DENY THE LIE – EMBRACE THE TRUTH

 

DENY THE LIE

EMBRACE THE TRUTH

God says that the Bible is His Word, breathed out. Furthermore, “the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.“ (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 1:1-2, Hebrews 4:12).

We are being told, and it would do us good to understand that the Bible is the revealing of the psyche of each and every human being. It might appear to be a list of ‘rights and wrongs’, of ‘dos and don’ts’.  But the Bible not only discerns and reveals the core thoughts and intentions of each man, woman, boy or girl, it foretells the results of your thoughts, when held long enough to be acted upon.

With this in mind, reading these verses and writing this made me uneasy. It is convicting. I find myself asking, “How often do I lie – even ‘a little bit’? What am I doing to myself, my friends and my family if I lie?”

Conversely, I want to know the benefits and the blessings of telling and living the truth?

(In my defense, let me ask, when was the last time you heard a sermon that was singularly against lying and promoting telling and living the truth? It’s been a while for me. I believe God gave me this for the day in which we live. We, as Christians, are to be identified with God as bearers of the light of the Truth.)

LYING PUTS YOU IN LEAGUE WITH THE DEVIL.

John 8:44, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Phonetic Spelling: (psyoos-tace’)
Definition: liar
Usage: a liar, deceiver.

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 5583 pseústēs (from 5574 /pseúdomai, “to falsify, lie”) – properly, a lair; a person who falsifies, misrepresents (distorts, misleads).

LYING CREATES DEATH!

Acts 5:3, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land?”

Transliteration: pseudomai
Phonetic Spelling: (psyoo’-dom-ahee)
Definition: to lie
Usage: I deceive, lie, speak falsely.

HELPS Word-studies

5574 pseúdomai (from pseudō, “to falsify, lie”) – properly, lie (falsify), willfully misrepresent (mislead).

Acts 5:1-11, “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and died; and great fear came over all who heard about it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

“Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for this price?” And she said, “Yes, for that price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

LYING CREATES A DEPRAVED MIND AND MAKE YOU INTO A FOOL.

Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Transliteration: pseudos
Phonetic Spelling: (psyoo’-dos)
Definition: a falsehood, untruth, lie
Usage: a lie, falsehood, untruth; false religion.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from pseudomai
Definition
a falsehood, untruth, lie
NASB Translation
false (1), falsehood (1), lie (5), lying (2), what is false (1).

Romans 1:18-32, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.

“Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.”

LYING BRINGS THE WRATH OF GOD.

Colossians 3:9, “Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices,”

Transliteration: pseudomai
Phonetic Spelling: (psyoo’-dom-ahee)
Definition: to lie
Usage: I deceive, lie, speak falsely.

HELPS Word-studies

5574 pseúdomai (from pseudō, “to falsify, lie”) – properly, lie (falsify), willfully misrepresent (mislead).

Colossians 3:5-10, “Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being  renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and free, but Christ is all, and in all.”

THE TRUTH MAKES YOU ONE WITH GOD THE FATHER.

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Transliteration: alétheia
Phonetic Spelling: (al-ay’-thi-a)
Definition: truth
Usage: truth, but not merely truth as spoken; truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness.

HELPS Word-studies

225 alḗtheia (from 227 /alēthḗs, “true to fact”) – properly, truth (true to fact), reality.

[In ancient Greek culture, 225 (alḗtheia) was synonymous for “reality” as the opposite of illusion, i.e. fact.]

John 14:6-15, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

“Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise, believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

THE TRUTH IS A PERSON – HIS NAME IS JESUS!

Please. Let’s pray for one another and hold to the Truth as That Day draws ever so near.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young