Cheering Sin from the Cheap Seats

Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul...And Saul approved of their killing him.

Acts 7:58 & 8:1

My wife and I have reached that stage of life where you start watching more shows on PBS. Maybe it's because I'm boring or maybe it's just that I don't like what's on the other channels, but there are several shows that I actually like on PBS now. If you have ever watched any of these shows they end with the same message tagged at the end. "This program was made possible by generous donations from the..." and then they list the names of all the foundations and rich people who helped fund the show. After all the important people have been named, they end with this "and by the support of your local PBS station by viewers like you." At the end of every show they remind us that these shows wouldn't be possible without the viewers' support. 

It occurred to me today that sin is much the same way. I don't mean that sin would go away entirely without support, but it does rather seem to thrive on an audience doesn't it? How often are you guilty of cheering sin on from the cheap seats?

We tend to come down rather hard on Saul for standing by in approval of Stephen's martyrdom, and for good reason. Saul didn't just approve of it, he actually guarded the coats of those who were killing Stephen (Acts 22:20). He supported it! We come down hard on Saul for this, but how often have we stood by in support of sin in our own way? How often do we still do so?

When was the last time you doubled over laughing at someone's joke that was only funny because of filthy language or content? You can't tell me that doesn't encourage them to tell more jokes like that. Comedy clubs are full of people who are only as funny as they are filthy. Or how about the TV shows and movies that you watch. How many of them do you watch not in spite of the small amount of worldly content in them, but precisely because you enjoy the vulgarity, violence, nudity, and sexual content? Or how many times do you fail to be salt and light to your lost friends and instead choose to live vicariously through them by drinking in all their stories from their wild nights?

Approving of sin is sin. Don't stand by and witness it. Don't support it or make it easier for others to do it. Keep your mind, your heart, and your life clean from such filth. Be set apart and holy to the Lord. As Ephesians 5:3-4 says, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." When our lives match up with these verses, we will find that another barrier in our relationship with the Lord has fallen, and we will be that much more like Christ.

Pet Sins

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

I John 1:5-7

There once was a little boy who loved snakes. A pet snake was all he wanted for his birthday. His parents were a bit squeamish but they acquiesced and got him a snake which the pet store said was a ball python. The little boy couldn’t have been happier. He loved and cared for his snake and it grew to be rather large, over 7 feet long in fact. And then one day the snake stopped eating. The boy tried everything to get the snake to eat, but nothing worked. So after a time he took it to the vet. 

The vet listened carefully as the boy explained the situation. Then he asked the boy some questions. He asked whether the snake ever slept by him at night. The boy replied that it did. Then the vet asked if it ever snuggled close to him and stretched itself out alongside his body or wrapped itself around him. The boy replied, “Yes he’s been doing it every day. That’s how I know he loves me and it makes me so sad that I can’t help him feel better.”

Then the vet said something shocking. “Young man, this is not a ball python but a reticulated python which grows to be much larger and is much more dangerous. And sadly this snake doesn’t love you and he is not sick. He is preparing to eat you. He’s been sizing you up every day so he knows if he has grown large enough to swallow you yet. And he has stopped eating so he has enough room to digest you."

***

While this story is an urban legend it serves as a powerful metaphor for the way Christians relate to habitual sins in our lives. Most believers have a time of sanctification after we first get saved during which we put off sin and begin to live a new life. But over time, many believers get tired of fighting against the flesh every day and they end up with several stubborn sins that they fail to rid their lives of completely. Eventually we give up hope of ever being free of these sins. We stop fighting against them. We accept them and start to think of them less as sins and more as character flaws or bad habits. Whether it's arrogance, selfishness, materialism, anger issues, sexual  immorality, lust, or slander; eventually we grow comfortable with the idea that these few sins will be with us for the rest of our lives. 

The scary truth is that we have gotten so used to these sins as a part of our lives that we’ve forgotten how dangerous they are. These sins are dangerous! And Satan wants to use them to damage the reputation of Christ, steal our joy, hurt our relationship with God, and ruin our witness. 

In the passage above, Scripture tells us that those who walk in darkness can’t be walking with the God who is Light. No matter what a person says. If they claim to be a Christian but are walking in darkness then they are a liar. Warren Wiersbe says it this way, “darkness and light cannot exist in the same place.”

So don’t get comfortable with your sin. Fight against it! I am not advocating perfectionism. I will never be rid of my sin nature completely on this side of Heaven. Which means that I will never be completely free from all sin. But that doesn’t mean that it’s okay for me to willingly walk in sin every day and impose on God’s grace. That doesn’t mean that it’s okay for me to continue to live enslaved to certain sins and give up hope that I will ever beat them. 

