Have you ever been lied to? Lies harm us deeply, don’t they? The saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not true. Lies distort reality. They fracture the trust that holds relationships together. As I was thinking about this commandment this week, I realized that at its core, all sin is a lie.
Sin distorts the truth about God, about humanity, and about the world He created. When we sin, whatever the sin, we give false testimony about who God is—about His righteousness, holiness, and love. At the same time, we give false testimony about ourselves, rejecting our calling as His image-bearers in the world. The words we speak, the promises we make, and the way we represent reality all reflect our understanding of God’s truth. This is why the ninth commandment, about not bearing false witness, is so important. Many of us know it as “thou shall not lie.” Let’s take a deeper look at this commandment today. Why honoring the truth is so important?
Telling the truth reflects the character of God, who is truth itself.
Telling the truth reflects the character of God. Whether you are a Christian or not, the Bible tells us that we are made in the image of God, made to reflect Him and who He is.
God’s commandments reflect His character.
God is not arbitrary in creating rules to govern our lives; His commands are an extension of His character. When you consider the character of God, you realize that He is the ultimate reality, the ultimate being. He is the source of everything that is true and real. This is what we mean when we say Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the source of all reality and truth.
In John 1:3, we read that all things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being. Everything exists by the power and word of Christ. He is the creator of all reality, rooted in God’s immutable, unchanging character.
In Colossians 1:17, Paul writes, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Think about how many cells are in your body and the atoms that make up those cells. Why are those atoms sticking together to make you, you? Because of Him. It’s not just photons and electrons. He gives those photons and electrons their charge. He holds all things together. He could command every atom in your body to disperse, and you would cease to exist. That is the power of God.
There are many false gods in the world, but there is only one true God. Jeremiah the prophet, in Jeremiah 10:10, says, “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath, the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.” God told Jeremiah to speak to the Israelites, who were worshiping false gods, saying, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” These false gods are powerless. God, Yahweh, the Lord Jesus, is the only true God. He made everything that exists and is the source of all truth.
In a world filled with fabricated realities, God’s truth stands apart as a sure foundation—unchanging, genuine, and ultimate. Think about the fabricated realities we encounter, not just in media but also in artificial intelligence and virtual realities. We need something solid. Many long to go back to simpler days when life seemed more grounded. God’s truth is that foundation.
God’s words and actions will always prove true because He is the source of truth. We do not need to fear for the survival of the Church or the relevance of Christianity. Even if it seems marginalized, God remains the source of truth, and He always preserves a remnant.
God’s knowledge of reality is infinite. Infinite is not a number; it’s a concept, and it helps us understand God’s omniscience. As the psalmist says in Psalm 147:5, “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” He knows everything and is the source of all truth.
Jesus, in His high priestly prayer in John 17:17, says, “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth.” Whatever God says, He will always fulfill. He never misrepresents reality or takes pleasure in deception. Numbers 23:19 reminds us, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” God never lies. In fact, He cannot lie. It is against His nature. God cannot violate His character.
Since this is who God is, His commandments reflect His character. Telling the truth reflects the character of God. As His people, we are called to care deeply about being truthful in our thoughts, words, and deeds because the truth is central to our purpose and identity as His image-bearers.
God’s people care about truth in thought, word, and deed.
We should care about being truthful in our thoughts, in our deeds, and in the things we say because the truth of God is central to our purpose and identity. Truth is foundational; I can’t think of anything more important than the truth that establishes our identity and purpose.
The Church is all about the truth. Certainly, there have been times in history, and even today, when the Church struggles to communicate the truth. Often, the Church becomes corrupt and must undergo reformation, but the standard of truth never changes. Loving God means loving His Son, Jesus, who declared in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” If you don’t love the truth, if you cling to lies, you are incompatible with Christ. Despising the truth, whatever form it takes, is synonymous with despising Christ Himself.
Loving the truth ensures that our hope and our love for God are rooted in who He truly is—not in some distorted or convenient version of the truth. That is the challenge, isn’t it? We all struggle with wanting the truth to conform to what is most convenient for us. But truth is not always convenient. Because of this, we are prone to imagine God as we want Him to be rather than as He has truly revealed Himself. We want a God who is softer on the sins we personally struggle with. At the same time, we may want a God who is harsher on other people’s sins—the sins that don’t bother us. Isn’t that true for every one of us?
