Stop lying, start telling the truth

Ephesians 4:25 (NIV)

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

In earlier verses Paul has emphasized the fact that once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, your old ways and habits need to be replaced with new ways and habits.  The word, “therefore”, indicates the transition and verses 4:25 through 5:21 describe all the old ways and habits that are to be replaced with new ones.  So, the first change to be made is to stop lying and start telling the truth.  

Lying is a common trait of human beings apart from Christ.  The 9^th Commandment relates to lying.  Numbers 23:19 contains astonishing statement: “God is not a man, that He should lie……..Has He said, and will He not do it?”  Humans lie, some often.  Lying includes not only outright false information, but also not being honest with others.  We experience ying all around us, from company leaders to politicians to friends and neighbors.  It’s a human trait. Who is the father of lying?  Read John 8:44.  Satan is the opposite of God in all respects and this includes telling lies rather than telling the truth.

How truthful are you?  How truthful are you to your wife and your children?  How truthful are you to your friends and neighbors and co-workers?  If you tell the truth all the time, you don’t have to remember anything (Mark Twain).  If you know that you have a tendency to lie, be dishonest, tell half-truths, you must change.  You cannot do this on your own; you need the Lord to help you.  Speaking the truth may hurt at times, but you must no longer accept the alternative.

Neale Donald Walsch wrote in his 2^nd book “Conversations with God” that there are five levels of telling the truth: 

1.   You tell the truth to yourself about yourself.

2.   You tell the truth to yourself about another.

3.   You tell the truth about yourself to another.

4.   You tell the truth about another to that other.

5.   You tell the truth to everyone about everything.

Paul wrote that he strived to maintain a clear and blameless conscience before God and man (Acts 24:16).  You achieve a clear conscience by first being truthful to God and then being truthful to others, starting with those closest to you.  And, of course, to be truthful to God and to others, you must be truthful to yourself.  Always tell the truth to everyone, especially your fellow-believers in Christ.  Do not lie, do not be hypocritical, do not deceive.  Be candid, be honest, give honest feedback, be open and transparent in all your interactions with your fellow believers. We are all part of the body of Christ and that body is full of grace and truth. Truth characterizes a real Christian; are you a real Christian?