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As a child I remember that my mother had a very strong dislike for liars. She said so on many occasions. My mother was not one to hold her opinions to herself very often. I remember old westerns on TV where to call a man a liar was a sure way to get beat up or shot. The Castaways, a garage rock band, became a one-hit wonder with the song, “Liar, Liar” in 1965. Thus, the title of this article. Mark Twain was never of a paragon of virtue in legend or life, but some of his thoughts on lying might be interesting:

 

  • “When in doubt tell the truth.”
  • “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
  • “One of the striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.”
  • “The old saw says, ‘Let a sleeping dog lie.’ Still, when there is much at stake it is better to get a newspaper to do it.”

 

As with every election year, political operatives charge their opponents with lying. We hear it with every commercial break on TV and in political junk mail. The Bible says, “If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked” (Prov. 29:12). The decisions made by rulers impact all of us. If decisions and laws are based on lies the consequences will be far reaching and disastrous.  A leader who is indifferent to truth is in league with the father of lies (Jn. 8:44).

What’s so bad about listening to liars? Ours is a culture that is increasingly comfortable with falsehood, equivocations, misstatements and misrepresentations. We have come so far from the conviction that, “a man’s word is his bond” that it only sounds like archaic dribble. Groucho Marx said, “There is one way to find out if a man is honest – ask him. If he says yes, you know he’s crooked.” I am told that Richard Nixon’s private belief was, “If you can’t lie you will never go anywhere.” There you have it. Lying fits into a culture celebrating:

 

  • Individualism – “If it helps me it’s good!”
  • Media – “Don’t believe everything you read or hear.”
  • Free speech – “I can say what I want – you figure out if I’m telling the truth, or not.”
  • Free enterprise – exaggerated claims in ads are expected in a competitive market.

 

Why are so many of us tolerant of dishonesty in high places? Average citizens are not honest themselves, in many cases.  

 

  • They lie to their spouses.
  • They lie to their bosses.
  • They lie to their creditors.
  • They lie to themselves.
  • They lie to their doctors.
  • They lie to law enforcement officers.
  • They lie to their preacher (if they have one).

 

There are many motives behind the lies that people tell. First, some lie out of habit. In an interesting passage Paul mentioned the Cretans who “are always liars” (Tit. 1:12). It wasn’t that the apostle was judgmental because he quoted one of their own prophets who said so. The propensity to lie often starts early in life and can become to us an ingrained habit. The psalmist indicates that as far back as he can see some are involved in wrongdoing (Psa. 58:3). Lying becomes so easy to do that some can do it without even thinking about it. If you always tell the truth you don’t have to remember what you said before.

Second, some lie out of fear. Abraham lied out of fear for his life (Gen. 12:10-13). Hebrew midwives feared for the lives of the Hebrew infants (Exo. 1:15-22). Jonathan lied out of fear for David’s life (1 Sam. 20:27-29).

Third, some lie to avoid consequences for unacceptable behavior. A classic example is when God asked Cain the rhetorical question, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain replied with a lie: “I don’t know,” and then rejected all care and concern for his own brother (Gen. 4:9). Hardly a sin is ever committed without the perpetrator taking comfort from the expectation that, if caught, he can lie his way out of it.

Fourth, some lie out of malice, that is, the desire to cause pain or injury to another. Such a list might include:

 

  • The slanderer (2 Tim. 3:3).
  • The blasphemer (Col. 3:8).
  • The evil speaker
  • The backbiter (2 Cor. 12:20).
  • The gossiper

 

Fifth, some lie to themselves. The Bible describes that as deceiving yourself (Jas. 1:22, 26; 1 Jn. 1:8). The most destructive form of lying is self-deception. It is also the most difficult to detect and to dislodge. We often justify in ourselves what we condemn in others. We are often blind to problems in ourselves that are obvious in others. We might demand from others what we never give ourselves.

What happens to liars? They eventually get caught. Inspired wisdom teaches us that, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape” (Prov. 19:5). Liars, along with all others who would deny Jesus, will be lost (Rev. 21:8). We need to be reminded that God hates the lying tongue! (Prov. 6:17). Always tell the truth. You will amaze some people and astonish the rest! A good reminder: Sanctify the truth in your heart, always! (Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:9)