Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LYING

Usually a spoken attempt to deceive, but sometimes used to refer to a deceptive action. Gk. pseúdos corresponds to a number of Hebrew terms with related nuances: šqr, “trick or treat someone falsely”; kḥš, “treating someone treacherously”; kzb, “speaking what is untrue or being false to reality”; pth, “deceiving by enticing”; šwʾ, “speaking vainly or without intent of accountability.”

The biblical condemnation of lying stems from the testimony throughout the Scriptures that God is truthful, self-consistent, and reliable in self-revelation, and therefore cannot lie (e.g., Num. 23:19; Tit. 1:2; cf. Ps. 12:6[MT 7]; 2 Cor. 1:18). The evil in lying derives not from the falsification of facts alone, but also from the personal faithlessness to God and others that it always implies.

Humans, however, are essentially and inescapably untrustworthy, as seen in Adam and Eve’s readiness to believe a lie (Gen. 3:4) and Cain’s manufacture of a lie (4:9). Lying is an essential characteristic of human nature in separation from God, and of human behavior as disobedience to God (cf. Isa. 28:15; Amos 2:4; Rom. 1:25; 3:13). Lying and deception appear often in biblical narratives, sometimes even furthering God’s plan (e.g., Gen. 27:35; Exod. 1:19-20). Nevertheless, even though human nature is unavoidably deceptive, lying itself can and ought always to be avoided, for the sake of both individuals and the community (e.g., Exod. 20:16; Lev. 19:11).

The NT reasserts that lying is an abomination (Rom. 3:4-9, 13; cf. Acts 5:3-5). Satan is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). In contrast, the gift of salvation is faithful and “true” (John 1:9; Tit. 1:13; 1 John 5:20; Rev. 22:6), and, in particular, Jesus Christ is the ratification of God’s truthfulness (God’s “yes,” 2 Cor. 1:20; the “Truth,” John 14:6). Christians are therefore urged to reject lying and to explore the Christian freedom of true speaking and open dealing (Eph. 4:20-25; Col. 3:9-10).

David A. Dorman

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LYING

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)