Lying is another major offense of which our President is guilty of. An offense that just might necessitate his removal from office. He categorically denied having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky and he often times covertly demanded that others lie and cover for him as well. For instance, he had Betty Currie (his secretary) to not record Ms. Lewinsky’s numerous visits to the White House in the office log book. Furthermore, he had her recover the gifts given to Ms. Lewinsky and had them hidden underneath her own bed in her own apartment for fear of being caught during the interim of the investigation. While under oath, he denied these allegations as well. These are only but a few of the many allegations against President Clinton.

What does the Bible reveal to us about lying? Websters Dictionary defines lying as, “given to falsehood, or dishonest”(2). Lying is something we all have done in our lifetime, whether innocently as children or deliberately as adults. They range from slight exaggerations to blatantly fabricated and imaginative stories.

Lying is a tool of none other than the devil as can be clearly seen in Genesis 3:4-5 when the serpent uses this skillful tactic to deceive Eve in eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, telling her that she will instead be like God. Jesus only confirms this truth when he refers to the devil as “the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Like adultery, lying is also one of the Ten Commandments. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) In addition, lying is also one of six things which God emphatically declares that He hates:

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Interestingly enough, it is in this list that the Lord mentions lying TWICE! Lying seemed to have been a serious issue at several points throughout the Old Testament, especially during the times of the Major Prophets (740-590 B.C.). Prior to this time, God consistently forewarned the people of Israel about prophets that would arise in His name but would prophecy and lie under false pretenses. Many of God’s true prophets such as: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were oftentimes faced with opposing prophets who contradicted their prophecies and discouraged them. It was with these individuals that God commanded to be killed. (Deut. 13:1-3; Deut. 18:20; Jer. 14:15).

What does the New Testament have to say about lying? In my opinion, the New Testament seems to provide more references to lying than that of the Old Testament. Two stories come to mind when I think of lying. One is with Peter’s denial of Jesus when he unreservedly lies about him not knowing who he is. The other is the story of Ananias and Sapphira when they purposely withheld some of the money to be given to the fellowship of believers and instead kept it for themselves. The Bible says that they lied to the Holy Spirit, thus, lying to God (Acts 5:1-10).

In Ephesians, Paul tells us as Christians to “put off falsehood and speak truthfully” as part of our new lives in Christ (Eph. 4:25). In Colossians, Paul further reiterates this with, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self...”. Additionally, Paul tells us that the law was made for the unrighteous “lawbreakers and rebels” such as, “liars and perjurers” (I Tim. 1:8-10). Lastly, and perhaps the most serious and explicit stand the Bible takes against lying is quoted in Revelation 21:8 - “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolators and all the liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur...” Ouch! In other words, Hell!

I think it’s quite clear as to what God’s Word has to say about lying and perjury. It seems as though the Bible takes a slightly stronger stand against lying than it does against adultery. How then can we tie what we’ve learned about lying with the current issue in the White House? Again, the President is convicted of lying and perjury. If it is true and substantiated, then we know from God’s words, not mine, that he’s destined by his own ill-fate, for Hell. As harsh as it may seem, it’s an absolute truth. However, like all sins, it too can be washed away, only by the blood of Jesus, and only if the President himself acknowledges this fact to God. The Bible is very clear as to the eternal consequences of those who lie and for those with an unrepentant heart and soul. We must therefore pray for our President, in hopes that he will someday accept and publicly acknowledge Christ as his savior and thus be saved from an eternal life in hell. We need to pray that seeds will be planted in his life so that they will someday blossom into a true servant of Jesus Christ.

(2) Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1974

Part 3
Part 4
The Christian Response

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