This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the
The inmate culture goes even farther. I just bring up the fact of our society normalizing lying because it makes teaching inmates to be truthful that much more challenging. But this is part of your ministry - to help establish the gospel in their hearts.
The gospel that centers on Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection must also make men holy. It must make us that truly believe it – different. You must tell professing believers that their Christian character is important. It should matter a great deal to them. Therefore, I offer this study to help you get started teaching truthfulness to inmates and residents. Remember, telling the truth is totally counter-culture to the normal culture inside the walls of incarceration.
To begin, it is important to see that lying is part of fallen human nature. It gets its source from every human’s original spiritual father, the devil.
Jesus said of him, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (NIV).
The devil is also the main influencer of unsaved society. 1 John 5:19 says: “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
The term “the world” as used in many texts like the one above, means unsaved human society – and the way it thinks. With that in mind, before we get to some specific texts to teach your Bible students, look at the Scripture in 1 John 2:15-17. It says:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
This is a strong statement! The Spirit through the Apostle was speaking to those that professed to be Christians, literally “born ones” (1 John 2:1). Verse 15 begins with a command to NOT do something – do NOT BE LOVING THE WORLD OR ITS THINGS.
The second sentence in the verse is also very strong, and fits with the Apostles' overall theme, which is how to know for sure you have eternal life.
“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
This teaches us if anybody continually loves the world they do not posses God’s love. This is another way of saying they do not have eternal life or true salvation. Compare the thought of not having God the Father’s love to 1 John 4:8 which says -
“He who does not love DOES NOT KNOW GOD (another way to say they are not saved), for God is love.”
Upon closer examination of the original language, we discover something amazing in verse 15. Without looking at the Greek text I always assumed the word for love here would be in the “phile” family of Koine Greek words for “love.” “Phile” is the love of attraction, of fondness for or liking something or someone because of perceived beauty or value. It is aesthetic love.
At first reading, I expected the original word to be a reference to THIS kind of love. If that were the case, God would be saying in 1 John 2:15, something like do no be fond of worldly things, let them lose their attraction for you.
But, upon inspection of the original truly God-breathed-out (inspired) word I was shocked to see that every word for “love” in 1 John 2:15 is a form of “agape” love. It's there three times as a verb and once as a noun.
That fact broadens the command. “Agape” love is the love of ALL OUT COMMITMENT! It sacrifices for the thing so loved. Whereas “phile” love may be conditional, “agape” love is always UNCONDITIONAL. “Phile” is based more upon the thing loved, whereas “agape” is based on the nature of the one who so loves. “Agape” love is total devotion to something, even if the thing or person (humanly speaking) is not worth the love poured on it.
So God is saying in 1 John as a test of true spirituality, Christians cannot be those continually devoted and committed to the world or any of its things - including its VALUES. The world of lost society loves lying, that is one of its VALUES
The system at work all around the earth in the hearts and minds of natural unspiritual people is totally committed to self and therefore it follows, totally committed to telling untruths. Lying is popular. In the culture of prison thinking, it is even seen as an art form to be further developed!
In 1 John 2, verses 16 and 17 go on to clarify the matter.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away (the passive voice of the verb “passing away” makes this is a veiled reference to its judgment), and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
So why be constantly committed and devoted to sin? To the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the boastful pride of the self-life? It's all sin that is about to be judged by God!
According to verse 17, the ones who don't love the world or its ways - including lying, will not be judged with the world, they will turn from loving sin and will inherit an eternal home with God.
Before we move on, I want to point out two other things from verse 16.
1. Greed and covetousness are evidenced by lying to try to satisfy “the lust of the eyes.”
2. Covering sin by lying about it really comes under the category of “the pride of life.”
Now more directly on the subject of being transformed from being a liar to being an honest person who tells the truth, I want to consider FOUR passages.
First look at Revelation 22:14-15. The context all the way forward from Rev. 21:1 is talking about the new heaven also called “the New Jerusalem” or the “city.”
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments* (*the earliest manuscripts read ‘wash their robes’), that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city (heaven, the New Jerusalem).
