Lies, Half-Truths and Excuses



Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (Ephesians 4:25)

We all do it. We lie. We might think of it as self-preservation. Maybe we have done something we shouldn’t have and need to make up an excuse. Maybe we believe it is better to say we didn’t do it at all. “wasn’t me”. We might think we are protecting someone or trying not to hurt them.

Unless we are lying to save a life, it seems that Christians should be able to find ways to say no, disagree, take time off from work, not go to church or a gathering, without resorting to half-truth storytelling. Honesty takes practice and might even seem blunt or off-putting to some, but Christ always told the truth or kept His mouth shut. Sometimes staying silent is a good way to go.

If we often lie, and are caught in our lies, our witness for the Lord will be destroyed. People will not believe anything that comes from us, even if it is true. This trust is difficult to recover.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. (Proverbs 12:22)

From childhood, telling falsehoods has seemed like second nature. “Who broke that lamp?” “I don’t know”. Our natural state from birth into this sinful world is one of not wanting to get in trouble. We want to avoid looking bad, punishment, and embarrassment. So, we cover our actions with something that makes us look better.

Lying to excuse ourselves, justify our actions or get out of doing something that makes us uncomfortable is selfishly motivated. Theses are intended to make things easier for us. Making ourselves the center of our focus leads to a multitude of lies. Making God the center leads to thinking of others first and treating them the way we want to be treated. We would prefer to the truth so we should tell them the truth.

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

The Lord hates lying, and it is listed in Proverbs 6 twice. Once, as lying words in general and once, as bearing false witness or telling a lie about someone else, spreading rumors and gossip, and creating chaos and drama. There are those who seem to enjoy pitting people against each other with half-truths and lies. Avoid these people, ignore what they say about others and never spread their gossip.

Show each other and non-believers the importance of speaking the truth. Even when it feels good to be included in the group that supposedly knows the inside scoop, we must test the intention and the spirit of the speaker against what we know God wants, and refuse to give the devil a foothold.

God investigates our hearts to see what is central to us. We cannot fool Him. Telling God that our lies were just little and were necessary to make life run smoothly doesn’t convince Him. If we are lying for selfish reasons, He knows it and so do we. We should stop lying to ourselves first.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)

When we were forgiven for our sins of the past, we were made new and yet we continue to sin because no one is perfect. We must strive with the help of the Holy Spirit to be the new creation God made us and keep the old one down seeking forgiveness daily. Being renewed in knowledge by what we put into our minds, namely God’s word, will help us grow closer and become more like Christ, which is the goal.

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17)

Prayer: God, let our lips only tell the truth. Don’t let our self-preservation cause us to make excuses, tell stories, or justify our actions. Let our minds and hearts be on You always. We know that what is in our hearts and what we put into our minds is what will come out of our mouths. Remind us Lord to fill our hearts and minds with what is good and truthful and comes from You. Stop us from lying to others, to ourselves and to You. Help us to represent You and show Your love to the world. Amen




My book Fresh Fruit Meditations on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit can be ordered from Amazon or Goodreads.com.  Also available at Chritian Bookstores or on Kindle.  Thank you. Jennifer Chamberlain


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