“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25
We live in an age where people are becoming very inventive in telling lies. No longer is a lie the opposite of truth telling. Lying has become an art. It involves all kinds of subterfuge in an attempt to cover up the truth.
Some of the ways people lie in an attempt to cover up the truth are:
1. By their silence in the face of a lie. Knowing something is not true, especially about another person, and not speaking up is helping propagate a lie.
2. By attempting to create the truth as opposed to discovering truth. In this scenario the truth is what we say it is.
3. By telling people what they want to hear. This way truth is whatever makes people happy.
4. By hypocritical actions. Acting in a way that is designed to hide the truth.
5. By speaking deceitfully or evasively. This takes place when we attempt to define and use words so as to create an image that is not true.
These are some of the ways we attempt to cover up the truth. Why do people act this way? It is an attempt to manipulate people and events to their own advantage. Lying is all about manipulating people for one’s own benefit. We want people to think more highly of us than they do. We lie to gain greater power, a higher position or to make more money
The problem with lying is that it betrays a lack of character. Once people find out that you are a liar, you can never be trusted again even when you are telling the truth. At this point in the liar’s life, the first truth he can tell is that he is a liar. Lying is a sin and must be confessed to God and forgiveness must be sought by those who have been hurt by the lies told.
A liar stops lying when he starts telling the truth. It not just the absence of a lie that makes a person truthful but it is the presence of truth telling. In the process, we need to realize a negative action, no longer lying; it must be replaced with a positive action, telling the truth. (With thanks to Os Guinness in his book Time for Truth for many helpful thoughts on Truth Telling.)
We live in an age where people are becoming very inventive in telling lies. No longer is a lie the opposite of truth telling. Lying has become an art. It involves all kinds of subterfuge in an attempt to cover up the truth.
Some of the ways people lie in an attempt to cover up the truth are:
1. By their silence in the face of a lie. Knowing something is not true, especially about another person, and not speaking up is helping propagate a lie.
2. By attempting to create the truth as opposed to discovering truth. In this scenario the truth is what we say it is.
3. By telling people what they want to hear. This way truth is whatever makes people happy.
4. By hypocritical actions. Acting in a way that is designed to hide the truth.
5. By speaking deceitfully or evasively. This takes place when we attempt to define and use words so as to create an image that is not true.
These are some of the ways we attempt to cover up the truth. Why do people act this way? It is an attempt to manipulate people and events to their own advantage. Lying is all about manipulating people for one’s own benefit. We want people to think more highly of us than they do. We lie to gain greater power, a higher position or to make more money
The problem with lying is that it betrays a lack of character. Once people find out that you are a liar, you can never be trusted again even when you are telling the truth. At this point in the liar’s life, the first truth he can tell is that he is a liar. Lying is a sin and must be confessed to God and forgiveness must be sought by those who have been hurt by the lies told.
A liar stops lying when he starts telling the truth. It not just the absence of a lie that makes a person truthful but it is the presence of truth telling. In the process, we need to realize a negative action, no longer lying; it must be replaced with a positive action, telling the truth. (With thanks to Os Guinness in his book Time for Truth for many helpful thoughts on Truth Telling.)