Refuse to be enslaved to a sin that Jesus died to rescue you from! Fight against the sin that remains in you. Reject the lie that Jesus can’t set you free from some particular sin. And seek to become more like Christ each and every day.

Hate Evil. Cling to Good.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

1 John 3:7-8

Be careful. You have an enemy who wants to lead you astray, to somehow lure you off the narrow path into the thorns and briers of spiritual ineffectiveness. One of his favorite means of doing this is to send others into your life to speak his words to you: wolves in sheep's clothing. How can you spot them? Look at their walk. Just as a wolf doesn't walk like a sheep, so a person's walk (their actions) reveals their true character. If they claim to be righteous but don't do right, they're a liar. 

A recent trend has emerged in Christian circles that values authenticity and genuineness more than righteousness. In the name of being "more real" and in an attempt to connect with lost people, Christians are opening up about their sins and often even curse openly. 

Honesty is good. Of all the people on earth Christians have the least to hide because of the unfathomable grace that has been afforded us through Christ Jesus. And Scripture tells us that we ought to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). But when we openly name our sin it should be done in repentance. We don't wear our sins as a badge of pride to show how "real" we are in an attempt to win the lost. We dare not use filthy or vulgar language (which Scripture speaks against in Ephesians 4:29) in an attempt to be edgier than other Christians. Certainly we know by now that this world will not be won for Jesus by Christians who have become more like the world they are trying to save. 

No! There is nothing righteous about sin. There is nothing admirable about it. The entire reason that Jesus came to earth was to destroy the devil's work, and to do so especially in us. He died in order to sanctify the hearts and lives of believers. We cannot, we dare not coddle our sin, brag about it, use it to grow our churches, or give sin any refuge or foothold in our lives. To do so is a slap in the face to Jesus and His finished work on the cross. Jesus gave His life to free us from the enemy's grasp, to rescue us from sin. Let us never make light of the sin the remains in us. Let us openly confess that sin to one another, but let us hate even the garment stained by it (Jude 23). And as we lead the way in honesty let us all the more lead the way in mourning over our sin, repenting of it and pursuing life change. May Romans 12:9 light our path: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." So be sincere, but not at the cost of hating evil or clinging to what is good. 

Yes and No

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:37 (NKJV)

I am convinced that we are too willing to compromise on the truth. Too often our word is no good. Either we deal in half truths or we make statements or even commitments that we later go back on. This is not how Jesus lived. He spoke the truth even when it hurt people, even when it made them mad, even when it got Him killed. Moreover He stood by his statements and commitments. He didn't back down. One small example of this is found in Matthew 16:1-4. Jesus had already told the Pharisees that they would not be given a sign in Matthew 12:38-40. In this passage He sticks to His statement and repeats His conviction that the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah. How refreshing! Jesus was a man of His word. 

How often do you practice subtle deception and justify it by claiming that what you said wasn't really a lie? Just because a statement is in the same general area as truth doesn't make it true enough to come out of a Christian's mouth. How often do you fail to stick to or live up to your words? How often do you make excuses to back out of commitments? Reflect Christ in this as in all ways. "Let you 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'," Christians. Anything other than this originates from the evil one.

For further reading...

• Matthew 5:33-37- In context, this passage is about taking oaths. I think that makes the point even stronger when it comes to our financial commitments as oaths would have been commonly used in reference to these.
• Matthew 12:38-40 & 16:1-4- Read how Jesus stuck to His word.
• Matthew 5-7 & Matthew 15:1-20- Some examples of Jesus speaking unpopular truths.

Flattery

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts. May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue— those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

Psalm 12:1-4

Flattery seems harmless enough. So what if we "put a little extra butter on the bread" to make someone else feel good about himself? But flattery isn't just bending the truth a little in order to be nice to people. Flattery is buttering someone up with smooth words in order to get something from them. Flattery parades as something that is all about the other person. In reality it is always about the flatterer. He or she wants something and is willing to lie and deceive to get it. They flatter either in the hopes that it will endear them to the person who can give them what they want, or in order to gain the trust of someone whom they plan to betray and steal what they want from. Flattery is nothing more than manipulation for your own ends. The psalmist is right when he says "no one is faithful anymore... Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts."

Listening to flattery is dangerous. Most people agree that flattery sets such an alluring trap because we are all a little too eager to read our own fan mail. We aren't suspicious of flattery because it feeds the vanity that already resides in our hearts. "Finally!", we think. "Someone recognizes me for how great I am." This unchecked and often unnoticed pride makes us all too willing to believe flattery's lies. Proverbs 29:5 rightly warns, "Those who flatter their neighbors are spreading nets for their feet." People don't flatter us to build up our self-esteem, but to take from us what they want. They are baiting us. The employee compliments his boss in order to get a promotion. For men to flatter women with lies in order to get sex is so common a dating practice today that it is hardly even looked down upon anymore.

