Question 1

What does God think of lying and other forms of deception?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 5:6You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.Proverbs 6:16-19There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, . . . a false witness who pours out lies.God hates deception and lying.Psalm 101:7I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.Isaiah 59:2-3It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. . . . Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.Deceit creates a barrier between you and God.Zephaniah 3:13The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will never tell lies or deceive one another. They will eat and sleep in safety, and no one will make them afraid.”Those who practice honesty in obedience to God can count on eternal blessings from God.

Question 2

How can I know when I’m being deceived?

Accepted Answer

Judges 16:6So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.”Ask yourself if your conscience still has a strong voice inside you. When your conscience tells you no and your desire tells you yes, can you still hear and follow your conscience? In this case, Delilah’s beauty and promise of sexual pleasure completely convinced Samson that she was sincere. Samson had a calling as a spiritual leader in Israel, yet he was spending the evening in the home of an ungodly woman who was sexually tempting him. What had happened to his conscience? When you make a practice of not listening to your conscience, soon you will hardly hear it. Then you are extremely vulnerable to deception. Don’t put yourself in a position where you can no longer hear or follow your conscience.Acts 17:11They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.2 Timothy 3:16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.If someone is trying to convince you to do something that contradicts Scripture, you can be sure that it is wrong. Know the Bible well enough to discern when someone is telling you something false.Genesis 3:6The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.If something seems too good to be true, ask yourself if you are being deceived. Sometimes you are wildly blessed and it is for real. But most often if it sounds too good to be true, it is.Proverbs 14:7Stay away from fools, for you won’t find knowledge on their lips.Distance yourself from people who frequently act foolishly, lie, or bend the truth.2 Timothy 3:13Evil people and impostors . . . will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.As long as Satan has power to deceive, he will deceive people, and they in turn will try to deceive you. The worst kind of deceiver is the false teacher, who appears to give good advice but really wants to lead you down a path of destruction. This is another reason it is so important to know Scripture for yourself.

Question 3

How do I deceive myself?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 17:9The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?Galatians 6:7Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.We deceive ourselves when we think we can get away with sin. We deceive ourselves when we think we can ignore God and still receive his blessings.1 Corinthians 3:18Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.We deceive ourselves when we live as though this world is all there is.

Question 4

Why is deception so harmful?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 101:7I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.Mark 7:20-23Then he [Jesus] added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, . . . deceit. . . . All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”God wants us to be completely honest in our lives because he is Truth, and we are to be like him. Living honestly is one way we set a good example of Christian living. When we live honest lives, we experience the distinct advantages of having a clear conscience and earning the trust and respect of others. Our honesty also honors God and can open doors to draw others into a relationship with Christ.

Question 5

How does deceiving others hurt me?

Accepted Answer

Ephesians 4:25Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.When we lie to others, we chip away at the foundation of truth and trust that undergirds any healthy relationship. We cannot introduce deceit into our relationships or communities without opening the door to allowing Satan, “the father of lies,” to take a foothold, which always leads to painful consequences and broken relationships.

Question 6

Is deception always wrong?

Accepted Answer

Exodus 20:16You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.Leviticus 19:11Do not steal. Do not deceive or cheat one another.Proverbs 24:28Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them.Colossians 3:9Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.One of God’s Ten Commandments calls us to tell the truth. It is simply wrong to deceive others to gain a personal advantage.1 Peter 2:22He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.Jesus never lied or deceived anyone, and he is our model for right and wrong.Joshua 2:4-6Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them. . . .)Hebrews 11:31It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.There are times in Scripture when a person lies to protect another from harm, as Rahab did for Israel’s spies. Some scholars believe that people who ask questions with the sole purpose of harming others forfeit their right to be told the truth, especially during a time of war. During war, you cannot aid the enemy just because someone asks you to. Since the only goal of the king’s soldiers was to capture and eventually kill the Israelite spies, they gave up their right to be told the truth about the spies’ location. You don’t oppose deception by betraying innocent people.Another viewpoint, however, is that God never needs, wants, or asks us to sin in order for him to accomplish his will. Rahab obviously had to think quickly, and lying was the only thing that came to mind. While Scripture does not explicitly condemn Rahab for her lie, it does make it clear that lying is wrong (Exodus 20:16; Leviticus 19:11; Proverbs 6:16–17; 12:22; 24:28). But God was merciful and continued with his plan despite Rahab’s lie. While Rahab’s act may have been wrong, depending on your viewpoint, her motives were good (to save God’s people). Perhaps that is why God was merciful. The Bible commends her faith (Hebrews 11:31) but not her lie.Revelation 21:8But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, . . . and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.Revelation 21:27Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.The Bible makes it clear that deception is a sin.

Question 7

How should church leaders deal with those who deceive others?

Accepted Answer

Acts 5:1-11There was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. . . . Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.Leaders cannot tolerate deception. It corrupts the community. The story of Ananias and Sapphira shows how leaders in the early church, along with the Holy Spirit, dealt with deception swiftly so that it would not weaken the fledging church. While our situations will not be this extreme, we dare not take deception lightly.

Deception