When Christians Lie — E.A. Johnston

Half-Truths Are Lies

I had a brother in Christ tell me a half-truth the other day. He said one thing which was true, but he covered up another thing which I knew was a lie, because a half-truth is not the whole truth, and anything that is not the whole truth is a lie.

Ananias and Sapphira’s Deception

We see this principle in the following striking passage of scripture in Acts chapter 5. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?

Or why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart, and thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God? And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost, and great fear came on all of them that heard these things.

And the young man arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in, and Peter answered unto her, Tell me, whether ye sold the land for so much?

And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried the husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Then she fell down straightway. I will stop there, friends. I wonder what startlement would fill church next Sunday, if the congregation was exposed for the sin of lying, and judged immediately like that.

The Hidden Lies Within the Church

What terrible scene would ensue if church members were suddenly struck dead for being such big liars. The businessman, who churned his customer's account for his own gain, and lied to them, saying he was looking out for their best interests.

The teenager, who had been steadily lying to their parents about their whereabouts the past several weekends. The husband, who's been unfaithful to his wedding vows, and lying to his wife. The student, who has cheated on an exam, and lied to the teacher.

The wife, who kept back part of the grocery money to lavish it on a beauty product she really didn't need anyhow, but she wanted it, even if it meant less quality in the meals she served her family. The lies that church members told one another throughout the week were half-truths, were presented as whole truths, and nothing more than big lies.

Lies of Commission and Omission

The lies of commission, and the lies of omission. Tell a person you will pray for them, when you never followed through on it, that's a lie of omission. Telling someone you will come back and assist them in this Christian endeavor, and you never do.

Never do what you said you would, and you got your excuses, that's a lie of omission. Flagrant sins, lying to almighty God yourself, promising God you'll quit that sin once and for all, and soon you're right back down in your hog walla.

Promising God you'll heed the call to the mission field, or heed the call to ministry, and you never do. Excuses, lies, lies, lies. The church is crawling with slithering vipers of lies, and God forbid the pastor who says he will do such and such, and he is derelict in his duty.

Jesus’ Warning About the Father of Lies

Lies. Jesus had stern words to the Pharisees in his day. We see in John 8, 44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.

When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it. What our Lord is saying here is that when we lie, we're acting like the devil who opposes God himself. I wonder how many of us have told a bold-faced lie recently.

Perhaps you thought it was just a little harmless white lie. Listen, friends, there's no such thing as a little white lie. They're all as black as sin itself. Why, I'll never forget the time I purposely lied to a brother in Christ because of my filthy pride.

Personal Confession and Conviction

We were church friends, and I was his Sunday school teacher, and we played racquetball occasionally. Well, one time while we were on the racquetball court, he asked me where I had gone to college, and I told him, oh, he said, I graduated from that college.

What year did you graduate? And instead of telling him the truth that at the time I was a college dropout, I was too embarrassed and I didn't admit that to him, so instead I gave him a year that I graduated and I lied to him.

Oh, friends, oh, that week I was miserable. I was eaten up with guilt. I couldn't sleep at night. I felt uneasy, and today I was under deep conviction of sin. Here I was, this man's Sunday school teacher, and I had lied to him.

Why, I had a higher accountability, and I blew it. Finally, I cornered him in a hallway of church the next Sunday, and I confessed my lie to him. I asked him to forgive me. Well, he was shocked by my admission, but he said he forgave me, but I never saw that man again in my Sunday school class, and I don't blame him.

Repentance, Confession, and Restoration

Is there someone here to whom you need to fess up, or is there someone that you came in contact with in the last month that you need to confess to and ask their forgiveness for lying to them? Why, you can't go any further with God with partial truths and various lies.

Get right with God and confess your untruths to Him, both your lies of commission and lies of omission. Will you let someone down by not following through as you had said? Then, gird up your loins and go apologize to that offended someone.

It may be a difficult conversation, an uncomfortable one, but a necessary and needful one to have a clean slate before God and man. Let us pray.