Anything More Than Yes or No is of the Evil One (Santosh Poonen)

The defining characteristic of Man is that he is a born liar (Psalm 58:3; Romans 3:4). The defining characteristic of God is that He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). Lying is more than just a matter of spoken words. The spirit of deception is in our human nature (Jeremiah 17:9). The very first sin recorded in the Bible (Genesis 3:4) and the very last sin recorded in the Bible (Revelation 22:15) is the sin of lying. In God’s list of 7 serious sins, He lists lying twice (Proverbs 6:16-19; Revelation 21:8,27)! Under the Law, because of their hardness of heart, they were only accountable for their words if they made a vow (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). Under the New Covenant (the Law of Love), God says never make a vow, but be like Him in always speaking only the truth (James 5:12). 1. Lying to the Holy Spirit is: giving the impression that you’re 100% committed to God and His work, but secretly holding back something for yourself (Acts 5:1-11); calling yourself a Christian, but secretly walking in sin (I John 1:6, 2:4; John 8:31,34,44); claiming to love God, but having an unloving attitude toward another brother/sister (I John 4:20). 2. Lying to others: Lying is your old nature. Put it aside, and be renewed into the image of the One who cannot lie (Colossians 3:9-10). Some examples of lying are: signing false statements; cheating on taxes; making promises that we don’t take seriously to keep; perpetually being late without being bothered by it. Satan will try to convince us that the lie has power to deliver. Our confidence, however, must be in God, who alone has power to deliver!