Certain elements of God are lasting and trustworthy. One of those aspects of His nature is that He will never lie to or deceive us. Here are 10 Scriptures that provide evidence for this fact.
#1 He is far removed from human nature
Numbers 23:19 says…
“God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”
God presented Himself to the people of Israel with the Name “I AM THAT I AM.” This permanent state of omnipresence and omnipotence means that He is always true to His nature and that nature is inherently truthful.
Whereas human beings can go back on what they have said or mislead others in order to gain something for themselves, God will never leave a promise unfulfilled. He reveals His sovereign will to us, and while we are moved into different situations based on our choices, His overall plan for our lives does not change.
#2 God also does not allow regret to bring Him to deceit
1 Samuel 15:29 says…
“And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man, that He should have regret.”
When God speaks, His word is always to be taken at face value. He has no ulterior motives that will bring harm, and while He always reveals His glory through His plan, it is never meant to be the cause of harm in our lives.
Furthermore, God does not regret His choices. His divine plan always has our best interests at heart, and even if things go differently than we expected, we cannot expect God to regret leading us down His paths.
#3 Even when we deceive others, He will never deceive us
2 Timothy 2:13 says…
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.”
We are commanded to cling to God, and He will, in turn, cling to us and protect us. However, even if we turn away from Him, He will never stop running towards us to bring us His salvation and mercy. His saving grace is available to all, and no matter how far we run from Him, He will never change in His love for us.
#4 God does not tempt us
James 1:13 says…
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.”
God removes us from temptation and gives us the strength to endure through it. He is never the cause of our downfall. God may lead us down paths that seem unsteady, but He does not lead us into situations so that harm can befall us.
Temptation, by its very nature, leads to sin. God is the opposite of sin and darkness, and so calling God the tempter is a blasphemous lie.
#5 All that He speaks to us is truthful
Psalm 119:160 says…
“The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.”
We may not understand everything He says to us, but we can rely on the fact that He is always truthful with us. Every word of the Bible is true, and His reign over the universe is perfect and permanent.
#6 We are commanded to imitate His truthful nature
Exodus 20:16 says…
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
This is part of the famous Ten Commandments, where we are given statutes to guide our lives by. One of these is to refrain from lying, or “bearing false witness.”
One reason for this is so that we would always be truthful with those around us. Others may lead us astray, but we are commanded to always be truthful. God’s standard is that we would not cause harm by being deceitful. This is one way that Jesus said we can love our neighbors as ourselves.
Another key reason for being truthful is so that we can imitate God in our lives. We can never achieve sinless perfection as human beings, but God puts the Ten Commandments and all other statutes and laws in place so that we can imitate His perfection in our own way.
Especially after we are saved by the death of Jesus on the cross and we commit our lives to Him as our Lord and Savior do we fully understand that being truthful with others is a reflection of the truth that God speaks into their lives every day.
#7 He created us to speak His words and bring His truth to others
Exodus 4:11-12 says…
“Then the LORD said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’”
God wants us to share His truth and joy to all nations. In these verses, He is commanding Moses to be His prophet in Egypt and the deliverer of His chosen nation, Israel. When Moses objected and sought a way out, God reminded Him that He would tell Moses what to say when he stood before Pharaoh.
When Moses obeyed, he only spoke the truth of God and did not lie. All of God’s words came to pass, and we can learn from this that His words will always come to pass in our own lives.
#8 He detests lies and those who speak them
Proverbs 12:22 says…
“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are His delight.”
From the Garden of Eden to today, lies break God’s heart. The deceit of the serpent that led to the fall of mankind gave birth to ten thousand more lies over the centuries, and every one brings God more and more grief. When we walk in truth and live faithfully under His love, we bring Him new joy as His children.
#9 God’s gifts are always good, which does not allow for deceit
James 1:17 says…
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Jesus taught parables reinforcing the love and goodness that are essential to the Father’s nature. He does not deceive us or lead us to think one thing while actually doing another.
God seeks to give us good gifts and wants to bless us in many ways. When we look to Him, we can be sure that His unchanging nature will always carry those blessings if we remain faithful to Him.
#10 Lies are part of our sinful nature and should be removed
Colossians 3:9-10, says…
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.”
At their core, lies are inherently sinful. When we accept the redemptive salvation of Jesus’ death on the cross, we are told to leave behind everything that belonged to our sinful, fallen nature and renew our bodies and minds under His lordship.
Lies are part of the old self. We must not lie to each other or to God if we want to be counted as faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ.
God delights in truth, and His promises to us are always truthful. Even if we turn away and lie to others, God will never go against His nature by returning hurt for hurt. Walk in His truth every day, and reflect that light of truth with those around you.
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Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.