The Lies That Bind

The Lies that Bind

Lies are things said that are untrue. Lies and Liars are bound by untrue things they say. Have you ever told a lie then had to tell another lie to try to uphold the previous lie? Then the plot thickens. 

Sir Walter Scott once quotes from his poem Marmion:   "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!".

One lie often leads to another, but the truth is freedom indeed. Lies keep us bound by them. When you tell a lie you become a slave to that lie. Who wants to be a slave?

John 8:31-32 (NIV) 

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

When You Tell The Truth

Telling the truth sets you free from lies. Let's take a deeper dive into the importance of the truth and the dangers of lying from a biblical perspective. The following verses are from the (NIV) New International Version of the Bible. 

Numbers 23:19

19 

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?

John 14:6 

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We need to speak the truth always, even when dealing with our neighbors, friends and family. We should speak the truth to each other, our spouses and our children as well.

Ephesians 4:25 

25  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

How does God feel about Liars?

Proverbs 12:22

22 

The Lord detests lying lips,  but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Proverbs 6:16-19    16 There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:, 17 haughty eyes,  a lying tongue,
        hands that shed innocent blood, 18  a heart that devises wicked schemes,
        feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19  a false witness who pours out lies
        and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

This passage speaks of  six things the Lord hates and seven he detests.  He mentions liars twice in this passage, 1, a lying tongue. And a false witness who pours out lies. 

The Lord detest, which is stronger than hate, liars.  Detest means the intensity is higher and stronger. It denotes extreme immorality in nature. 

The bible speaks of Satan and the “father of lies”.  Telling lies is natural to him and his demons. You expect him to tell lies. He cannot tell the truth. He is crafty at telling lies.

He is the ultimate deceiver. His house is built upon lies therefore it  will not last. It will not stand. Anything built upon lies will not stand, including a business, a marriage or a friendship or relationship. 

John 8:44

44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The bible also speaks of a place for liars, and it is not in heaven.  Telling the truth always is what we should strive to do as Christians. Often we speak of “little white lies” as harmless, but a lie is a lie, and when we say we are telling a “little white lie”, we are telling our children it is okay to lie sometimes. A ‘little' lie to one person could lead to a bigger lie, or maybe what seems like a little lie to one person could be a big lie to another person. A lie is a lie point blank.  

What are the consequences of telling lies? 

Proverbs 19:9 

9  A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish.

 Revelations 21:8 

8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

In summary, we all need to strive to tell the truth at all times because lies lead to pain, destruction and spiritual death.  The truth leads to freedom and eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

by Ella Shines Goldsmith 09/06/2025