Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:25
Lies, lies, lies! We live in a world of lies and liars. Some of the lies are daily cliches, and we hear them over and over. The cheque is in the mail. I’ll start my diet tomorrow. Give me your number and the doctor will call you right back. Money cheerfully refunded. One size fits all. This offer limited to the first 100 people who call in. Your luggage isn’t lost; it’s only misplaced. Leave your resume and we’ll keep it on file. This hurts me more than it hurts you. I just need five minutes of your time. Let’s have lunch sometime. It’s not the money; it’s the principle. Ha! Nobody believes it when they hear these and dozens more, but they keep being said. It’s as though people expect us to be lied to, as though the reality that all men are liars (Psalm 116:11) is just the normal way of life. But our text declares that this is not to be the normal behaviour of a Christian.
Do you trust somebody who tells you that the cheque is in the mail? Even if you gave them the benefit of the doubt, all trust is gone when the cheque doesn’t arrive (and it seldom if ever does). But there is a way to enable people to actually trust us. Don’t lie to them. It’s that simple, but not necessarily that easy. If we make a promise, we need to keep that promise. That means before we make any promise, we need to make sure we actually can keep it. If we tell a story, unless it’s recognized beforehand as fiction, we need to stick to the facts without adding our own details. That means we have to get the facts and verify them before we tell the story. If we are asked for our opinion, we must be honest and not merely flattering. That means if my shirt is ugly, you are not to tell me it is beautiful, although it’s not a lie to say that it is ‘an interesting choice of colour’. You get the point; if people get to know that they can always expect the truth from us, they will come to trust us. And that is important for those who represent the ultimate truth of the Gospel.
God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). And our text declares that we don’t have to, either. If unsaved people know that we always tell the truth, they will be more likely to trust us when we seek to share the Gospel with them. If Christians know that we always tell the truth, they will be more likely to support us when we need help, and join us when we are serving the Lord. Our friends will have a deepened confidence in us.
The Lord Jesus never told anything untrue, nor did He ever resort to saying or doing anything misleading or devious. And He was renowned for His gracious words (Luke 4:22). Now, there is a worthy goal to pursue. -Jim MacIntosh