The greatest proof that God hates a lying tongue is that all who possess one will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). Why does God view lying so harshly? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is a characteristic of the devil. Jesus once referred to Satan as the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus called the devil a liar because he was guilty of telling the first lie when he deceived Eve in the garden, convincing her that she and Adam would not die if they ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:4). Of course, they ate of the tree from which God had commanded them not to eat, and they died. They were cast out of the garden of Eden, and, losing access to the tree of life, they eventually died. We too die physically as a result of that initial sin (1 Corinthians 15:22). What precipitated the fall of Adam and Eve? It was a lie. A lie lead to the destruction of the perfect paradise that God had created for man and caused mankind to lose access to immortality. This is the nature of lying. It almost always leads to bad things. In fact, one lie often leads to another lie and then another lie, etc. Many times, lies are committed just to cover up other sins, and, again, the person doing it must keep on lying if he does not want his original sin to be exposed. Satan is not only the father of lies, but he uses lying as a tool to keep people in sin.

Lying has become commonplace in society. Maybe such has always been the case. Paul referred to lying when describing the nature of man dominated by sin (Romans 3:13). It is an acceptable sin in most cases. Still, regardless of how it is viewed in the world, it is an abomination to God (Proverbs 12:22), and it is such an easy sin to commit. It can be done swiftly, and often it is never even discovered by man.

Have you become comfortable with lying once in a while? When the telemarketer calls, is it acceptable for you to lie just to end the phone call quickly. Is it okay for you to lie to someone if you think you are just sparing their feelings, knowing that the truth will hurt? Remember, we should hate what God hates, and God hates lying. God will not ignore your lies, even the little ones, just because you are living right in other areas. As Christians we must be truthful in all areas of our lives, walking in honesty (Romans 13:14).

Another sin abhorred by God is the shedding of innocent blood. He has always commanded His people to refrain from this sin, and even arranged for there to be cities of refuge to be set up among His people so that the innocent could avoid being unduly persecuted (Deuteronomy 19:10-13). While Proverbs 6 refers to the literal shedding of blood, there is plenty of proof in the Word of God showing that God hates the mistreatment of the innocent in any way. In the church today, there is not too much shedding of blood, that is, not literally. However, we do see the innocent sometimes being mistreated. What about when gossip occurs? Is it not the innocent who often become casualties of loose lips? Maybe their blood is not literally shed, but sometimes their reputations sure take a beating. What about when brethren judge according to appearances, that is, without having all the facts? That, too, can be very damaging to an innocent person who is judged unfairly. That is why Jesus commanded us not to do that in John 7:24. We should all monitor our words and deeds very carefully to make sure that nothing we say or do brings harm to the innocent.

These are two more things that God hates. If God hates lying tongues and hands that shed innocent blood, we will too if we are succeeding in becoming more and more like Him. And if we hate these things, we certainly will not do them. Instead, we will be honest and sincere in all that we do, and we will strive to have helping hands, not hands that hurt the innocent.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.