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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 3, JANUARY 21, 2007 WHY LIE? I have heard the statement made, “Everyone lies.” I suppose that at some point in their lives, pretty much everybody has told a lie, but I deny that everybody makes a practice of it. It would be an absolute tragedy if they did. In Revelation 21:8, we are told, “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.” What does the word “lie” mean? It can be used as a noun and a verb. Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary provides the following definitions that would be pertinent to this article. “1. A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood; 2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; 3. an inaccurate or false statement.” As a verb, “6. to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive; 7. to express what is false; convey a false impression; 8. to bring about or affect by lying (often used reflexively): to lie oneself out of a difficulty; accustomed to lying his way out of difficulties.” There were more definitions given by these will suffice. I have often wondered “why” a person will lie. It seems that a reason that would encompass most of the lying that is done would be to somehow benefit the liar. Consider Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. These two individuals lied. As a matter of fact, Peter specifically asked Ananias in verses 3-4, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Actually Ananias had lied to men, but ultimately every sin, including lying, is against God. This exchange between Peter and Ananias also helps us to understand whom the liar is acting like. It harkens back to a statement that the Lord made to certain of the Jews in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He 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.” People will lie in a reflexive attempt to extricate themselves from trouble. Frequently, when people are confronted with a statement they made that puts them in a bad light, the reflexive lie “I didn’t say that” will be uttered. It is an attempt to get out of trouble. I think of Peter and what he did as he perceived that his life was in danger if he had told the truth. Let’s read Luke 22:55-60: “Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, This man was also with Him. But he denied Him, saying, Woman, I do not know Him. And after a little while another saw him and said, You also are of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not! Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean. But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying! Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.” Sometimes it is not so reflexive, but a well thought out, premeditated story concocted with much effort and planning. Either way, it is a sin. People will lie to do harm to someone else. This still fits into the realm of lying to benefit the liar, but it is a clear sub-case. Consider what was done at the trial of Jesus in Matthew 26:59-60: “Now the chief priest, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.” This is very similar to what happened to Stephen in Acts 6:9-13: “Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Then they secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes: and they came upon him, seized him; and brought him to the council. They also set up false witnesses who said, This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.” I also believe that I have met people who lie because that is just what they do. They have not told the truth for so long that lying is now their normal mode of operation. With some of them, I am not even altogether sure that they realize they are lying anymore. Every lie is a sin and an affront to God. However, lies by brethren are particularly odious. We, of all people, ought to be pure, holy, honest and trustworthy enough to tell the truth. Paul instructs us in Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” In Colossians 3:9-10, he wrote, “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.” Greg Litmer
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