"There's never a reason to lie."
It was a simple sentence spoken by a garage door salesman.
I was in my early twenties, and, honestly, I was giving the guy a hard time.
I'd just come through one of the most devastating times in our lives—finding out my Dad had been lying to our family for over ten years and running up a secret debt. Not in a frame of mind to trust anyone, I questioned everything this man said, ensuring we weren't being cheated.
Looking back, this man had every right to be offended and storm off. Instead, he gently said, "I've been in this business a long time and found there's never a reason to lie. It only comes back to haunt you. I know what I'm saying is the truth."
These words the man spoke are still with me. I doubt I'll ever forget them. I especially remember them whenever I'm listening to a fellow Christian tell me about how they lied to get what they wanted or pulled the wool over someone's eyes.
Seriously, it shocks me every single time. And it happens a lot.
Each time I think, "Why are you telling me this? Are you seriously proud of the fact that you LIED?"
Of course, I always get the excuse, "Well, you don't understand…I had to do it." This is often followed by, "It's not that big of a deal. It's just a little lie."
Well, here's the thing: I can't find anywhere in the Bible where God categorizes sins as "big" or "little ." They are just called "sins".
Whenever the Bible talks about lying, it seems that God seems to think it is a big deal.
After all, He listed it in The Ten Commandments. Right there with stealing, adultery, and murder, God includes lying.
Proverbs 12:22 says, "The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy." (NIV)
I know that's the Old Testament….surely, the New Testament isn't so legalistic. Well, let's see….
Colossians 3:9-10 says, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator." (NIV)
Revelations 22:14-15 says, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (ESV)
Whoa! Right there, among the sorcerers and the sexually immoral, murderers, and idolaters, lying is mentioned.
Still, beyond the issue of "sin" and "eternity" (which are some pretty big issues), one of the reasons that Christians need to adopt the attitude that "there is never a reason to lie" is that we are ambassadors of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:20 says, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us." (ESV)
As Christians, we represent Christ. Like the garage door man represented his company, we represent Christ and Christianity to those around us.
What would have happened if the garage door salesman came to our house, saw that he was going to have a hard time making a sale, and told a lot of lies to get us to buy a cheap, unreliable garage door?
Naturally, when the door deteriorated and we saw that we'd wasted our money, we'd know he was a liar. But it wouldn't just make him look bad—we'd think the company he represented was crooked, too. We'd tell all our friends and neighbors never to buy a door from this company because they were unreliable, untruthful cheats who promised quality and gave us junk.
The same happens whenever a man or woman who calls themselves a Christian lacks integrity or reliability or fails to tell the truth. They don't just make themselves look bad. They are a poor reflection on the entire body of Christ.
The person lied to or deceived often ends us thinking (and telling others), "They were all talk. Claimed to be a Christian, and then they lied to me. Oh well, par for the course. Who can trust a Christian?"
We've all heard it before.
That's why, as followers of Christ, we must always be careful to tell the truth and avoid lying at all costs. We should be models of integrity and reliability. When we say something, we should do everything in our power to make it happen.
When we speak, it should be truth. No matter how great the sacrifice, we should go out of our way to be honest and upright.
All Christians need to examine their hearts, confess any tendency toward lying, and determine from this day forward to adopt the attitude of the garage door salesman: There is never a reason to lie.
Never.