Exodus 20, Colossians 3:9

Teresa Phillips

I am a primary school teacher in year 6, and the other day, one of my children came to me and asked me if I would come to a show he and his family were in. Up to my eyeballs in work and not having many free nights, I truthfully told him I was busy on the Thursday night he had so eagerly got me tickets for. "What about Friday then?" He asked. Nope, was busy then. "Saturday?" He beamed. I stopped. I was not doing anything on that Saturday. Was I willing to give up a Saturday night to go and watch this thing? No, I was not. "Busy then too," I said, without thinking.

The next morning I woke up with a Travis song in my head. Why does it always rain on me? Is it because I lied when I was seventeen? I felt bad. I don't lie very much, mostly because I'm just so terrible at it. But I lied to him. It was a small lie, yes, but I lied.

What does the Bible say about lying you might ask? Well, one of the Ten Commandments is to not lie (See Exodus 20). And lying is also mentioned several times in the New Testament, as a thing not to do (e.g. Colossians 3:9). Jesus summarised it really, when he talked to his critics about the fact that the most important things in life are to love God and love others (Mark 12:28-31). If we are lying to other people then we aren't being honest, we aren't showing respect or treating them how we would want to be treated. And that isn't really love, is it?

I thought a bit more about lying. What if it's a situation where to tell the truth would hurt more? For example, if your friend is really tone-deaf but is going in for auditions at school for a play. They ask whether you think they should go for it or not. Or, let's say, you are in a relationship and you have been attracted, or been involved with someone else. Your partner asks you for the truth on the matter. What should you do?

I suppose I could go on giving you different scenarios thinking about the best and most loving way to act in these situations. But what really is important here is not to be tempted to think that certain lies are okay, such as white lies, and half-truths. Some might say that my lie wasn't really that big a deal. I think it is, with hindsight.

The thing is, lies have consequences. We have all heard stories as children, about people who start lying and end up in a tangled web of untruth. We know that the truth always comes out, and that hurts others. It doesn't matter how small or big the lies are. Thinking again about Travis, does one small lie end up with a torrent of problems in your life? Does it rain because of a small lie or sin?

I could have actually picked any sin to discuss this issue. Perhaps you can think of another.

God is holy and just. We all fall short of his standards. But because of his mercy, through Jesus, our sins have been forgotten. We can know God because of the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying for our sins. However, sometimes our sins still have earthly consequences. Just because we have been forgiven, doesn't mean that punishment or problems stemming from the sin automatically disappear.

I don't think that it always rains on you because of one sin. God causes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous and the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). But I do think we need to be aware that there are consequences for our sins, even though we have forgiveness if we ask for it. What the consequences are depends on the sin and the circumstances. Who knows what may happen in your life if sin has a hold on you? But I do know this, Jesus died for my sin and as a response to that, I want to sin as little as is possible. That way, I can avoid the natural consequences that accompany it.

And next time I'm tempted to tell a 'small' lie, I'll think twice.