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
The word for “loves” in verse 15, is a present tense verb form of “phile” therefore, this refers to being continually attracted to the practice of lying.
Next, compare this to Revelation 21:27 (in the NASB translation)
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it (the ‘city’ of heaven), but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's (or Jesus’) book of life.
From these verses in Revelation, show those who listen to your Bible teaching that the issue of telling the truth, and turning away from lying is very serious.
Their relationship to habitual lying shows where they’re headed for all eternity! Those who die in their sin of unbelief, rejecting Jesus as Savior from sin and Lord over their life - evidenced by continual lying, will not go to heaven.
The final two passages I want to go over this month, to help you teach inmates that THEY MUST TELL THE TRUTH, are related. They are both addressed to born again Christians.
Colossians 3:9 – the context from Col. 3:1 is talking about living the heavenly life even now on earth. This is part of the realization and evidence of what the Spirit through the Apostle calls “the new man.”
9 Do not lie to one another (this could be translated ‘stop lying to one another’), since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
Putting off the old man is in this verse – a done deal. The old self or old man DIED at conversion. Therefore, to practice lying is to resurrect the old worldly life and its ways.
A true Christian would never WANT to do that. They might struggle with worldly temptation and their yet unredeemed flesh that tells them it’s OK to tell a lie, but they cannot continue practicing any sin habitually, non-stop. Therefore, they do not want to tell lies.
Verse 9 actually is at the end of a long list of sins that are to be completely stripped off, like polluted clothing.
Verse 7 states that before the believers’ new birth they lived in these sins, then verse 8 says “BUT NOW,” in other words - after your true conversion to Christ, these sins are to not be practiced any more.
Lastly, look at Ephesians 4:20-25, which contains the key to stopping the practice of telling lies. After a few verses (4:17-19) describing the thinking and lifestyle of the unsaved idol worshipers, the text turns and states a contrast to their way of living. It says:
20 BUT (that’s a hinge word) you (plural) have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him,
These phrases – to “learn Christ,” to “have heard Him,” and to “have been taught by Him,” are all references to dying to self and coming to life IN CHRIST, through the new birth. They refer to a proper response to His gospel.
Now, note something special at the end of verse 21, where it says -
21 … as the truth is in Jesus:
The believer’s Lord and Savior is the God of all truth. He is the God who according to Titus 1:2, “cannot lie.” Hebrews 6:18 says “it is impossible for God to lie.”
So, just like the truth is always in Jesus it is fitting for the believers –
22 that you (plural) put off, concerning your former conduct (way of life), the old man which grows corrupt (or, is always being corrupted) according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
That’s the KEY TO CHANGING FROM BEING A HABITUAL LIAR TO BEING A HABITUAL TRUTH TELLER – BE BEING RENEWED IN YOUR MIND!
How does an inmate or any former lifestyle sinner do that? They stay in God’s written word. The Psalmist questioned and answered this way, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” Psalm 119:9.
As the mind, the way of thinking, is RENEWED BY GOD’S WORD, the change takes place. Note it in verse 24 -
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
So, just like in Colossians, the Spirit inspired Apostle draws the mental picture of stripping off infected clothing and then putting on fresh new clean clothes. In verse 25, he begins a detailed list of the old infectious lifestyle, that must be stripped off right away! Heading the list is the sin of lying.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
This fits with the presentation of the King of kings and the believer’s Master, Jesus, in verse 21 as the source of truth. It also contrasts with the end of verse 22 which stated that the old man was continually corrupted by the DECEITFUL (or LYING) LUSTS.
Those lusts are part of the world that died for the Christian at the point of His true birth from above!
These teachings are counter-culture to inmate life. That’s a good thing. Though this is hard for inmates and others to hear, remember, the Lord by His Spirit is able to do what from a totally human viewpoint, is impossible.
The Holy Spirit can turn habitual criminal liars (or any other liars) into consistently honest truth tellers! He will do it to the glory of His grace and mercy and for a testimony to the watching but still lost world.
Rich Hines
Minister To Chaplains –