The Bible clearly teaches that all human beings are prejudiced against the truth, including you and me. We are all biased. The only way to counteract that bias is to put ourselves under the Word of God, to ask Him to reveal our true selves, and to submit our lives to obedience and trust in Him, no matter what He reveals.
Lies corrupt justice, harm relationships, and grieve God.
Point number two brings us to the ninth commandment: lies are wrong because they corrupt justice, destroy relationships, and grieve God. Lies cause severe harm to relationships, and when not outright destroyed, relationships are deeply impacted. God is grieved by lies, justice is corrupted, and people suffer.
When God gave the Ten Commandments, He addressed this issue clearly. In fact, the ninth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” is specific about truth in a legal or courtroom setting. Growing up, many of us memorized this commandment as “Thou shalt not lie,” but the commandment actually focuses on bearing false witness—giving false testimony. This has to do with justice. While we will see that this commandment has broader implications for lying in general, its original context highlights the importance of truthful testimony in upholding justice.
Justice cannot exist without truth. Truth is the foundation of fairness, integrity, and righteousness in any society or government. Without truth, justice falls apart. In the ancient world, eyewitness testimony was the cornerstone of justice. They didn’t have the benefit of modern forensic science. There were no DNA tests or other forms of evidence we rely on today. Their primary evidence was the testimony of witnesses, which made truthful testimony critical to maintaining justice.
The ninth commandment demands truthful testimony because it safeguards justice, protects the innocent, and ensures that the guilty are rightly punished. This principle is as vital today as it was then. In ancient Israel, there were no prisons or jails. Justice was swift, carried out on the spot. The absence of an appeals court or further investigation meant that truthful witnesses were essential, especially in cases involving capital punishment.
Mark Rooker, in his book on the Ten Commandments, explains that in Israel, any male who witnessed a crime could be called to testify, and a curse could be pronounced against anyone who refused to give testimony. Because justice was carried out immediately, truthful witnesses were absolutely necessary. In fact, false witnesses faced the same punishment they sought to inflict on the person they accused. If someone falsely accused another of a crime like murder, and it was discovered they lied, they would receive the sentence for murder themselves.
This underscores how seriously God regards truth and justice. While the commandment addresses false testimony in a legal setting, it serves as a worst-case scenario to illustrate the broader implications of dishonesty. Each of the Ten Commandments, even when applied more broadly, is vitally important.
God’s prohibition includes all forms of dishonesty that harm others or distort truth.
This includes lying, gossip, slander, uncharitable criticism, misjudging, and even flattery—forms of dishonesty that harm people with words. God cares about this deeply. The Westminster Catechism, used by Presbyterians to teach doctrine, provides an exhaustive list of what is required by each commandment and the sins they forbid. While I won’t list everything, it is thorough and convicting. One example that often gets overlooked is gossip. Gossip is an enormous problem, and it’s not new.
Proverbs 11:13 says, “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.” When you share someone’s secrets and tell others not to repeat it, you are lying to the person who trusted you, breaking the ninth commandment. Even if the information is true, spreading it can still be a violation of this commandment.
Why do we gossip? Proverbs 20:19 warns, “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a gossip.” The Hebrew word for gossip literally translates to “juicy morsels,” like irresistible bits of food. When I think of that, I imagine brisket—juicy, flavorful, and tempting. That’s how the Bible describes gossip, as something tantalizing but ultimately harmful. Gossiping breaks the ninth commandment because it misuses words and causes harm.
The Bible warns us to avoid associating with gossips because their behavior reveals a lack of trustworthiness. If someone gossips about others to you, what do you think they’re saying about you to others? Don’t associate with gossip—it poisons relationships.
We also break the ninth commandment when we fail to stand up for the truth. Remaining silent when we should speak out for justice, or failing to protect someone’s good name when they are slandered, makes us guilty. We also violate this commandment when we don’t speak honestly from the heart.
There may be gray areas where speaking the truth is difficult. For example, if your spouse asks whether something looks good and you don’t think it does, navigating that with honesty can be a challenge. But our goal should always be to speak honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Have you considered that flattery is also a form of dishonesty? Alistair Begg once shared a story about his father taking him to Scottish men’s choirs. On one occasion, while dressed up, some women were doting on him and calling him cute. At the counter, the clerk told him, “Young man, flattery is like perfume—sniff it, but don’t swallow it.” Flattery is deceptive and breaks the ninth commandment.
