The Truth Shall Make You Free

Telling the truth is something that is a struggle sometimes. According to a 2002 study conducted by a University of Massachusetts psychologist, it was determined "that 60 percent of people lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation and told an average of two to three lies." Many people lie for different reasons and some do not even think anything of it when they are doing it. It just comes "natural" to them.However as a Christian, we must be very aware of this and realize that lying does not really come "natural" but rather "supernatural". One may ask, "How is this the case?"


The Bible says that the devil is a liar, the father of lies and there is no truth in him (John 8:44). So if we are lying, it is because we are yielding to the devil, which is a supernatural being. That is why lies technically originate in the supernatural realm and hence forth come to us "supernaturally". Just because lies originate with the devil and come to us supernaturally doesn't mean that we have no control over whether we lie or not. In fact we do have control, but not of ourselves. It is only through submitting to the Holy Spirit that we can resist the temptation to lie.

Jesus said that He is the way, the TRUTH, and the life (John 14:6). Jesus also said in John 8:31-31, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." How do you know something? Well, knowing something comes from being taught something. Who can teach you all things? The HOLY SPIRIT! John 14:26 says, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Therefore, if the Holy Spirit is within you, you will know the truth and that truth sets you free! Free from what? Free from being blinded by lies, free from the devil influencing your life and ultimately free from sin. We still have temptations and trials, but we are still free as long as we submit to the Holy Spirit.

The concept of truth in Jesus Christ has taught us a lot with respect to being parents. Thankfully, God showed us early in our marriage and prior to having children that the truth was essential in serving the Lord. If we did not stand for the truth, then we would believe a lie and the Bible says if we believe a lie we would be judged by God for not believing the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Therefore we were determined to always tell the truth and seek the truth in all things. This was fine for us as husband and wife, but then as a mom and dad, the challenges came. For example, we faced questions about the truth such as "where do babies come from"; "how do people die"; "why do people die"; "is Santa Clause real"; "is the Easter bunny real"; is the tooth-fairy real"; "is magic real"; "why do we celebrate Christmas and Easter"; "did we evolve from an ape"; "are cartoons real"...and the list goes on.

Although it may be difficult with some topics and we may struggle to find words that truthfully answer a question, we must tell the truth since lying is not an option. We found that is was critical in attempting to establish a proper relationship with anyone, especially our children. The reason is because if one day our children find out the "real truth" about topics we have talked with them about and realize that we, as their parents, had lied to them (regardless of our intentions), this would negatively impact our relationship with them. It would cause their trust in us as their parents and spiritual leaders to be tarnished. We also were concerned that if we didn't tell them the truth from day one, we could cause them to question what else perhaps we had not told them the truth about (e.g., Jesus) which could cause unnecessary doubt. Furthermore, we simply realized that by not telling the truth (no matter the reason), we would be lying. 

The thing is, lying is never condoned in the Bible. We are even told that liars will not make it to Heaven. For example, Revelation 21:27 states, "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or make a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Even more so, God hates lying. One might say at this point, "What? Did you really say that? God doesn't hate anyone." We would respond, "You are correct. He doesn't hate anyone, He loves all but He does hate lying (as He should since it originates from the devil)." Proverbs 6:16 states, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:". Guess what one of the things God hates is. Proverbs 6:19 says, "A false witness that speaketh lies." So lying is something that God hates and will keep us out of Heaven if we are guilty of it since we will not be written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

This is why it is so important as a Christian, and a Christian parent, to tell the truth (no matter what). We also train our children to do the same and honestly tell them what the results of lying will be (as well as any sin) if not repented of. Often, they grasp this concept because we will hear the older ones telling each other, "Don't lie. Liars will go to hell." It sounds very blunt, but it is the truth. The truth is always associated with Jesus and lies are always associated with the devil. It is important for all of us to recognize this and examine all areas of our life where we may be lying so it can be corrected through conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Speaking the truth will always keep a clear conscience between us and God, but it also fosters a deeper trusting relationship with our children, friends, and family. The last thing we would want to do is cause a stumbling block or a spirit of doubt to come upon our children because instead of telling the truth, we lied. We may very well be tempted to lie however there is no sin in the temptation. There is sin though in yielding to that temptation and saying something we know not to be true or even telling someone something that is meant to deceive. And when you really think about it, God knows best. There is no reason to lie other than due to our own selfish desires. Therefore, when we are tempted to lie, let us all "Draw nigh to God" so he will draw nigh to us and submit ourselves to God,  so we can "resist the devil, and he will flee". This will enable us to tell the truth, which makes us (and others around us) free from the wickedness of the devil!