Introduction

The first lie ever told was in the Garden of Eden. Both Adam and Eve were commanded by God to eat of any tree except for the one in the center; the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17).

The serpent, speaking to Eve said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) From that one lie, began the downfall of man.

Jesus, in talking to the pharisees, referenced this scene when He said, “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.” (John 8:44)

In society today, people don’t want to hear the truth and the further they drift from it, the more they hate it. Lying is another thing that God hates (prov. 6:17).

Definition

From the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, A criminal falsehood; a falsehood uttered for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth. Fiction, or a false statement or representation, not intended to deceive, mislead or injure, as in fables, parables and the like, is not a lie.

It is willful deceit that makes a lie. A man may act a lie as by pointing his finger in a wrong direction, when a traveler inquires of him his road.

The Color Spectrum of Lies

We should all be familiar with what is called a ‘White’ lie. It’s described as a harmless lie; a fib if you will, that is a half-truth. However, in doing research for this article, I found that there are other colors of lies. The ‘Black’ lie is the opposite of a ‘White’ lie which is told as a full lie to harm another. A ‘Gray’ lie is one that is somewhere in the middle of a ‘White’ and ‘Black’ lie. A ‘Red’ lie is one that is told out of spite and revenge.

A ‘Blue’ lie, similar to a ‘White’ lie is one that is told to protect an entire community. Blue is chosen to connect to the police force that might say something to protect a community by downplaying a situation to ease fears in the area. You can find further information on these types of lies online.

Bible Example from O.T.

In Gen. 12, we are introduced to Abram and his wife, Sarai. They were told by God to leave their country and go to a place where He would show them (vs. 1). As they travel, a famine strikes the land so they travel down to Egypt to obtain food. Here’s the conversation between the couple…

And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” (Genesis 12:11-13)

However, because of his lie, tragedy struck Pharoah’s house (vs. 17) and this is his reaction to Abram, And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” (vs. 18-19)

Abram had a lack of faith in God and chose to lie to Pharoah about his wife. Technically, Sarai was his half-sister which means he was telling a white lie but, since his intentions were to deceive, it became a black lie.

Just a few chapters later, Abraham shared the same lie to Abimelech, king of Gerar (Gen. 20:2-10). Abraham’s reasoning seemed sound as he and the king discuss the matter, Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?” And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.” (vs. 10-12) This still doesn’t make the lie acceptable no matter how genuine it sounds. A lie is still a lie!

Bible Example from N.T.

In the New Testament, when lying comes to mind, some might immediately drift to Peter. As he denied the Lord 3 times during one of His trials (Mt. 26:69-75). Peter was wrong to deny Jesus, but he had enough faith in the cause and was restored by Jesus (Jn. 21:15-17).

For this article I want to look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira from Acts 5:1-10. Unlike Peter, this pair was not given the chance to repent as their lying was blatantly intentional.

At the conclusion of chapter 4 we see a series of people sell of land and possessions and lay the money at the apostles’ feet. The purpose of the money was to ensure those who decided not to leave Jerusalem at this time would be cared for in regard to food, clothing, and shelter.

As chapter 5 unfolds we are introduced to a couple who was planning on deceiving the apostles intentionally (vs. 2). Because of this, Peter said, “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.” (Acts 5:3-4)

Ananias immediately died and, later, his wife suffered the same fate. Some might state that these consequences were too severe. As I stated, unlike Peter, they weren’t given a chance to repent. Their lie was, not only intentional but also, selfish.

Here’s the scenario: Let’s say Ananias and Sapphira sold their possession for $5,000 but decided to keep back $3,000 with the plan to give the apostles $2,000. There is nothing wrong with this as Peter stated as such in the first part of verse 4.

The lie comes into play as Ananias presented the $2,000 to the apostles as if that was the full amount that he sold it for. That’s where the difference comes in! No one had to give the entire amount of money to the apostles but most of them did. Ananias and Sapphira gave the appearance that they were doing the same as everyone else, while keeping back a portion of the money.

This is the reason they were not given the opportunity to repent. They purposefully lied while doing, what they called, a charitable act.

Encouragement for the Christian

Jesus said, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37) As we stated in the introduction, Satan is the father of lies and all liars are his children.

The apostle James wrote, But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes,” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. (James 5:12) James, here, is echoing the same sentiment as Jesus in His sermon on the mount. But he also adds not to swear on anything also. The Jews, in his time, had the habit of making both binding and non-binding oaths. The latter is what James is referring to.

In modern terms, when someone makes a statement, then adds the phrase, “I’ll swear on a stack of bibles” or “I swear on my father’s grave”. This addition to the previous statement shows that you are not of a trustworthy nature to simply reply, “Yes” or “No”. You believe that by adding the oath at the end confirms it when, in actuality, makes people doubt you all the more.

Conclusion

Lying becomes a trap for oneself. Because once you start a lie, you have to remember all of the details plus, you’ll have to add other lies to make it “more believable.” Stick with the truth and keep your answers simple.

Finally, remember what the apostle John wrote, “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.” (Revelation 21:8)