What will God do to a liar according to the Bible? When you learn about what God will do to a liar, it can be downright scary. Proverbs 19:9, “. . . he who breathes out lies will perish.”
A liar always works in secret, and yet God sees everything (Psalm 139:7). From our human point of view, it can feel like God isn’t doing anything about the wrongs he sees this liar committing (Psalm 94:3-7). He is. In kindness, he’s just giving that person time to repent (2 Peter 3:9).
God’s first desire for everyone is that they would repent, come to the light, and receive his forgiveness. The Father sent his Son into the world that we all might receive redemption (2 Corinthians 5:21). In a way, we are all liars to some degree (Romans 3:9-20). Thus, we all need God’s grace.
However, if someone continues to reject God’s offer of redemption and continues to hurt people with their lies, this person will always experience painful consequences.
So here are 3 things God always does to a liar.
1. God Will Allow a Liar to Ruin Their Own Reputation Beyond Repair
As God forgives us, so too does he want us to forgive each other (Ephesians 4:32). No matter how many times someone lies, God wants us to forgive them each time (Matthew 18:22). And yet, while God does require us to always forgive, he does not require us to always reconcile (Matthew 18:17).
Forgiveness is when we release the revenge we have towards the person who wronged us. Reconciliation, however, is when the relationship is restored to what it was before the offense took place. While we can always forgive someone no matter how many times they lie to us, there does come a point in a relationship where someone’s repeated lies break the possibility of ever reconciling again. There are also lies that are so bad that they make it impossible to trust someone ever again.
Remember, you have to guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Thus, God does not want you to keep exposing your heart to a chronic liar who has shown an unwillingness to truly repent and change. Forgive, but you have to rightly realize this person is dangerous. You have to protect yourself.
Thus, when someone is living in lies and refuses to ever tell the truth, they will burn every bridge in their life. Everyone will eventually see that they are completely untrustworthy and thus they must leave this person alone. God will always allow a liar to ruin their own reputation beyond repair if this person refuses to repent.
2. God Will Allow the Liar to Become Extremely Lonely
Friendship cannot exist without trust. While none of us are perfect, there is a difference between those of us who sin but then later confess compared to those who sin and never confess. The reason confession is so important is because it is the opposite of lies. The only way to regain someone’s trust after you lie is to tell the truth about the lies. Thus, those who do not confess and simply continue to lie will always end up alone and miserable (Luke 8:17, Proverbs 12:19).
Ephesians 4:25 states, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” You can’t be a member of a community and have healthy relationships with others when you are living in lies.
When someone lies at work, they get fired. When someone lies in friendship, the whole friend group loses trust in that person. When someone lies in a dating relationship, their partner lets them go. Throughout the course of life, if someone keeps lying and never repents, God will allow them to become utterly alone.
Psalm 101:7, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”
3. God Will Punish the Liar By Removing This Person from His Presence Forever
Again, I can’t emphasize enough how much God wants to forgive us. This is why Jesus came (1 John 2:1-4). In fact, the only reason God has not punished everyone outside of his grace right now is because he’s giving us more time to turn to him. 2 Peter 3:9-10 explains:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
The final punishment for a liar who won’t repent is the same punishment every sinner will receive if they refuse to come to Jesus. Revelation 21:7-8 also says:
The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
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