As Christians, we have a duty to stand up for truth and to be truthful in all areas of life. People should not know us as unreliable or untrustworthy. Being unreliable—failing to follow through on commitments—also breaks the ninth commandment. It brings shame to Christ’s name because we represent Him.
Paul writes in Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” This isn’t just about avoiding lies; it’s about actively speaking the truth. As members of Christ’s body, truthfulness is essential to building trust and unity among believers.
Why do we struggle so much with deception? This isn’t just a problem for narcissistic liars with a serious issue; everyone, at some point, struggles with deception. Think about the people we lie to and deceive. We lie to ourselves. We lie to others. We distort things and skew the picture to make it work in our favor, telling ourselves it’s not really a lie. We withhold the truth and justify it by thinking, “Oh, I’m not really lying.”
Why do we do this? Because we’re chasing happiness the wrong way. That’s the root of deception—we deceive ourselves and others because we’re pursuing happiness in ways that don’t align with God’s truth. Consider this: our fears and selfishness distort our understanding of how to achieve happiness. We fear negative consequences, so we say, “Nope, it wasn’t me,” or “I didn’t take that,” or “I didn’t say that.” Selfishly, we want to change outcomes to secure a benefit. For example, “If you buy this coffee cake, Mr. Smith, it’ll do wonders for your health.”
We manipulate reality to serve our interests. But isn’t it true that the deepest fulfillment comes only when we align our lives with God’s truth? And often, that alignment comes with pain. Yet, instead of trusting in the long-term goodness of God’s truth, we settle for short-term gains.
Lies erode trust, create emotional distance, and undermine relationships.
Friends, lies erode trust, don’t they? We all know this because we’ve all been lied to. And truthfully, we’ve all told lies. Lies undermine trust. They create emotional distance between you and the person you’ve lied to. They also weaken the authenticity that’s essential for a healthy relationship, even if the other person doesn’t know you lied. The relationship is still affected because you know you lied. And trust, as we all know, is hard to earn but easily lost.
Lies act like termites—tiny, silent destroyers—eating away at the structure of a relationship. Even if no one else realizes the damage, it eats away at you. As your words and actions lose credibility, future interactions become tainted with suspicion. If the person knows you lied, trust is broken. If they don’t, you start projecting suspicion onto them. After all, if you lie, what are they lying about? Lies create a cycle of doubt, and we’re left with a mess.
Steven M.R. Covey, in his book Speed of Trust, writes that high-trust relationships allow for grace and understanding. When trust is strong, misalignments are met with grace because there’s a track record of trustworthiness. You’re more likely to assume the best of someone with whom you have a high-trust relationship. On the other hand, in low-trust relationships, misunderstandings quickly lead to conflict and suspicion.
Repeated lying, however, weakens even your own confidence in your ability to uphold integrity. When you lie frequently, you begin to doubt yourself. It becomes harder to trust your own words and actions. This loss of confidence spills over into your relationships. When you refuse to be fully known and vulnerable with others, it’s often because you fear being exposed. Perhaps others have been untrustworthy, but perhaps it’s also because your own deceit has distanced you from them. Deception isolates you, and that isolation erodes your confidence further.
Lies distort your perception of truth, leading to confusion and misalignment in your life. Even if no one discovers your deception, guilt and shame creep in, causing emotional withdrawal. This creates distance from the freedom of being fully known and accepted. There’s a real freedom in being both known and accepted. Without honesty, even relationships where you’re known can feel superficial, because deeper emotional exchanges are too risky. Over time, deception causes harm to relationships, whether or not the truth is discovered. Lies harm trust, and trust is the foundation of every meaningful connection. But next, I want you to see that…
Lies grieve God
God is grieved by every little white lie, every deception, and every time we don’t speak up when we should. Every lie, no matter how small, is an act of rebellion against God’s character and His law. Have you considered the magnitude of who God is? As we discussed earlier, think about His greatness.
Proverbs 6:16 points out seven things that God hates. It says, “There are six things which the Lord hates,” and then it intensifies with, “Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him.” That word, abomination, is stronger than hate in the Hebrew language. It describes the worst of the worst—things that stir His fury. Now listen to them and notice how many are connected to lies: haughty eyes (arrogance), a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run quickly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.
God clearly says there are some sins He hates more than others. We often hear that all sins are equal, but that’s not quite right. Yes, all sin separates us from God and leads to hell. But we must be cautious not to judge sins by our own standards. Still, Scripture tells us that some sins are abominations to God. Lying is one of them.
Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.” God despises dishonesty. Dishonesty leads to guilt and shame, which drive us to hide from God. Have you ever wondered why you sometimes feel distant from God? Why it’s hard to pray, read your Bible, or attend church? That guilt and shame, whether recognized or not, create a barrier to the intimacy God desires with us.
Psalm 101:7 says, “He who practices deceit shall not dwell within My house; he who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before Me.” When a Christian lies, they fail their mission to represent God accurately. Lies distort the gospel’s message to the world.
I was reflecting this week on the Pharisees, who often misrepresented God’s truth. Jesus frequently clashed with them. In John 8:44, He tells them, “You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” These were the most religious people in Israel, yet Jesus bluntly called them children of the devil.
So, who is your father? If you live comfortably in deception, consistently lying to others and yourself, who would Jesus say your father is? I’m not talking about someone who struggles with sin, feels conviction, and repents. I’m talking about those at peace with dishonesty.
You may have grown up in church. You may have stood before the congregation and professed Jesus as your Savior, followed by baptism, and outwardly looked the part. But the Pharisees also appeared to be God’s people. Jesus told them, “You don’t know God. You don’t love the truth. I tell you the truth, and you hate it. You want to kill me for it. Your father is the devil.” These words weren’t meant to win friends but to expose the truth.
My friends, growing up in church and making outward decisions is not enough if there hasn’t been a heart change. The Bible doesn’t teach that Christians stop struggling with sin, but it does teach that a Christian’s attitude toward sin changes. If you’re comfortable with misrepresentations in your life, ask yourself: who is my father? Is it God, or is it the devil?
We tend to downplay the seriousness of our sin, but as we’ve seen, our deceptions are far worse in God’s eyes than we often realize.
Deception invites eternal consequences of God’s judgment.
Lies may seem to escape consequences in the short term, but God will ensure that His justice for every one of your lies is eventually served. Proverbs 19:9 says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will perish.” Do you think God won’t find out? In Numbers 32:23, God tells the Israelites, “Behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.” That verse scares me to death whenever I sin and think I’ve gotten away with it.
Every lie, whether spoken aloud or harbored in the heart, will be revealed before God. Even the lies that never leave your lips—the ones you hold in your head—will be exposed. Jesus says in Luke 8:17, “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” This is serious and sobering, isn’t it?
Revelation also speaks of this stark reality. Habitual liars are excluded from the eternal kingdom of God. In Revelation 21:8, Jesus says, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” You go to hell for this. This is not funny in the least. Again in verse 27, it says, “Nothing unclean, and no one who practices abominations and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” If you are a habitual liar, you are not going to heaven.
Well, you might say, “I thought Jesus would save me from that.” He does—He saves you from it, not to it. You don’t become perfect, but your attitude toward lying changes. Revelation 22:15 reinforces this message in the Bible’s final chapter. It speaks about those excluded from heaven: “Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”
Every one of us has told a lie. Some of us have been habitual liars. But some of us have repented of habitual lying with the Lord’s help. So what do we do? At Valley Harvest, we’re committed to preaching the whole counsel of God—the truth and the word of God—even when it’s uncomfortable. I’ll admit, I’ve told my share of lies throughout my life. Friends, you’re waiting for the good news, aren’t you? What if we just ended the sermon here and all went home? No, the good news is this:
Jesus embodies truth and empowers His followers to live truthfully.
We deceive, as I mentioned earlier, because we fear the consequences of the truth or because we try to make the future look brighter in our own way. That’s why we deceive—we’re afraid of the pain or consequences of the truth, or we think we need to manipulate circumstances to secure a better outcome. In essence, it means we don’t trust what God has in store for us, so we try to control it ourselves.
Here’s the good news: Jesus empowers us to live truthfully. As truth incarnate, as truth in bodily form, Jesus provides a clear standard for moral, relational, and spiritual integrity. Jesus is the standard. Unless you are as truthful as He is, apart from Him, you will die and face eternal separation from God.
But Jesus’ life, teaching, death, and resurrection reflect the perfect harmony of grace and truth. These work together to restore sinners. I love John 1:14—not only because it’s a great Christmas verse, but because it tells us two profound things about Jesus. It says, “The Word,” which is John’s title for Jesus, “became flesh.” This means Jesus took on a body like ours, which is what we celebrate at Christmas. He “dwelt among us, and we saw His glory.” John assures us that Jesus wasn’t just some ghostly figure.
