How Can I Stop Lying? Answers From the Bible

One of the worst sins we commit is lying and some really struggle with this, so how can Christians learn to stop lying?

All Men Are Liars

One of the worst sins we commit is lying and some really struggle with this, so how can Christians learn to stop lying? The good news is there is help both from the Spirit and the Word of God. First of all, let’s see where we all fit in as far as being liars. The Bible is clear that “All mankind are liars” (Psalm 116:11). The Apostle Paul must have known this verse because he also wrote, “By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged” (Rom 3:4). Obviously, if you’re a human being, you’ve lied and so have I! It’s natural for us, but it’s also very sinful. Since God is Truth, lying is cosmic treason against Him. Only God is the Truth and cannot lie. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He is not one of many truths…He is Truth itself for God is sinless and cannot sin by His nature and is always true and never false.

God Cannot Lie

The Word of God tells us that “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Heb 23:19a). Since God is Truth, He is incapable of lying for He is perfect, just and holy in every way. It is contrary to God’s nature. The Scriptures are full of promises, and not one has nor ever will be broken, including the “hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Titus 1:2). Cleary, “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18c), but is not only possible for us to lie, it’s 100% certain that at some point we’re going to tell another lie. So how do we stop lying?

Be Accountable

Chip Ingram (Living on the Edge Ministries) once gave a great solution to lying. He said that when he lied, he promised to go back to that person and confess it. Imagine how hard that must be to go back to someone and tell them that you’ve lied to them? When we think about those consequences, we’re less likely to lie if we have to go back and tell them, “I lied to you.” If we are even thinking of lying and then realize that we’re going to have to go back to that person and confess that lie, I think we’re a lot less likely to lie! I don’t think I’d want to do that; therefore, I will more likely resist the temptation to lie.

Lying: The Easy Out

“a whisperer separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28)

We lie generally to make ourselves look better or get out of situations we don’t want to be in. We lie to avoid doing things we don’t like. We lie to our employers, our family, our friends and even strangers. We tend to over value ourselves and undervalue others when we lie about them. It’s much easier to lie than to face the truth we think. We believe people will think more highly of us so we stretch the truth (lie), but a half-truth is a whole lie. Half the truth is no truth at all and gossip is often a lie that spreads like wildfire and does just as much damage.

Accountability

We are accountable to God for every idle word we speak and if it’s a lie, God will hold us accountable. For whoever has trusted in Christ, we won’t be cast into hell, but Jesus warned us all, and I mean all, when He said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matt 12:36). Think about that next time you’re tempted to lie and that you’ll have to confess it to the person you’ve lied to. That’s the key. Stop and think! Is it true? It is helpful? Is it edifying? If not, don’t say it, for we will be responsible for our words and we cannot take back our words once they’ve been thrown out there. It may be hard to undo the damage our lies have caused and people may not trust us when they talk to us anymore, but we can lose more than credibility. We can lose relationships and cause division in the church, our family, at work, or wherever we are.

I will say it again. Lying is cosmic treason against God. He is the Truth and we are the lie…but we can strive to stop lying and hold our tongue before our lies get the best of us. We can lock them behind the ivory bars (teeth) of our mouth. We can stop and realize that we’re also lying to God and not just man, so there is help and hope in the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit can bring these Bible verses to mind before we lie, and He can convict us ahead of time to stop the lies and help us avoid them in the future. With Christ’s help (Phil 4:13), you and I can stop lying so much to people and lying to God.

Conclusion

For everyone reading this, my prayer for you is that you’ve already trusted in Christ and are doing what He has called you to do (Matt 25:35-36; 28:18-20). If you have still not trusted in Christ today, do so today…even now, as today is the acceptable time to be saved (2 Cor 6:2). You must either repent of your sins and trust in Christ or face God’s judgment after death (Heb 9:27) or at Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), and there is no way to know which will come first and when (even today!).

Here is some related reading for you: What Does the Bible Say About Lying? A Christian Study

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Gossip, Lies, Lying, Overcome Lying, Stop Lying