Bearing false witness or giving false testimony are just other ways of saying lying.  One of the prblems with lying is that we have made it into a degree measuring unit.  Some ‘little white lies’ are acceptable.  Things said in a joking way, sometimes are just lies.  Some stretch the truth to the extent that it’s almost unrecognizable.

In most of our courts in America we are asked to swear on the Bible, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  That doesn’t leave much room for lies.  We at times are not sure of what the truth is in a situation.  Then it is best to begin with a statement to that effect.  We can’t be expected to everything, but we certainly shouldn’t make things up.

In my Sunday School class I am trying to get the children to understand the difference between joking and lying.  When I ask who didn’t get their treat yet and half the class raise their hands, I know someone is lying just to get another cookie.  They always come back with, “Oh, I was just kidding.”  The truth comes out in whether they actually take another cookie.

Some people think it’s okay to tell lies when it’s about Christmas presents or surprise parties.  I say, be a little creative in your answer, without lying.  A response of, “It’s a secret” or “I can’t answer that question”, can get you out of a tough place without causing you to lie.

We can also lie by omission.  When we fail to tell ‘the whole truth’.  A teen comes in late from school, “where have you been? I was getting worried,” Mom says.  “I stopped to help Mr. Jones with his lawnmower”, is the answer you get.   He did stop to help Mr. Jones, but he also stopped at his girlfriend’s house and bought a pack of cigarettes from the drug store.  This is a lie of omission.  He just left out the information that would have gotten him in trouble.

Many Christians think it’s okay to lie to get free tickets or to get out of trouble.  They seem to think that this commandment doesn’y apply to them.  They tell the policeman, I’m sure I wasn’t speeding, when they were.  Or, they Granted in today’s society it is widely accepted to lie for convenience sake, but it doesn’t change the kind of honesty God desire from His children.