The Christian Value of Honesty

For the next few weeks, we are exploring some foundational Christian values. Honesty is first on our list.

Christians are called Christians because they follow Christ—Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus is described as being the embodiment of truth (John 14:6), and because truth and honesty are so closely related, it makes sense that honesty is a quality that should characterize Christians.

When we look through Scripture, we find that being honest is consistently presented as the right way to live, just as being dishonest is presented as the wrong way to live. The book of Proverbs has a lot to say on the subject, with lines like, “Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit” (Proverbs 12:17), “An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies” (Proverbs 14:5), and even “Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22). Christians should be really bothered by anything in their life being detestable to the Lord!

We are inextricably attached to one another, and when we love one another, it’s going to result in sharing the truth.

Beyond just succinct Proverbs, we can also find some stories that demonstrate how seriously God took it when some people tried to be deceptive. Achan took some things he wasn’t supposed to and buried them under his tent hoping no one would notice, but then he and his family were stoned (Joshua 7). Centuries later, a couple named Ananais and Saphira withheld money from the community that they had agreed to give, and both of them dropped dead in their tracks (Acts 5:1–10). Yikes!

Those are extreme examples, and we should not expect to die every time we lie (thank God!), but it is something to be taken seriously. Being truthful was the 9th out of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:16), and we see that it matters both because it is a reflection of who God is, and because it exhibits care for others. We find in Colossians, “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator” (Colossians 3:9–10). And in Ephesians, we find this beautiful line, “speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25). We are inextricably attached to one another, and when we love one another, it’s going to result in sharing the truth (1 John 3:18).

Even if we think we might be able to get away with deceiving other people, we know that God sees everything. And because of that, he promises that “there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known” (Luke 12:2). So better to be forthcoming and show our love for God and others, than to be found in the position of betraying others, especially the God who has given us life.