What are we to do against those who would attack us with such deceptively friendly methods? How can the poor protect themselves from those who gain power through flattery and then use it to extort the needy? Turn to the Lord! Psalm 12 continues: "'Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,' says the Lord. 'I will protect them from those who malign them'” (Psalm 12:5). What an encouragement for the afflicted to hear that God Himself will come to their rescue! But dare they trust God's word? You can almost hear the afflicted scoff. "Sure! God says He will arise and protect me. It sounds too good to be true to me." But the psalmist anticipates this response. "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times" (Psalm 12:6). He tells us that God's words are not like the flatterer's. God's words can be trusted. They are pure and true. Thus, we can say in confidence, "You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race" (Psalm 12:7-8).

So what can you do in the face of flattery?

1. Turn to God for protection from those who would afflict you with power gained by deceptive means.
2. Ask God for wisdom and discernment to identify flattery when someone tries to use it against you.
3. Regularly read God's Word. It is only as we view ourselves in the light of the truth of His Word that we gain a realistic view of ourselves. This is the best way to kill that remaining pride in our hearts which makes us so susceptible to flattery.
4. And guard your mouth! Remind yourself that the believer should never resort to flattery and manipulation in order to gain for himself what God is so very capable of providing for His children already.

For further reading...

• Proverbs 26:28- They are up to no good!
• Jude 16- Why do they flatter?
• I Thessalonians 2:4-6- Paul never used flattery.

God Weighs the Heart

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.

Proverbs 21:2 (NASB)

When I was in high school, I worked for my father in the summer. He had a small civil engineering firm. I would work with his land surveyors. One day when I was working out in the field, it began to rain, so we packed up the electronic equipment and went to grab lunch. We made our way to a pizza joint in the area and waited out the rain eating pizza and playing video games. After about an hour the rain subsided and the sun came out. I thought it was about time to head back out, but my crew chief said it could start raining again any time. It really wouldn't be any use to get all the way back out into the field and set up the equipment just to have it start raining again, so we should just stay there and play video games a little while longer, he reasoned. I knew that was an excuse to play video games, but I rationalized that he was in charge and I really didn't have the right to disagree with him. I didn't want to seem like the kiss-up boss' son. And who knows? He might be right, I thought. It really could start raining again any time. So we played Ms. Pac-Man a little while longer. Rationalizations like this sound good in your head, but when your father walks through the door of a pizza joint and sees you playing video games when you should be out working, you suddenly realize how faulty they are. Needless to say I was more than a little embarrassed, and I imagine my crew chief was too.

We all make excuses to do what we want to do. We all rationalize our behavior. We find reasons to think that what we want to do is the right thing to do or at least that it's okay for us to do. But the truth is that God isn't going to judge us by our excuses. He will judge us by our hearts. Proverbs 21:2 tells us that "Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." The Lord will look past our excuses and our rationalizations and He will look at what really motivated our behavior: our heart. The truth is that my excuses for staying and playing video games that day were just ways of explaining away my behavior. They weren't the real reason I stayed. I stayed because I would rather play video games than go work in the hot sun. I would rather play video games than stand up to my crew chief.

There will come a day when our heavenly Father will surprise you without warning just like my father did on that day. He will enter into judgment on that day against the whole world. And He will judge you for everything you have ever done. Most of us are all too eager to explain away our sin and make excuses for ourselves; but on that day our excuses will not matter. God isn't going to judge you based on the ingenuity of your excuses. He is going to weigh your heart. He will look at your intentions, what you loved and why you actually did what you did. He will look at the true motives behind your behavior. So resist the urge to explain away your bad temper, your filthy language, your tendency to gossip, your occasional drunken frolic, or your sexual activity outside of marriage. Focus today on doing what is right in God's eyes based on what His Word says instead of doing what is right in your own eyes. Ask God to open your eyes today so you can see the sin in your life that you have excused for too long, then repent and ask Him for forgiveness and freedom from that sin based on His Son's death and resurrection. 

For further reading...

• Proverbs 16:2- Do you think this proverb is restating the same point as Prov. 21:2, or is there some difference?
• Judges 21:25 & 2:11-23- The book of judges reveals a sad cycle of sin that happens when men do what is right in their own eyes. The people of Israel would turn away from God into idolatry until God punished them by means of oppression from a foreign nation. Finally, Israel would repent and God would send a judge to deliver them. Then in time, Israel would turn away from God into idolatry again, and the cycle would repeat.

