Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. Colossians 3:9
Can you remember the first lie that you ever told. If you say yes, you are telling another lie, because you were telling lies long before you realized it. Little children never need to be given instructions in lie-telling, they come by that skill naturally. Some of them develop a habit that marks them for life, as they distort facts, substitute details, and conveniently forget, and become known for being untrustworthy. We were all at one time obeying our father the devil, who encouraged us to lie. But that was in the days of the old man, being untruthful should never mark a child of God.
The old man was a liar. But we have put him off, replacing him with the new, spirit-filled man. The old man was the devil’s man. The new man is Christ’s man. The old man has been put off; the new man has been received. So we no longer lie, right? Oh, how we wish it would be so! Not only do we still lie, but we lie to other Christians. Sometimes it’s convenient, sometimes we feel it helps us to avoid situations or responsibilities. But lying is wrong. Why is it so wrong and so disgraceful for Christians to lie?
We know the devil is a liar and the father of lies. But we also know that God is incapable of lying. He is truth. Because He is always true, He is always dependable. We can trust His Word and know that He will never break a promise. As His children, as possessors of the Holy Spirit, we should display the character of God in our lives and in our speech. That means we should be as incapable of lying as God is. Otherwise, we are a poor testimony for Him. We are poor ambassadors for Christ if we lie. The most trustworthy people you know should be the Christians… and that includes yourself.
Just as lying is the mark of the unconverted, truth should be the mark of the believer. Does your honesty tell others that you belong to the Lord Jesus? -Jim MacIntosh