LYING
The Bible is clear that lying is a sin and is displeasing to God. The first sin in this world involved a lie told to Eve. The Ten Commandments given to Moses includes: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
In the early church, Ananias and Sapphira lied regarding a donation in order to make themselves look more generous than they really were. Peter’s rebuke is stern: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” (Acts 5:3). God’s judgment was sterner: the couple died as a result of their sin of lying (Acts 5:1–11).
Colossians 3:9 says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.” Lying is listed in 1 Timothy 1:9-11 as something practiced by the lawless. Furthermore, liars will be among those judged in the end (Revelation 21:8). In contrast, God never lies (Titus 1:2). He is the source of truth. “It is impossible for God to lie” (Numbers 23:19).
Jesus called Himself the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and He expects those who follow Him to be people of truth. The truth is to be expressed in love (Ephesians 4:15), offering hope to those seeking redemption from the lies of the world.
For an explanation of the instances in the Bible in which lying appears to be acceptable, please see our "Is it ever right to lie?" article.
27 Bible Verses About Lying
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Little white lies. Half-truths. These labels sound harmless. But, as one person rightly observed, “Those who are given to white lies soon become color blind.”
Lying is deliberately saying something with the intent to deceive, and God draws a hard line against the practice. Scripture reveals that lying is a severe offense that the Lord will not tolerate.
These Bible verses about lying reveal why habitual dishonesty compromises one’s spiritual integrity and walk with God. Those who wish to pursue a life of faith and obedience to God will make it their goal to speak the truth always.
What Does the Bible Say About Lying?
Sometimes it’s easier to tell a lie than face a problem openly and honestly. We might hurt someone’s feelings if we tell the truth. But those who practice deceit are placing themselves in a dangerous alliance with the devil (Satan), whom the Scripture calls the “father of lies.”
The Bible is straightforward about lying, deception, and falsehood—God hates them. His character is truth, and as the essence of truth, God takes pleasure in honesty. Truthfulness is a mark of the Lord’s followers.
Habitual lying is evidence of underlying spiritual problems such as rebellion, pride, and lack of integrity. Lying will destroy a Christian’s testimony and witness to the world. If we want to please the Lord, we will make it our aim to tell the truth.
You Shall Not Lie
Telling the truth is commanded and commended in Scripture. Beginning with the Ten Commandments and through to the Psalms, Proverbs, and the book of Revelation, the Bible instructs us not to lie.
Exodus 20:16
You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. (NLT)
Leviticus 19:11–12
You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 5:20
Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor. (CSB)
Psalm 34:12–13
Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! (NLT)
Proverbs 19:5
A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free. (NIV)
Proverbs 19:9
A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed. (NLT)
Revelation 22:14–15
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (ESV)
Colossians 3:9–10
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (NIV)
1 John 3:18
Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (NLT)
God Hates Lying But Delights in Truth
Lying will not go unnoticed or unpunished by the Lord. God wants His children to resist the temptation to lie.
Proverbs 6:16–19
There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. (NLT)
Proverbs 12:22
The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. (NLT)
Psalm 5:4–6
You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness. Evil will never be your guest. Those who brag cannot stand in your sight. You hate all troublemakers. You destroy those who tell lies. The LORD is disgusted with bloodthirsty and deceitful people. (GW)
Psalm 51:6
Behold, you [God] delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (ESV)
Psalm 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. (ESV)
Psalm 101:7
I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence. (NLT)
Jeremiah 17:9–10
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (ESV)
God Is Truth
Romans 3:4
Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.” (NLT)
Titus 1:2
This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. (NLT)
John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (NLT)
Father of Lies
The Bible reveals Satan as the original liar (Genesis 3:1-4). He is a master of deception who leads people away from the truth. By contrast, Jesus Christ is shown to be the truth, and His gospel is truth.
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (ESV)
1 John 2:22
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. (ESV)
1 Timothy 4:1–2
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (NIV)
The Cure for Lying
The cure for lying is telling the truth, and God’s Word is truth. Christians must speak the truth in love.
Ephesians 4:25
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. (NLT)
Psalm 15:1–2
LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; (NIV)
Proverbs 12:19
Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed. (NLT)
John 4:24
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (NIV)
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. (NLT)
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