Honesty

Trust is very important. It is hard to earn trust, and very easy to lose it. 

Don’t you hate it when somebody tells you “I will be there”, when in reality they have no intention of showing up at all? They would rather not tell you the truth, which is that they are not coming. Instead they would rather lie to you, and blow you off. 

I use this as just one example, because it is one we have probably all experienced, and have even been guilty of doing to somebody ourselves. 

My point is this. We must be able to trust each other. Our credibility is especially important when we witness for Jesus to non-believers, because if they don’t consider you to be a reliable person, why would they trust your testimony?

 

Scripture encourages us to back up our lives with honest behavior. Lets take a look. 

 

2 Corinthians 4:2 – Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

It is easier to live an honest life. When we live a life as a liar, it is draining. We have to keep track of what we said and who we said it to, so that we don’t get caught in our own lies. When we live an honest life, at any cost, we have a much easier job.

 

Colossians 3:9 – Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

If we are new creations, we do not need to live lives of deceit. There is no need to be a liar if we have the security of salvation. Because as a believer, we live lives worthy of our Lords calling, and therefore, we should have nothing to hide. If we do sin, we can repent and be forgiven, so there is still nothing to hide. 

 

Romans 12:17 – Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

I personally despise it when I am lied to. It is one of my biggest pet peeves. Whether it is a big lie like “I would never cheat on you”, or a smaller lie like “I will be there for your event”, I still find myself annoyed the most when people refuse to offer me honesty. Therefore, I commit to offering honesty to everyone. Even if it means I have to tell them something I will need to defend. 

Many would lie to avoid needing to justify themselves, or to hide shame. I figure, we should be ready to defend our actions if we are willing to commit them. If we would rather not defend our choices honestly, then maybe we should change the action.

 

2 Corinthians 8:21 – For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

It seems true for everybody, that we are not getting away with our lying as much as we think. It is often the case that the people we lie to are very aware of our deceit. They may not be calling us out on our lies because they would rather spare the drama, and would rather not hear us continue to lie to cover our shame. But they know. Just because they do not call us out, does not mean we got away with the lie. All it means is that we have lost credibility. 

 

Proverbs 6: 16-19 – 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 person who stirs up conflict in the community.

It seems that of these seven things, one thing is mentioned twice, making six things that the Lord HATES. That thing mentioned twice is DISHONESTY. It is pretty clear that the Lord literally hates lying. 

 

Proverbs 12:22 – The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

 

Whether you are a believer or not, we should all carry ourselves as people who can be trusted. It is important to honor our commitments. It is important to be considered reliable. If people can not trust us, we are the most shameful. Therefore, regardless of your faith background, lets be people who can be depended on, when we give our word.