.
Second, lying hurts relationships. Verse 26 shows that lying causes anger in relationships. When another person finds out that you have lied to them, it always causes hurt and anger. Deceit and lying are two of the most destructive elements in any relationship. Tell the truth all the time if you don’t want to hurt your relationships.
Third, lying gives place to the Devil. Verse 27 says, “Neither give place to the devil.” The Devil is the father of lies. Anytime you tell a lie, you are giving him space to work in your life. The Devil shouldn’t feel welcome in the Christian’s life. If you don’t want the Devil to feel at home around you, be truthful, and never tell a lie.
Fourth, lying steals the truth from others. Verse 28 commands the Christian to stop stealing. When you lie, you keep others from hearing the truth. Lying makes you no better than the thief who steals money from others because you are stealing truth from others which will set them free. Many people have acted wrongly simply because they didn’t know the truth. Don’t be a thief of truth by telling lies.
Fifth, lying corrupts you and every work you do. Verse 29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying…” Lying should be as filthy to you as a curse word. Once you get the stain of lying on your character, it will be hard for anyone to trust a word you say, even if what you say afterwards is true. If you don’t want people to totally distrust your works, whether past or present, be a person who always tells the truth.
Sixth, lying grieves the Holy Spirit. Verse 30 says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God…” The worst thing about lying is that it keeps the Holy Spirit from doing His work through you. Essentially, lying restricts the power of the Holy Spirit. God allows you to do many things to Him and is still merciful, but He judges those greatly who hurt His Holy Spirit.
When you look at what lying does, you can see how repulsive it should be to you. The best way to keep these effects of lying from happening in your life is to tell the truth all the time. Honesty should be the one thing for which you are known. Being truthful may not be easy, but it always rewards you greatly in the long run.