Truth and Honesty
The Bible teaches that God can’t lie and that His Word is truth (Hebrews 6:18; John 14:6). Truthfulness is a key aspect of God’s character—one He asks His human creation to emulate.
But dedication to truth isn’t only about avoiding intentional lies. We can distort the truth in many ways—from failing to check facts before making a claim or accusation to withholding inconvenient information in order to bolster our case, whatever it may be. This kind of intellectual dishonesty too often characterizes business dealings, politics, and newsfeeds across the political spectrum; but we, as individuals, can just as easily fall prey to the temptation to shade the truth for our own benefit.
Hypocrisy—when our actions don’t match our words—is another form of dishonesty. Jesus often pointed out the Pharisees’ hypocrisy: They claimed to be pious, yet they acted in ways that belied their outward religiosity. That failing likewise characterizes much of society today.
The following Bible passages indicate that truth and honesty should become fundamental values in everything we do.
1.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
(Exodus 20:16)2.
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.”
(Proverbs 6:16–1)3.
“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight.”
(Proverbs 11:1)4.
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.”
(Proverbs 12:22)5.
“Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves those who speak what is right.”
(Proverbs 16:13)6.
“You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
(John 8:44)7.
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
(John 17:17)8.
“These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so.”
(Acts 17:11)9.
“We have renounced the shameful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.”
(2 Corinthians 4:2)10.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
(Philippians 4:8)11.
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices.”
(Colossians 3:9)12.
“So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.”
(2 Peter 3:15–16)13.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true.”
(1 John 1:6)14.
“Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
(1 John 4:20)