Warning this article may hit home. If you are bothered by it; then exit out of this subject and leave it alone!

7 Things God Hates – 2nd: A Lying Tongue

Proverbs 6:16-19, "These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren."

We are continuing to examine each of these abominations that God hates over the next few weeks.

Click to Return to Articles or Choose Arrow Back

Satan became the author of this next abomination of having a lying tongue. We learn from Jesus that the devil is the father of lies! John 8:44-45, "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you desire to practice. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he is speaking from his own self; for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me."

Part Two of Proverbs 6:16-19 - Consequences of A Lying Tongue

The second item in the list of the things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16-19 is a lying tongue. In this lesson we see some of the reasons why the Lord hates this sadly common use of our tongues. What is lying? It is act of telling lies or falsehood. Many is the time we use lies, which is not right at all. If a person is addicted or has a habit of telling lies, his or her life is in great danger, unless we get understanding and quickly change, before it gives birth to problems. A lying person finds it difficult to tell the truth, even when the time to speak the truth comes. He/she finds him/her self adding more lies in the information he is giving out. God hates those who tells lies, Proverbs 16:19.

The fall of humanity began with a lie. Genesis 3:1-5, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?' 2 The woman answered the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.' 4 'You will not surely die,' the serpent told her. 5 'For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' " Sadly, we know how the story ends. Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and sin entered the world. They were expelled from the Garden, and the sin of lying spread in the hearts and out the mouths of their descendants.

The original deception in the Garden consisted of two parts. First, the serpent lied about God, attacking His nature and character by putting them in question. "Has God said…?," implies, "Can you trust God's word? Can you trust Him?" Second, the serpent lied about our identity, sowing doubts as to the goodness of God's purpose for mankind. "God must be withholding something from you. These restraints are keeping you from reaching your full potential. You know what's best for yourself. No one has the right to tell you what you can or cannot do." Once we fall for this deception, God is demoted whether in outright rejection or subtly through unbelief. He no longer is the sovereign ruler of our lives. We are not content to be creatures dependent on our Creator. He becomes an impediment to achieving what we believe is best for ourselves or merely a means to that end. But no matter the scenario, we violate the first commandment before we violate the ninth.

The lies have continued through out the history of humanity and continue in today's society. Cain lied to God about murdering his brother Abel. A father and son each lied about their relationship to their wives to protect themselves. False prophets arose telling the people of Israel, 'Peace,' when there was no peace, putting words in God's mouth. Jesus warned of wolves infiltrating the flock of God with false teaching. Matthew 7:15-16, "But beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, for within they are ravening wolves. 16 You shall know them by their fruits. … "

Today, we get phone calls from scammers impersonating representatives of legitimate organizations to steal confidential information. Conspiracy theories abound on social media and shared by friends, family, and even ourselves, unwittingly passing on falsehoods. When a scandal erupts in any sector, including "Christian" churches, not only is their leader exposed but a network of enablers who lied to keep this person in power. How many "little" lies do some excuse as "not so bad?" There is no such quality as a "little white lie." God hates lies and whitewashing them does not excuse anyone. The Bible is crystal clear that to lie is to sin. Those who tell lies believe two lies – lies about God and self. Bible Scripture clearly opposes lying, urging us to value honesty as it mirrors God's truth. It teaches that embracing truth transforms lives, encouraging you to live and speak with integrity.

We have a problematic condition when we desire something so desperately, material or immaterial, that we will silence our conscience and speak falsehood to gain it. We imagine that there is something so crucial to our identity that we must have it at all costs, even the price of a lie. Whatever that something is, it is an object of worship, an idol we are willing to lie for. The seriousness of the problem requires a serious remedy. We need more than a behavioral change. We need a change of heart. We need strength from a Savior. Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ, Who empowers {strengthens} me."

God sent His Son who had no deceit in His mouth, full of grace and truth. Jesus lived a righteous and holy life, without sin. Jesus blood has paid the death penalty on the cross for our sinful life of lies, large and small, and other sins that lead to death. When we accept Jesus' way of life, we place our faith in God's grace and forgiveness. We want to become perfect like Jesus. As believers, we will still be tempted to speak lies in this life. Idols will still try to woo us, but we do not struggle alone. When we slip and sin, we can run with repentance to God knowing that He forgives and receives us in Christ. We want to turn from liars to truth-tellers, making us holy like our Lord. Leviticus 11:44, "For I am the LORD your God, and you shall sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy. … "

"A lying tongue is detestable to the Lord … " Proverbs 12:22. The fact is, we all lie. No one but Jesus has gone through life completely truthful. Some lie without giving much thought to it. Some do it deliberately to gain an advantage. But as followers of Jesus, we should feel sorrowful every time a lie escapes from our lips.

There were times when Jesus spoke in parables. Parables maybe a fictitious narrative of common life containing a moral. Parables are in effect allegories that are full stories that use symbols to convey larger ideas or spiritual issues. The effect was to hide the meaning until an explanation was given to those who needed to understand the principals being taught at the moment. Matthew 13:10-11, "And His disciples came to Him and asked, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' 11 And He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.' " Matthew 13:9, "The one who has ears to hear, let him hear."

