One of the most astounding assessments of Christ is the summary: “He had done nothing wrong, and he had never lied” (Isiah 53:9). Jesus was staunchly honest. His every word accurate. His every sentence true. No cheating on tests. no altering the accounts. Not once did Jesus stretch the truth. Not once did he shade the truth. Not once did he avoid the truth. He simply told the truth. No deceit was found in his mouth.
And if God has his way with us, none will be found in ours. He longs for us to be just like Jesus. His plan, if you remember, is to shape us along the lines of his Son (Rom. 8:28). He seeks not to decrease or minimize our deception but to eliminate our deception. God is blunt about dishonesty: “No one who is dishonest will live in my home” (Psalm 101:7).
Our Master has a strict honor code. Genesis to Revelation, the theme is the same: God loves the truth and hates deceit. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul lists the kind of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God. The covey he portrays is a ragged assortment of those who sin sexually, worship idols, take part in adultery, sell their bodies, get drunk, rob people, and—-there it is—lie about others.
Such rigor may surprise you. You mean my fibbing and flattering stir up the same heavenly anger as adultery and aggravated assault? Apparently so, God views fudging on income tax the same way he views kneeling before idols.
The Lord hates those who tell lies but is pleased with those who keep their promises. (Proverbs 12:22), The Lord hates . . . a lying tongue. (Proverbs 6:16-17) [God] destroys liars . . . and hates those who kill or trick others. (Psalm 5:6)
Why? Why the hard line? Why the tough stance? For one reason:dishonesty is absolutely contrary to the character of God. According to Hebrews 6:18, It is impossible for God to lie. It’s not that God will not lie or that he has chosen not to lie. For God to lie is for a dog to fly or a bird to bark. It simply cannot happen. The Book of Titus echos the same three words as the Book of Hebrews: “God cannot lie” (Titus 1:2).
God always speaks the truth. When he makes a covenant, he keeps it. When he makes a statement, he means it. And when he proclaims the truth, we can believe it. What he says is true. Even “if we are not faithful, [God] will still be faithful, because he cannot be false to himself” (2 Tim, 2:13).
Satan, on the other hand, finds it impossible to tell the truth. According to Jesus, the devil is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). If you remember, deceit was the first tool out of the devil’s bag. Satan didn’t discourage Eve. He didn’t seduce her. He just lied to her.
Daniel Webster was right when he observed, “There is nothing as powerful as the truth and often nothing as strange.” ~~~Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus (Nashville; World Publishing, 1998), p.104-106