Little Sins: Drunkenness

Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. They have harps and lyres at their banquets, pipes and timbrels and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands... Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks,

Isaiah 5:11-12, 22

 

 

Though the prophet Isaiah pronounces woe over those who drink too much wine*, our culture almost glorifies it. Our children and teens are raised watching movies that present drunken parties as the height of fun. Much of the most popular music of today centers around themes related to drinking and partying at clubs. So who is right? Why does the Bible pronounce woe on something that seems as harmless as drinking too much alcohol?

 

If you look at what the Bible as a whole has to say about getting drunk, it becomes clear that God pronounces woe on those who drink too much because alcohol is a hard task master. When you look at stories like that of Lot and his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38), or Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:20-27), or even the fall of Elah king of Israel (I Kings 16:8-10), it becomes clear that falling into the trap of drinking too much alcohol can cause great destruction in our lives. But certainly our culture doesn't have to read stories from the Bible to know this. Our world is replete with examples. My own extended family has a history of alcoholism including both those who were verbally and physically abusive when drunk and those who mixed drinking and driving.

These families members of mine were not bad people, they simply fell victim to the destruction that alcohol can bring. Anyone of us, including myself can be bested by alcohol. This is why Proverbs warns us so frequently about drinking in excess. It tells us that the wise man is not taken in by liquor's many charms (Proverbs 20:1). It tells us that drunkenness leads to poverty, strife, sorrow, needless bruises, and bloodshot eyes (Proverbs 23:20-21 and 23:29-35). This isn't God's best for your life. God wants so much more for you, and alcohol has the power to steal it all away from you. There is a good chance, given my family history, that if I ever began drinking alcohol I would become addicted to it and lose control.

For that reason, and because I have an adolescent brother and other teens at my church who I hope look up to me, I have chosen not to drink at all. The potential positives that could come from me drinking in moderation are so very few and the potential negatives so very great, that it simply is not worth it. I urge you to give alcohol a wide berth in your life. Perhaps Ephesians 5:18 says it best, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery [excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures]. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." Those of us who are in Christ have been set free from sin, so don't allow yourself to be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1). And those of you who have yet to surrender to Christ will never find what you are looking for at the bottom of a bottle. So again I urge you...find fulfillment in Christ, not in alcohol.

 

For further reading...

• Genesis 19:30-38- Read the tragic story of Lot and his daughters.
• Genesis 9:20-27- Read how drunkenness ruined Noah's relationship with his sons.
• Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 23:20-21 and 23:29-35- Check out what Proverbs has to say.

* In case you were wondering the Bible does not come right out and teach that drinking alcohol at all is a sin. In fact, it clear from Scripture that Jesus and other laudable Bible characters drank wine. Although it has often been asserted that this wine was not fermented like ours is today, I know of no textual or historical evidence to back this up. Perhaps the fermentation process was different, but it was still fermented. However, as has been demonstrated the Bible clear teaches that getting drunk is a sin, and one that has disastrous consequences. Thus, for the reasons outlined above, I encourage all Christians to consider abstaining from alcohol altogether.

Little Sins: Slander and Gossip

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

James 3:5-12

Do you know what the word "devil" means? Most Christians do not. We tend to think of "devil" as the proper name for Satan, but it is not. In fact, neither is Satan. Satan is a Hebrew word used in the Old Testament to refer to the Devil and it means "adversary." The New Testament refers to him by the Greek word "devil" which means "false accuser or slanderer."* Simply put then, the Devil is our adversary who falsely accuses and slanders us (see Job1:1-2:6 & Revelation 12:10).

It is little wonder then that our Heavenly Father is not pleased when His children do the Devil's job for him. When we attack, slander, and falsely accuse one another in the church, He is not pleased. We are commanded to love on another. In fact, we are to be known by our remarkable love for one another. So gossip and slander have no place in the lives of God's children. Why kindle such a raging fire in the church? As the above passage indicates, blessing and cursing should not proceed from the same mouth.

However, I have found that, at times, it can be difficult to determine exactly what constitutes gossip. Some have suggested that we simply not talk about other people at all. However, this leaves us either talking about ourselves all the time or with nothing to talk about. Thankfully, there is a better way. I once heard a sermon from Alistair Begg in which he defined gossip as "the unhelpful repeating of stories about the wrongs and offences of others."** This is a simple enough rule. Don't repeat your brother's lowest moments. Don't attempt to make him look bad. Proverbs 17:9 says, "Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." Choose to cover over the offenses of your brother's and sister's in Christ. Forgive! Don't create division by repeating the matter over and over again. As a child of God you should bless and encourage your siblings in the faith, not revile and persecute them. 

