Various lists of “do’s and don’ts” regarding behavior have been compiled by well-intentioned persons for decades. None however, has had the kind of authority as Scripture does in addressing such issues. Eph. 4:22-29 is one such list which catalogues the relics of the old man. While Prov.6:16-19 is comprehensive and sweeping, Ephesians is distinct because of its precise relevance to Christians. The sins on this list are the ones that are prone to sneak back into the life of the Christian from time to time.
Since lying is the most outstanding sin of mankind and for the reason that truth is the most vital trait of Christianity, Paul talks about lying first. The Greek pseudos (G5579), from which we get our English pseudo (as in pseudonym, a false name), comes up in Greek from as far back as Homer’s time and means “the direct opposite of truth, alēthei.”
From Ephesus, John, the apostle wrote to churches in Asia Minor reminding them that they knew “the truth” and “that no lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21). A lie does not have even the slightest speck of truth in it. There is no such a thing as “a gray area” as is generally believed. The truth is cancelled out by even the smallest lie. A lie, therefore, is defined as “a statement that is contrary to presented fact with the intent to deceive.” Note that the definition is twofold. A statement that is contrary to fact is not necessarily a lie. To tell someone that you will meet them at a 1:00pm, but you are late due traffic delays would not be a lie because your intent was not to deceive them. But if you said you’d be there at a 1:oopm, knowing quite well that you’d be late, that would be a lie.
For clarification, things such as joking, imaginary stories, symbolic language, and withholding statements to be polite are not lying. On the other hand, many other things like barefaced dishonesty, exaggerating, embellishing a story, cheating, divulging confidentiality, making excuses for poor behavior, telling half-truths, bootlegging, audacity, sweet talk, phony humility, two-facedness, bogus promises just to name a few, are all ways of lying.
The bottom line is, saying anything that is not completely true, is lying.
Without a doubt, lying is a wide-reaching vice, inherent at very core of man to the extent that even the Christian habitually struggles with it. The good news, however, is that God provides triumphant edge.
Review and Meditation: According to John 8:44, who is the father of lies? To express the how serious lying was, what was the punishment for it as revealed in Acts 5:1-11.
Since lying is the most outstanding sin of mankind and for the reason that truth is the most vital trait of Christianity, Paul talks about lying first. The Greek pseudos (G5579), from which we get our English pseudo (as in pseudonym, a false name), comes up in Greek from as far back as Homer’s time and means “the direct opposite of truth, alēthei.”
From Ephesus, John, the apostle wrote to churches in Asia Minor reminding them that they knew “the truth” and “that no lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21). A lie does not have even the slightest speck of truth in it. There is no such a thing as “a gray area” as is generally believed. The truth is cancelled out by even the smallest lie. A lie, therefore, is defined as “a statement that is contrary to presented fact with the intent to deceive.” Note that the definition is twofold. A statement that is contrary to fact is not necessarily a lie. To tell someone that you will meet them at a 1:00pm, but you are late due traffic delays would not be a lie because your intent was not to deceive them. But if you said you’d be there at a 1:oopm, knowing quite well that you’d be late, that would be a lie.
For clarification, things such as joking, imaginary stories, symbolic language, and withholding statements to be polite are not lying. On the other hand, many other things like barefaced dishonesty, exaggerating, embellishing a story, cheating, divulging confidentiality, making excuses for poor behavior, telling half-truths, bootlegging, audacity, sweet talk, phony humility, two-facedness, bogus promises just to name a few, are all ways of lying.
The bottom line is, saying anything that is not completely true, is lying.
Without a doubt, lying is a wide-reaching vice, inherent at very core of man to the extent that even the Christian habitually struggles with it. The good news, however, is that God provides triumphant edge.
Review and Meditation: According to John 8:44, who is the father of lies? To express the how serious lying was, what was the punishment for it as revealed in Acts 5:1-11.
Lying - (Greek Pseudo)
Pronounced - psyoo’-dos
Pronounced - psyoo’-dos
ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
"It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Jesus Matt. 4:4
Glorifying the Triune God by creatively declaring the relevancy and practicality of His timeless Word.