True Gospel with SAVIOUS-PARKER KWINIKA
IF ever there is a thing Jehovah God hates most, it is sin. Among these sins most hated is lying.
Before I address the topic of this week’s True Gospel, let me explain to the uninitiated who Jehovah God is.
Jehovah is absolutely and perfectly holy. Jehovah is good, righteous and just. He is the creator of the universe.
Leviticus 20:26 of the Contemporary English Version confirms: “I am the LORD, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.”
The Good News Translation declares: “You shall be holy and belong only to me, because I am the LORD and I am holy. I have set you apart from the other nations (unrepentance) so that you would belong to me alone.”
Back to the True Gospel focal point for this week – LIES.
We focus on how Jehovah punishes liars, unless they have repented from their wicked ways.
By definition, lying is making an untrue statement with intent to deceive.
In other words, to lie is to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive, or to express what is false; convey a false impression.
The Creator of heaven and earth hates lying the most.
A good example of disdain of lies is that of a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who sold a piece of land with the aim of benefiting the house of Jehovah, which is a church.
With his wife’s full knowledge, Ananias kept back part of the money for himself but brought the rest to the church and put it at the apostles’ feet thinking Jehovah did not see what he had done in secret.
In Acts 5:3 of the Good News Translation, Apostle Peter queries the lies: “Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property (land)?”
Jehovah punishes the lying Ananias with death.
Acts 5:5 of the Good News Translation verifies: “As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead; and all who heard about it were terrified.”
Ultimately, liars will be judged as we have already witnessed with Ananias, whom Jehovah would further sentence to eternity in Hell.
Now, a healthy church of Jehovah is required to take all of God’s Word seriously, refuse to tolerate false witness and take tangible steps when it attempts to flourish in the body.
Most importantly, it is wrong for someone to spread falsehoods and lies about another person’s reputation without being punished for his or her sins of gossip and lies that besmirch another’s standing.
Such sinful acts cannot be allowed to go unpunished or be taken lightly.
Like defined earlier in this True Gospel’s introduction, Jehovah hates lies and loves the truth. He shows us how seriously He takes the truth not only in forbidding false witness.
Exodus 20:16 of the Contemporary English Version states: “Do not tell lies about others.”
The Douay-Rheims Bible insists: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour,” with the Good News Translation states: “Do not accuse anyone falsely.”
Jehovah God does not condone corruption either.
Some people today have amassed riches through fraud. They have acquired wealth because of dishonest, underhand, unscrupulous and untrustworthy means.
While fellow humans praise them for being rich, wealthy or making it in life, this True Gospel would like to remind them of Ananias’ and Sapphira’s dishonesty.
The same Jehovah God, who bore witness to Ananias’ secret machinations, schemes, plotting and conspiracies to reap where he did not sow, surely, is going to take similar punishment is coming your way unless you change your ways.
Proverbs 21:6 of the Contemporary English Version remarks: “Cheating to get rich is a foolish dream and no less than suicide.”
The Douay-Rheims Bible observes: “He that gathereth treasures by a lying tongue, is vain and foolish, and shall stumble upon the snares of death.”
Lies come in different forms. Some believers always want to portray themselves as holy yet we all know that the only sacred, consecrated and hallowed is Jehovah God.
1 John 1:8 of the New International Version notes: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
Jehovah hates liars but loves those that act faithfully.
Proverbs 12:22 of the Amplified Bible pronounces: “Lying lips are extremely disgusting to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.”
The Contemporary English Version states: “The LORD hates every liar, but he is the friend of all who can be trusted.”
Jehovah likens liars to the devil himself.
John 8:44 equates: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him (satan). When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
As such Jehovah insists on Psalm 101:7, saying: “No one who practices deceit (lies) shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”
WHY LYING IS CONDEMNABLE
– It’s immoral
– It can cost you everything
– It’s embarrassing to get caught
– It’s stressful
– It stunts your personal growth
– You might forget the lie
– It’s disrespectful and selfish
– You have to cope with the lie alone
– It’s cowardly
– It prevents people from knowing the true you
– It’s embarrassing to get caught
WHY HONESTY AND TRUTHFUL ARE COMMENDABLE
– Honesty can keep you out of trouble
– Honesty promotes authenticity
– Honesty creates a circle of love
– Honesty gives you peace
– Honesty eliminates garbage.
– Honesty shows maturity and self-acceptance
– Honesty fosters courage
– Being honest can be rewarding
– Honesty fosters a connection
– Honesty feels exhilarating because it is so freeing
– Honesty allows people to like you for who you are
– Being honest makes your words valuable
– Being honest causes less guilt
– Honesty gets you more of what you want
– Being honest can make you more confident
– Being honest gives you a good reputation
– Honesty makes people trust you
– Honesty makes people respect you
– Honesty makes other people better
– Being honest nurtures your relationships.
– Honesty attracts honesty
Proverbs 14:25 confirms: “A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.” Proverbs 13:5 states: “The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.”
Fellow brethren, this True Gospel always preaches the TRUTH because our Heavenly Father is holy, and that the Almighty Jehovah exists in many roles and functions.
Jehovah God is a deity with main principles such as creation, sustenance and of course destruction. Jehovah God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and omnibenevolent, therefore all of us must always obey Him.
Brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, those who believe in this True Gospel, say amen!
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