For further reading...

• Job1:1-2:6- Check out how the Devil lived up to his name in the book of Job.
• I Corinthians 4:12-13- Follow the apostles' example when responding to slander.
• Revelation 12:10- The devil is the accuser!

*The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

** "Saying No to Slander" preached on October 21, 2007. 

Little Sins: Potty Mouth

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:33-37

Last week we started looking at the so-called little sins that we as Christians like to let slide in our lives. These are the "minor" weaknesses we indulge even as we console ourselves with the thought, "I'm not perfect, but at least I'm not doing that!" The problem with this is that God hasn't called us to be a little bit better than those around us. He has called us to imitate His perfection; and He makes a big deal about all sins, even the ones we like to think are minor.

It isn't that rare for me to have teenagers ask me a question like "Why is cussing wrong?" The simple truth is that curse words are in many ways just societal constructs. Let me explain. Think of a curse word and see if you can think of another word or phrase that means exactly the same thing but is not considered cursing. It is pretty easy to do. There are acceptable substitute phrases for almost every curse word you know. For example, why is it acceptable to say poop or crap but sh*t is considered a curse word? Because our society says it is. Now Christians can turn our nose up at this and try to be counter-cultural but if we do it is Christ's name that suffers. Christians are ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). We represent Him and we are called to be all things to all people on His behalf so that by all means we might win as many as possible for the gospel (I Corinthians 9:19-23).

However, Scripture speaks less about curse words specifically and more about the type of speech that comes out of our mouths generally. Why is God so concerned about what we say? Because our words reveal the condition of our hearts. Matthew 12:34 says, "The mouth speaks what the heart is full of," and then goes on to say that "everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken." When your speech is laced with profanity and rough joking and belittling comments, then the condition of your heart is apparent not only to God but also to those around whom you are supposed to be serving as Christ's ambassador. This week I encourage you to make Psalm 19:14 your prayer, "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

For further reading...

• Ephesians 5:4- Obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking.
• I Corinthians 9:19-27- Run to get the prize.
• Deuteronomy 6:6-7- This is what we should be talking about!
• Colossians 3:17- Whatever you do...

Little Sins: Lying Lips

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Proverbs 12:22

We have a bad tendency of thinking that some sins are small. "They don't really hurt anyone, so they don't matter as much. These are just minor character flaws," we tell ourselves. We even justify our actions by arguing, "We can't be perfect on this side of heaven anyway." The problem is that Scripture often makes a big deal out of our "small" sins. What is more, Scripture tells us to pursue the perfection of our Father in our everyday lives (Matthew 5:48). Over the next few weeks we will be looking at some of these so called "small" sins. We will see what God has to say about them, and we will see some Bible characters that incurred some pretty major consequences for these sins. Today we talk about lying. 

The truth is that God hates lies (even the little white kind). They may seem harmless to us, but the reason God hates them really ought to be obvious. They are contrary to His very nature. John 17:17 says that the words that God speaks are truth. In fact, the Holy Spirit is even called the "Spirit of truth." (John 15:26). God speaks truth. He reveals truth. He enlightens the mind so that it can understand and receive truth. Lies conceal the truth. This is not the work of the Father but of the enemy. The Devil is the "father of lies" (John 8:44). Lies are his native tongue, so when we lie we are reflecting Satan's character, not the Father's.

Even more telling is how this basic character difference works itself out in our Father's and the enemy's strategies for capturing the hearts of this world. II Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they would be unable to see the truth of the gospel. Revelation 12:9 says that Satan "leads the whole world astray." But God "reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light" (Job 12:22). In fact, "God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5). So the image we get from these verses is that Satan is attacking our world with darkness and deception, hiding the truth of the gospel behind a thick veil of half-truths and outright lies. Our God responds to this strategy not with the sword or a legion of angels, but by beating back the darkness with the light of the truth of the gospel of glory in Jesus Christ. This is God's work. This was Jesus' work. He is "the light of the world" who sets people free from the darkness forever (John 8:12). And we know that the darkness "has not overcome" Jesus' light (John 1:5). So you can imagine His frustration when His children, whom He has set free from the darkness of deception, willingly choose to return to it for their own benefit. When we do this we are willingly reflecting the nature of the Devil and have joined with him to spread confusion and deception. We literally find ourselves opposite of God in the great cosmic battle for the hearts of mankind, and our God does not take it lightly. 

For further reading...

• Acts 5:1-11- Read the story of a couple who decided to try to lie to God.
• Genesis 12- Read about how Abram's weak new faith in God and his half-truth nearly caused a catastrophe.