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Salvation and Repentance for Lying

Lying is consistently condemned in biblical tradition, with false swearing explicitly forbidden in the Old Testament and lying for malicious purposes denounced in the New Testament [6, 1]. The question of salvation in relation to lying, therefore, centers on the nature of repentance and God's forgiveness for such sins.

Repentance is a fundamental concept in Christian theology, understood as a turning away from sin and toward God [7]. The prophet Ezekiel calls for repentance, stating, "Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so iniquity will not be your ruin" (Ezekiel 18:30) [7]. Similarly, the New Testament commands all people to repent (Acts 17:30) [7]. John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles all preached repentance, which is described as a "gift of God's grace" and a "blessing of the covenant" [11, 12]. It is a change of mind and heart that arises from recognizing one's sinfulness and dishonoring God [10]. This turning is not merely an intellectual acknowledgment but involves a transformation of one's life, as seen in passages like 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Colossians 3:2 [7].

The relationship between repentance and salvation is direct. Lamentations 3:40-42 suggests that "Repentance is the key to receiving salvation" [9]. The Apostle Paul, in his ministry to both Jews and Greeks, emphasized "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" as the common treatment for humanity's common malady of sin [10]. Adam Clarke notes that while repentance prepares the soul for mercy, it is insufficient for atonement on its own; it must be accompanied by "faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" [14]. John Calvin describes repentance as involving both "contrition," a terror-struck sense of divine justice, and "quickening," the comfort derived from faith in God's goodness and mercy through Christ [13].

For specific sins like lying, the need for repentance is clear. The Old Testament explicitly forbids false swearing, stating, "You shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:12) [6]. Such actions are "hateful to God" (Zechariah 8:17) and lead to judgment (Malachi 3:5) [6]. In the New Testament, Jesus warns against false swearing (Matthew 5:33) [6]. Augustine of Hippo distinguished between blasphemy and perjury, noting that while both are serious, blasphemy is worse because it speaks false things of God, whereas perjury takes God as witness to a false thing [8]. However, both are inexcusable, especially when the person knows or believes their assertion to be false [8].

The path to forgiveness for lying, as with any sin, involves confessing the wrong. The Apostle John writes, "If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil" (1 John 1:9) [2]. This forgiveness is rooted in the atonement provided by Christ. Expiation, the covering of sin through vicarious satisfaction, is central to reconciliation with God [5]. Under the Old Testament law, atonement for various sins, including swearing rashly or withholding evidence, was made through sacrifice [3]. In the New Covenant, Christ's sacrifice serves as the ultimate expiation, allowing for reconciliation, which is a change from enmity to friendship with God [4, 5].

