Ultimately, truth should not be conceived of as a set of propositions, but rather as the reality of who God is, who Jesus is and what they created. Truth radiates from their nature, but the rays are not the ultimate truth; the nature of their divinity is the truth. Honesty is the virtue of living in God’s reality and his rays of truth.
Dishonesty is particularly offensive to God. Colossians 3:9 instructs us: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self” (ESV). In 1 Timothy 4:2 some will depart from the faith because of the “insincerity of liars” (ESV). In John 8:44 the devil is “the father of lies” (ESV). In Revelation 21:8 liars are “consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (NIV).
Honesty may seem like a basic virtue that even young Christians should be able to master in a short time, but honesty is much more than not speaking lies, and it will be a challenge throughout our Christian life. The human attraction to avoidance and denial is powerful and embedded into the core of our old self. Our flesh passionately avoids unpleasant truth. We pretend that what is obviously true isn’t true because it will ruin the fictional reality we prefer.
Without honesty you will not be able to “put off your old self” (Eph. 4:22, ESV) because you will avoid seeing it. How will you grow in general if you don’t recognize the fear behind your dishonesty and replace the fear with faith? How will God speak to you in Scripture if you consistently ignore the passages that do not fit with your views or your teacher’s views? How will you grow in loving others if you are not honest about your impact on others? Therefore, a disciple of Jesus is someone who is passionate about honesty and truth like Jesus was.
Below is a meditation to help you examine your honesty:
- Absorb Scripture. Read Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (NIV). Imagine Jesus saying this to you; how does that impact you? Who is your neighbor? What qualifies as a falsehood? Does a false self qualify as a “falsehood”? Ruminate on the verse, understand it and let it sink in.
- Feelings and Emotions Reflection. Ask yourself: What feelings or emotions, if any, did I experience during or after absorbing this passage? Why was I feeling this way?
- Truth Commitment. Invite God to reveal your heart then ask yourself: How much do I consider myself a member of one body with other believers with Christ as the head, which means I should be completely honest with them?
- Virtue & Action Commitment. Invite God to reveal your heart then ask yourself: Where in my life am I not being honest? Do I speak the whole truth when I speak? What are the roots of any dishonesty or falseness and how can I deal with them? Confess any falseness to God. If you discovered an area of dishonesty, tell God that you are fully committed to honesty in the future.
- Reception (Contemplation.) Ask God to show you anything you have not fully embraced and anything else he desires to show you, or ask Jesus a question about this topic. Sit with a quiet and open heart for at least 60 seconds.
