28 ¶ A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
Christians are told not to lie to each other;
Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
And by extension to other people as well as we are to always try to maintain a good reputation before the world. Liars are not acceptable to God. Look at the company liars keep here.
1 Timothy 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
The liar has nothing but contempt for the people he or she is deceiving. An example would be the swindler, Bernie Madoff. A closer example would be the person who deceives those around them. We have politicians, scientists, religious leaders, teachers, and people from all walks of life who have been caught in lies. All of us know at least one person who is a pathological liar.
Jesus said that the Devil was the father of lies.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
There are fewer more clear cut commands for the Christian in the Bible than the admonition against lying. Don’t distort the truth. Don’t exaggerate it. Don’t change it to suit your agenda. Your testimony should be such that you don’t even need to underscore your statements with an oath. When you confess, declare, or swear to something as true it should not be “by” anything.
Matthew 5:33 ¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
The liar will often get what he or she wants by flattery and deceit. They destroy and ruin others, cheating and defrauding them. Beware of these people. Don’t be so keen on hearing good things about yourself. That sets you up for the phony who will play you like a violin to get what they want. A liar is afraid of the truth. It’s not good enough for them to get what they’re looking for, whether it be approval or something you have that they want, like your money. A Christian should never be afraid of the truth nor should he or she be willing to entertain the lies that people tell. It’s an old saying that it’s hard to con an honest man. When you lie to me, I know you hate me. When you flatter me, I assume you are setting me up. All we need is an “attaboy” or a pat on the back sometimes but we all know the difference between that and flattery that works ruin.
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