"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another."
Ephesians 4:25
Part 2
Yesterday: We Need to Stop Lying
“Wherefore putting away lying.”
This is the negative side of the command. Believers, we must stop lying!
Today: We Need to Start Telling the Truth
“Speak every man truth.”
(Positive command)
God has expectations of honesty for His child. He tells us,
“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him” (Colossians 3:9-10).
Before a person can begin telling the truth, they need to stop lying. Our “new man” must put an end to the deceit; kill it! While that filthy old habit of lying is present in the believer, there is no guarantee that what they are telling you is true. When our family was young, one of our sons was having trouble with honesty. His modus operandi was when he was in trouble, he would try to lie his way out. We had been dealing with him for a few weeks and seemingly not getting anywhere. One day, when talking with him about an issue, in our conversation, he said this, “but dad, this time I am telling the truth.” This presented a good teaching opportunity. We explained that when a person lies, even when he tells the truth, nobody knows it. A liar cannot be trusted.
“Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right” (Proverbs 20:11).
It was this idea that sparked the truth in his heart. He did not want to be known as a liar and never to be trusted. We are grateful that the Lord changed this in him. Since that time, even when it was hard to do, he learned to tell the truth.
“A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies” (Proverbs 14:5).
Learning to speak and act truthfully will require a new way of thinking about life and how we communicate with others to the glory of Jesus Christ. When a believer lies, the testimony of Jesus Christ is put on trial in the unbelieving mind. God’s plan for believers is for us to be honest all the time. We are to “speak the truth.” God is not just concerned that we are not lying. He is also interested in us “speaking the truth” – always, every time we open our mouths.
There is another dimension of truth-telling that is important to God.
“But speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Believers, our words are to be both “truthful” and “loving.”
Isn’t it interesting how many lies are told in the name of “love?” Lord, help us choose our words wisely when we are talking to others. Some people like to blast out the truth like a hand grenade exploding in a crowded room, and everyone takes shrapnel. But the Lord says we need to be speaking the truth lovingly. This is with great care and concern for the one we are talking to.
Jesus taught that when we have an issue with someone, we go to them alone and talk to them privately. That conversation must be carried on lovingly as the truth is presented. We must remember that as ambassadors for Christ, how we speak His message to others matters. There may be times when we need to thunder out the His words, but we had better do it with a tear in our eye and a lump in our throat.
“With his neighbor.”
Who should the believer be “speaking the truth in love” to? “With his neighbor.” God has said in his law, “Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another” (Leviticus 19:11). In the Bible, my neighbor is anyone that I am near to in proximity at that particular moment. So, I should be truthful with everyone. Lying is unacceptable behavior for God’s child because dishonesty is so foreign from the nature of our Heavenly Father. Believers, we need to be careful how we deal with our neighbors. We must be honest, even with the neighbor that is dishonest with us.
Come back tomorrow as we look at the reason for these commands about speaking the truth.
Quote: “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).