To Stop the Lie

Nothing Left to Say (1)

But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Psalm 63:11

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It’s surprising how often the Bible speaks of “lies” and “liars.” I’m not sure the Bible could have been written in our day, when it isn’t considered polite to suggest that people may be deliberately bending the truth or passing on untruths as part of their normal daily routine. We are a much more tolerant crowd than those prophets and apostles who took down the Word of the Lord, as He called it like it is in a world where unbelievers hold sway. In Biblical terms, all those who do not embrace, submit to, live for, and proclaim the Truth of God are living a lie, and may properly be regarded as liars.

Now I know this isn’t going to sit well with some of you. Who does he think he is calling people a liar? Who made him judge and jury over what are lies and what it Truth? Well, the answer to the first question is, it’s not me, but the Word of God calling people liars. And the answer to the second question is, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We shouldn’t be surprised by the straightforward manner in which Biblical writers speak of lies and liars. After all, lying is a sin, and we live in a world of sinners, including us. We have all been guilty of lying at some point and, if we haven’t yet faced up to that, well, now might be a good time to start. Further, since the devil is the father of lies, and Jesus plainly taught that some people are ever under his sway (Jn. 8:44), it shouldn’t surprise us to think that there are people in the world whose agenda is colored more by lies than the Truth of God. Finally, the Scriptures teach that, at certain times in history, lies can become so much a part of everyday life that a whole generation can be led astray and not even realize it (cf. Pss. 12, 58; 1 Tim. 4:1-5; 2 Tim. 3:1-9). I submit that we are living in just such an age.

Every day we see the hurtful effects of lies: relationships shattered, fortunes wasted, lives ruined, tyrants empowered, the needy and helpless oppressed, trusting people duped, swindled, or robbed because the Lie motivates the choices and behaviors of so many in our day. But we need not despair in the face of such a situation. For, as the psalmist tells us, and Paul, echoing him, those who promulgate policies and actions on the basis of lies will not make much more progress; rather, their lies will be exposed and their mouths will be stopped (cf. 2 Tim. 3:9).

But how does that happen? How does God plan to stop the mouths of liars so that their ruinous schemes will be brought to an end? This is where we come in – you and I. Jesus commands His followers to judge with righteous judgment everything that goes on around them (Jn. 7:24). He means for us to represent His Truth, seek His Kingdom, and take captive for His purposes every thought, idea, worldview, and foolish scheme that raises itself up against the knowledge of God (Matt. 5:13-16; Matt. 6:33; 2 Cor. 10:3-5). This is our calling, and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we’ll see the power of the Lie beginning to wane, and those who promulgate lies with nothing left to say.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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