Sources

  1. Matthew “Matthew 5:11 (Darby) — Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake.”
  2. I John “I John 1:9 (BBE) — If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil.”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Atonement, Under the Law — Made by sacrifice -- Le 1:4,5. By priests alone -- 1Ch 6:49; 2Ch 29:24. Necessary for Propitiating God. -- Ex 32:30; Le 23:27,28; 2Sa 21:3. Ransoming. -- Ex 30:15,16; Job 33:24. Purifying. -- Ex 29:36. Offered for The congregation. -- Nu 15:25; 2Ch 29:24. The priests. -- Ex 29:31-33; Le 8:34. Persons sinning ignorantly. -- Le 4:20-35. Persons sinning wilfully. -- Le 6:7. Persons swearing rashly. -- Le 5:4,6. Persons withholding evidence. -- Le 5:1,6. Persons unclean. -- Le 5:2,3,6. Women after childbirth. -- Le 12:8. The altar. -- Ex 29:36,”
  4. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Reconcilation — A change from enmity to friendship. It is mutual, i.e., it is a change wrought in both parties who have been at enmity. (1.) In Col. 1:21, 22, the word there used refers to a change wrought in the personal character of the sinner who ceases to be an enemy to God by wicked works, and yields up to him his full confidence and love. In 2 Cor. 5:20 the apostle beseeches the Corinthians to be "reconciled to God", i.e., to lay aside their enmity. (2.) Rom. 5:10 refers not to any change in our disposition toward God, but to God himself, as the party reconcile”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Expiation — Guilt is said to be expiated when it is visited with punishment falling on a substitute. Expiation is made for our sins when they are punished not in ourselves but in another who consents to stand in our room. It is that by which reconciliation is effected. Sin is thus said to be "covered" by vicarious satisfaction. The cover or lid of the ark is termed in the LXX. hilasterion, that which covered or shut out the claims and demands of the law against the sins of God's people, whereby he became "propitious" to them. The idea of vicarious expiation runs thro”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Swearing Falsely — Forbidden -- Le 19:12; Nu 30:2; Mt 5:33. Hateful to God -- Zec 8:17. We should not love -- Zec 8:17. Fraud often leads to -- Le 6:2,3. Saints abstain from -- Jos 9:20; Ps 15:4. Blessedness of abstaining from -- Ps 24:4,5. The wicked Addicted to. -- Jer 5:2; Ho 10:4. Plead excuses for. -- Jer 7:9,10. Shall be judged on account of. -- Mal 3:5. Shall be cut off for. -- Zec 5:3. Shall have a curse upon their houses for. -- Zec 5:4. False witnesses guilty of -- De 19:16,18. Exemplified Saul. -- 1Sa 19:6,10. Shimei. -- 1Ki 2:41-43. Jews. -- Eze 16:59. Ze”
  7. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Repentance — What it is -- Isa 45:22; Mt 6:19-21; Ac 14:15; 2Co 5:17; Col 3:2; 1Th 1:9; Heb 12:1,2. Commanded to all by God -- Eze 18:30-32; Ac 17:30. Commanded by Christ -- Re 2:5,16; 3:3. Given by God -- Ac 11:18; 2Ti 2:25. Christ came to call sinners to -- Mt 9:13. Christ exalted to give -- Ac 5:31. By the operation of the Holy Spirit -- Zec 12:10. Called repentance to life -- Ac 11:18. Called repentance to salvation -- 2Co 7:10. We should be led to, by The long-suffering of God. -- Ge 6:3; 1Pe 3:20; 2Pe 3:9. The goodness of God. -- Ro 2:4. The chastisements of Go”
  8. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — TO CONSENTIUS: AGAINST LYING. (part 44): and believes it to be true, which he swears: like as also Saul blasphemed more excusably, because he did it ignorantly.[2] But the reason why it is worse to blaspheme than to perjure one's self, is, that in false swearing God is taken to witness a false thing, but in blaspheming false things are spoken of God Himself. Now by so much is a man more inexcusable, whether perjurer or blasphemer, by how much the more, while asserting the things wherein they perjure or blaspheme, they know or believe them to be fa”
  9. Lamentations (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Lamentations 3:40: 3:40-42 Repentance is the key to receiving salvation (Isa 1:27; Jer 3:22; Ezek 3:21).”
  10. Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 20:21: Testifying both to Jews and . . . Greeks--laboring under a common malady, and recoverable only by a common treatment. repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ--(See on Act 5:31). REPENTANCE, as distinguished from faith, is that state of the "honest and good heart" which arises from a discovery of one's contrariety to the righteous demands of the divine law. This is said to be "toward God," because seeing Him to be the party dishonored by sin, it feels all its acknowledgments and compunctions to be properly due to Him, as the great”
  11. Luke (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Luke 24:44: And that repentance and remission of sins,.... Which are the sum of the Gospel ministry; see Act 20:21 the doctrine of "repentance" is not of the law, which neither requires, nor admits of it, but of the Gospel. The Persic version calls it, "the Gospel of repentance"; a doctrine preached by John the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles; and the thing itself is a blessing of the covenant, a gift of God's grace, and in the hands of Christ to bestow; and therefore the doctrine of it is published in his name, as well as remission of sins; which, though it springs from the fre”
  12. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: being previously enamored of righteousness. This view, as it is the simplest of all, seemed to me also to accord best with Scripture truth. 21. Moreover, that repentance is a special gift of God, I trust is too well understood from the above doctrine to require any lengthened discourse. Hence the Church 321 321 French, “L’Eglise primitive du temps des Apostres;”—the primitive Church of the Apostles’ time. extols the goodness of God, and looks on in wonder, saying, “Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life,” ( ”
  13. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: is. Moreover, when he is touched with some sense of the divine justice (for the one conviction immediately follows the other), he lies terrorstruck and amazed, humbled and dejected, desponds and despairs. This, which they regarded as the first part of repentance, they usually termed contrition . By quickening they mean, the comfort which is produced by faith, as when a man prostrated by a consciousness of sin, and smitten with the fear of God, afterwards beholding his goodness, and the mercy, grace, and salvation obtained through C”
  14. Acts (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Acts 20:21: Testify both to - Jews and - Greeks - He always began with the Jews; and, in this case, he had preached to them alone for three months, Act 19:8-10, and only left their synagogues when he found, through their obstinacy, he could do them no good. Repentance toward God, etc. - As all had sinned against God, so all should humble themselves before him against whom they have sinned; but humiliation is no atonement for sin; therefore repentance is insufficient, unless faith in our Lord Jesus Christ accompany it. Repentance disposes and prepares the soul for pardoning mercy”
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