He describes Jesus’ glory as being “of the only begotten from the Father.” Then, John uses two adjectives to describe Him. If you asked John, “If you could only use two words to describe Jesus, what would they be?” his answer would be: grace and truth. Jesus embodies truth.
But He is also the embodiment of grace. He does not enable us to remain in our sin. He does not pass over it lightly or say, “Oh, it’s okay.” He doesn’t trivialize sin. Instead, He goes to the cross and dies for it. He takes sin seriously—seriously enough to die for it.
Jesus is all about truth, but He’s equally all about grace. By dying on the cross, He makes it possible for us to experience God’s forgiveness and receive a new identity that loves the truth. Even though we may still struggle with the temptation to be deceitful, we are transformed by our love for the truth because we love God.
Jesus’ truth sets us free.
Jesus takes death and defeats it by dying on the cross. His truth defeats the lies—the father of lies, all the lies you’ve believed, and all the lies you’ve wanted to believe. Jesus conquers them with His truth and promises to set you free.
In John 8:31-32, He says, “If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Are you continuing in His word? That’s the test. Are you truly continuing? When you are truthful about your sin, truthful about your past, and truthful about how your life has failed to live up to God’s standards, and you say, “I need Your help,” something incredible happens. When you are truthful about Jesus, about who He is and the help He offers, He brings you in, gives you a new identity, and enables you to live a free life.
He creates a new self in you, one marked by truthfulness in Christ. Colossians 3:8 says, “Put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” Put aside all lies. Paul urges, “Do not lie to one another, since you have laid aside the old self with its evil practices.” The idea is to look at your old self and declare, “You’re dead to me.” The old self may resist, trying to make you act in its ways again, but you must hold firm and say, “You’re dead to me.” Like the famous line from The Godfather, you’re done with it.
But it’s not enough to cast off the old self—you must put on the new self. Paul says, “Put on the new self, who is being renewed.” You have been renewed, but you are also being renewed—it’s a process. Renewal happens in the true knowledge according to the image of the one who created you. Stopping lies isn’t enough. You can’t just stop; you have to put Christ on. The more you love Jesus, the more you get to know God, appreciate Him, and desire to be like Him, the more you are putting on the new self.
This responsibility is before each of us, and I want to leave you with one more verse. Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Reflecting on this, I realize how often we dismiss our actions with phrases like, “It’s just a white lie. It’s not a big deal.” But Jesus says if you can’t be faithful in the little things, how can you be faithful in the bigger ones?
Think about the trivial things we are tempted to lie about. So much of it is foolish, yet we still give in. If you can’t be faithful with the small matters, how can you expect to overcome the bigger temptations or make the right decisions in the bigger moments of life? The principles that govern heaven apply here too: faithfulness in little prepares you for faithfulness in much.
Conclusion
You’re not perfect, and neither am I. Thank God Jesus died for our sins. But Jesus only paid for my sins if I repent and trust Him. Do you want your lies cleared from your record? Do you want your record expunged? I spoke with a brother this week who, years ago, had some criminal records expunged. He’s been walking with the Lord for over a decade now.
Do you want all your lies, every single one recorded, cleared from the annals of heaven’s court? Come to Christ. Admit it. Be truthful with Him, and He will forgive you.
As we prepare to close, would you stand with me? Matthew, would you and the worship team come up? Friends, our Lord delights in showing mercy, but He will only show mercy to those who come to Him and ask with a sincere heart.
I am so thankful that I’m saved by grace because I know I would never make it any other way. And you can be free today. Do you struggle with being honest? You’re not alone. The statistics I reviewed this week about dishonesty in America are shocking, but not surprising. We live in a world full of lies, and we’re all tempted to compromise. But Jesus can set you free.
Let’s pray: Lord, I once belonged to the father of lies. The truth is, in my old life, I was often tempted to lie. And Lord, even now, I know that I’ve told my share of lies. You hate them—all of them. Even the smallest lie offends You, especially when I take it so lightly and fail to see its seriousness. If You judged me on how much truth I’ve told versus how many lies, I know I’d be guilty. And You would be just in passing the sentence of eternal death on me.
But Jesus, I thank You that You came to this earth as a human being just like me. Having lived a perfect life, You died on the cross to pay the debt for my sin. I know You rose from the dead, and I believe You are the way, the truth, and the life. I pray that You would come into my life and help me live honestly before You. Change me. Help me to love what You love and to hate what You hate. In Your name, I pray, Jesus. Amen.
