- Does the Bible teach that lying is always wrong?
- Does truth have many different meanings?
Why honesty?
A false witness…
- is friends with wicked people
- is willing to do violent things to others
- intentionally stirs up trouble
- knows what is false and yet swears that it’s true
“Truth” is often based on:
- Knowledge
- Belief
Truth based on knowledge:
- Requires complete and absolute knowledge of everything
Conclusion: Truth based on knowledge is not reliable
Truth based on belief:
- Belief requires faith in something else that you deem to be true
I believe…
- John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln
- that the history books describing the event are accurate
- that the authors and publishers fact-checked before they published that history book
- at least one person who was there at Ford Theater described the story well enough to the people who weren’t there so we can know what happened
I believe…
- the Earth is round
Conclusion: Belief is not truth
Postmodern ideas of “truth”:
- Truth is created by what we believe about it
- Truth is defined by its outcome
Real truth:
- A proposition
- Mind independent
- Non-linguistic bearer of truth
Lying is our way of seizing control from God.
Biblical examples of truth and lies:
- Genesis 12 and 20: Abraham and Sarah
- Joshua 2:1-11 – Rahab and the Spies
- Acts 6:12-7:1 – Stephen
If God can use bad decisions to accomplish something good, how much more can He use our good decisions?
Scripture used: Proverbs 12:17, 25:18, 13:5, 17:4, 12:22; Genesis 12, 20; Joshua 2:1-11; Acts 6:12-7:1
in the top right of the video.