God has never lied. God is not lying. God will not lie.
As people, we are commanded not to lie (Ex. 20:16), but a hallmark of our identity is that we are liars (Num. 23:19). We are proned to resist truth-telling. We are called not to lie to one another (Col. 3:9), but our deceitful tongues plot destruction in our lives (Ps. 52:2), and they serve as an abomination to the LORD (Prov. 12:22).
Just a sampling of our culture should enable us to echo the prophet Isaiah who said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5). In our sinful state, we identify more with the sneaky, serpentine Satan who is the father of lies (John 8:44) than our Lord whose very name in heaven is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11).
While lies depict our culture, God’s faithfulness makes every single one of his words to be trustworthy.
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- God never lies and so, therefore, his promises can be trusted (Titus 1:2).
- Due to God’s nature, it is actually impossible for him to lie (Heb. 6:18).
- God has never lied nor does he change his mind (Num. 23:19).
- Since God’s words are true, we know that his promises to us are good things (2 Sam. 7:28).
- God’s words have been refined and are completely pure without any blemish upon them (Ps. 12:6).
- When sinful people finally hear God’s words compared to the judgments of sinful leaders, they will know them to be true (Ps. 141:6).
- Every one of God’s words proves to be true (Prov. 30:5).
- Even though the grass and the flowers fade, the word of our God stands forever (Isa. 40:8).
- Our sanctification process is contingent upon God’s words being true (John 17:17).
In a world full of lies, God’s words come from a different type of quality.
God’s faithfulness means that his words are true. And if his words are true, we can trust that each promise will truly come to pass.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
