https://odb.org/2026/08/17/plague-of-lies
Colossians 3:9–15 (NIV): 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
What a cruel act to be untruthful,” Daniel Ladinsky once wrote in a poem that contrasts relationships built on trust with those damaged by lies. Inspired by German theologian and monk Meister Eckhart, he described truthful, loving words as “wonderful spices mixed into the days.” But lies are like earthquakes in the mind and poison to the soul: “Havoc is created in the mind that can no longer trust someone once loved . . . . a plague is spread by one who cannot tell the truth.” (Monica La Rose, Our Daily Bread 17th August 2026)
As Christians, we are taught not to lie (even tell white lies) because not telling the truth goes against the ninth commandment, which is summarised by “thou shall not lie”. The actual commandment is “thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour” which is a continuation of “love thy neighbour as yourself”. The context of this ninth commandment is that during ancient times, charges were framed or disputes adjudicated in court based on testimonies of at least 2-3 witnesses. As everyone lived in a community, there is an expectation that every one will be truthful to each other. Judges are given extra responsibility to be more vigorous in investigation if false witness is suspected and anyone bearing false testimony will suffer the same exact punishment they were bringing against the accused. In the modern court of law, prejury is a serious offence as it could lead to a conviction affecting to one’s life or freedom.
A good example of a false witness can be found 2 Samuel 1 when an Amelikite suddenly appeared before David with Saul’s crown and arm band claiming that he himself had killed Saul. David immediately ordered the Amelikite’s execution because if he was telling the truth, he had killed the Lord’s anointed but if he had lied, he had bore false witness. Either way, his offence was punishable with death.
Thus if one were to bear false witness against someone, then one is also not loving that neighbour. A double sin against God and man.
In 1 Kings 21, there was the narrative of King Ahab wanting a plot of land owned by Naboth who refused to sell. Jezebel, Ahab’s queen, then plotted to have two persons testify against Naboth that he had cursed God and the king. After he was put to death, Ahab seized his land. The LORD was very angry with Ahab and Elijah pronounced judgment on both Ahab and Jezebel.
In the New Testament, in Acts 5 we have the story of Ananias and Saphirra who sold their land and purported to give the whole sum to the church. They were struck dead because they held back some. The amount was for them to give but they lied about it for some reason and suffered immediate consequence.
While there is a context to the ninth commandment and there is a difference between telling lies and bearing false witness, we should as a matter of prudence maintain honesty in most circumstances, especially when giving our testimony in court or in talking about other people. For the latter, we must at all costs avoid slander or adding coal to fire with untruths and lies. Gossip is bad enough but lies and slanders are really like of the devil.
However, in actual social interactions and in human relationships, it is not always wise to tell the truth all the time! This is because there are people who are unable to handle the truth and telling the truth in such situations is to invite a terrible and lasting backlash or it may bring about a discouragement that may even lead to depression. For example, if someone is aspiring to be a singer, he or she may need more training before we tell them our honest opinion about their singing ability. Or if a woman were to ask you if she was fat? As believers, if we are pushed for an answer, we either gently avoid the question or answer in a different way. There are some who believe that even telling such a lie is sinning against God, but in my view, it is for us to be as wise as we can be – to be realistic, without being legalistic! This is also beyond the context of the intention and objective of the ninth commandment. In fact, in Genesis 12, Abraham lied to the Egyptian Pharoah that Sarah was his sister and God had to send plagues aàato the palace to warn him not to take Sarah as his concubine. In Genesis 20, Abraham told the same lie to King Abimelech and when he took her into his palace, God spoke to him in a dream that Sarah was Abraham’s wife!
In most circumstances we must be honest and not tell lies as doing so is a reflection of our old self, which we have put away as Paul instructs in Colossians 3:9. We preserve our integrity and the integrity of others when we speak the truth.
Have a good week ahead, everyone! Let’s always be truthful in all that we do so that the glory of God may shine forth from our lives!
Ronnie's Thoughts 