But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. (Colossians 3:8-10)

Do Not Lie

A little girl came very early one morning to her mother, saying, “Which is worse, mama, to tell a lie or to steal?” The mother replied that both were so sinful she could not tell which was worse. “Well, mama,” replied the little one, “I have been thinking a good deal about it, and I think it is ever so much worse to lie than steal.” “Why, my child?” asked the mother. “Well, you see, mama, it is like this,” said the little girl: “If you steal a thing, you can take it back, unless you have eaten it, and if you have eaten it, you can pay for it; but a lie is forever.”

Lying is one of the most prolific sins known to men. Business deals justify the art of the lie. Relationships are destroyed when lies are revealed. Almost every part of life can find people telling small, socially acceptable, inconsequential lies and believing nothing is wrong. To tell a lie is nearly an accepted norm in society. For the most part, lying is something done once in a while, but there is a percentage of the world that are habitual liars. Someone has suggested that the majority of lies are told by a minority of liars. Some people lie because they believe they are better at creating lies than telling the truth. They will embed a lie in a body of truth, and no one knows the difference.

Lying is a sin. God detests liars. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God in the early days of the church, and God struck them dead. The reason for such swift judgment against them is only in the mind of God but it serves as a warning to the view of God against those who tell lies. God knows when men lie with their lips. No lie will go unpunished. Lying is a corrupt heart that refuses to embrace truth. Jesus never told a lie and demands that those who follow Him seek to keep their hearts filled with truth. “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” (O. W. Holmes, 1858)

The little child in the above story learned a valuable lesson. God looks at lying and stealing as the same because they are both transgressions of His law. But the consequence of a lie has so many far-reaching consequences that it can become a greater tragedy than stealing. Lies break down trust, destroy faith, and create a spirit of jealousy that can be hard to mend. Sometimes lies will impact someone for as long as they live. The only solution to lying is to tell the truth. Speaking the truth makes the pillow easier to lie on at night. God is pleased when we tell the truth. Lying can jeopardize our soul because God does not take lightly those who lie. God’s grace will forgive lying but it is best not to lie.