We must learn to speak the truth and avoid speaking lies! Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." The repercussions of using a deceitful tongue are severe. Lying can damage relationships, lead to the breakdown of trust, and result in God's divine displeasure. Lying is often traced back to the influence of Satan, who is referred to as the "father of lies." Jesus spoke of the devil, stating in John 8:44, "… Whenever he speaks a lie, he is speaking from his own self, for he is a liar and the father of it."

One way people lie is by gossip and backbiting. Gossip is a powerful force. It wrecks marriages. It ruins careers. It topples governments. It destroys reputations. It spawns suspicion. It generates grief. Even the very word hisses when it's pronounced. And if you've ever had someone gossip about you and tell lies about you, then you know how painful it can be.

Exaggeration is another way people lie. They'll tell a story and begin to embellish it a little. Each time the story is told, it becomes more dramatic. Of course, they're always the heroes of their own stories, which show how clever they were or how they came into a situation with just the right words. They stretch the facts a bit. It's a form of lying.

Keeping silence is another form of lying. When we hear something about someone else that we know for a fact isn't true, and we remain silent, it's a form of lying. They might be slamming a friend, and we don't stand up for that friend. We don't tell them the truth. That is slander by silence. It's complicity by passivity.

Before lies destroy a person's life, deceit and hurt happens, harm starts little by little and when is fully grown, it can end in death. James 1:14-15, "But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire {lust, passions} 15 Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death." Beloved we need to guard our tongue and always strive to speak the truth, it is even better for us to keep quiet than to speak more words whereby we shall be adding up lies. Proverbs 10:19, "In the multitude of words there wants not sin: but he that refrains his lips is wise."

The more a person can speak, the more likely to sin. Lies, we may think, it a small thing. We even go to an extend of saying it is a "small sin," but sin is sin, it doesn’t matter if is big or small. Ezekiel 18:4, "Behold, all souls are Mine. As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son, they are Mine. The soul that sins, it shall die." Those who lie will not enter the kingdom of God. Revelation 21:8, "… ~Even those who lie will be cast to the lake of fire which is the second death."

If we used to lie, it is time for us to repent and decide not to lie again. There are times, children go on trips in their school. When the trip time approaches, many of the students lie to their parents, saying that they need money for the trip and then they ask for more money than needed. This is also a form of lying which isn’t right. Others tell lies on phones and say or text information misrepresenting what they are doing; which also isn't right. Every kind of lying is sin and the consequences end up bringing bad results. Lying seems sweet at the moment, but the consequences are bitter. Let us examine in the Bible some people and what happened to them after their lying.

Acts 5:1-10, "Now a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price for himself, his wife also being aware of it; and he brought a certain portion and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, 'Ananias, why did Satan fill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the estate? 4 Before it was sold, was it not yours? And after you sold it, was it not in your own authority? Why did you contrive this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.' 5 And when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and expired; and great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 Then the young men wound him up, and carried him out and buried him. 7 Now it came to pass about three hours later that his wife also came in, not knowing what had taken place. 8 And Peter said to her, 'Tell me if you sold the estate for so much?' And she said, 'Yes, for so much.' 9 Then Peter said to her, 'Why is it that you agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out.' 10 And she immediately fell down at his feet and expired. And the young men came in and found her dead; and they carried her out and buried her by her husband."

The father of lies is the devil who influences people in doing that which isn't right. Both Ananias and Sapphira sold their land and decided to hide some of the money. They didn't see that as a wrong thing that were planning on doing. The Holy Spirit revealed the truth about the hidden money. They had not lied to men, but to God, so Ananias fell down and died. His wife soon came in and was asked if she had sold the land for that much. She lied, and her death followed her husband's demise who had died few minutes ago. If they could have realized that their intent was not right, they could have changed their mind and asked for forgiveness before speaking their lies and receiving the resulting consequences. What "finished" them was the abomination of purposeful lying.

2 Kings 5:19-22, ~After king Naaman was healed of his disease he left, he had gifts he had come with but Elisha refused to accept them for it was not the right time. But on the other hand, Gehazi with greed for the gifts decided to follow him and get some gifts from Naaman, so Gehazi used lies. He received what he wanted, then when he came back he was asked a question by Elisha and still Gehazi used lies. The end results was Naaman's disease of leprosy came to Gehazi. One of the consequences of Gehazi speaking lies.

Esther 3:8, ~Here is a case where Haaman when he was promoted, he wanted Mordecai to bow at him, but Mordecai refused, Haaman agreed to be controlled with evil thought whereby he gave wrong information to the King and said the Jews and Mordecai were not following the law. They planned to kill them but this didn't happen as he thought, but at last Haaman's lies destroyed him completely. We can give false information to make others suffer damage, but the thing is we can't escape God's judgment of us. Better to live speaking the truth, no matter what it takes, rather than telling lies.

Colossians 3:9-10, "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." Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."

1 Timothy 4:1–2 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared."

1 John 2:21–22, "I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son."

Finally scripture is very explicit: Revelation 21:6-8, "And He said to me, 'It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts, I will give freely of the fountain of the water of life. 7 The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.' " There are commandments to keep! John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

God Hates A Lying Tongue

"©" 2025 Ekklesia Church of God
- New Covenant Saints

Click to Return to Articles or Choose Arrow Back