The question of whether God can lie is an important theological question. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes God’s truthfulness and honesty, which seems to imply that it would be against His nature to lie. However, some have questioned whether God’s omnipotence means He has the capability to lie if He chose to. Let’s look at what the Bible says about God’s truthfulness and whether He has the ability to lie.
God is Truthful and Cannot Lie
The Bible describes God as abundant in truth and faithfulness. Numbers 23:19 declares, “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?” This verse states clearly that God does not lie like human beings do at times. 1 Samuel 15:29 says similarly, “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” God’s truthful nature is contrasted with fickle mankind.
Furthermore, it is impossible for God to lie according to Hebrews 6:18, which says, “It is impossible for God to lie.” The Greek word used here for “impossible” is a strong term that means something that cannot happen under any circumstances. This biblical claim about God’s character rules out the possibility of Him lying. Titus 1:2 also calls God “unlying,” emphasizing that being untruthful is not in God’s nature at all. Based on these verses, we can conclude that Scripture presents God as abundantly truthful and honest, to the point that it is impossible for Him to lie.
Lying Would Contradict God’s Character
In addition to specific verses about God’s honesty, the Bible’s overall presentation of God’s holy and perfect character suggests that He cannot lie. God is repeatedly described as righteous, just, and morally pure. For example, Deuteronomy 32:4 declares, “All his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” A God who is perfect in all His ways from whom no sin or injustice comes could not possibly speak lies or deception. That would introduce moral blemish into God’s completely holy character.
The Bible also identifies Satan as “the father of lies” (John 8:44). In contrast, God is the source of supreme truth. 1 John 1:5 testifies, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Darkness represents lying and sin, but God contains no darkness or falsehood. While Satan deceives people through lies, God enlightens people by His perfect truth. For God to lie would blur the biblical distinction between His moral purity and Satan’s deceitfulness.
God’s Promises Would Be Meaningless if He Could Lie
Another reason God cannot lie is that all of His promises would become unreliable if He were capable of lying. If He could lie, how could He be trusted to keep His many promises throughout Scripture? His solemn pledges of faithfulness, salvation, and blessing would have no certainty behind them. But since God’s promises are a central theme of the Bible, His trustworthy nature is key to His interactions with people. Hebrews 6:18 notes that God made His promise unchangeable with an oath to demonstrate His sincerity beyond all doubt. This kind of emphatic confirmation would be pointless if God could lie when making promises.
Additionally, the Christian faith hinges on God’s faithfulness. God’s promise of salvation through Christ motivates Christian hope and endurance. If there was any possibility of God lying, Christian faith would have an uncertain basis. But God guarantees His promises to strengthen the faith of believers. Titus 1:2 expresses this: “In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.” The assurance that God never lies is directly tied to the promise of eternal life that believers trust in.
Could God Choose to Lie?
Given the number of verses that describe God as truthful and incapable of lying, it is clear that being untruthful goes against His holy nature. But some have proposed that while God is honest by nature, His omnipotence means He has the capability to lie if He chose to. Is it possible for God to contradict His righteous character and lie, even if He has not done so?
In response, it can be said that capability does not imply possibility when it comes to God’s nature and actions. For example, while God has the capability to sin since He possesses free will, it is impossible for Him to sin because it contradicts His perfectly holy character. Just because He has limitless power does not mean He can act in ways that contradict His divine nature. Augustine put it this way: “A man can be omnipotent, he cannot be, at the same time, true and false.” So even though God is omnipotent, He cannot both tell the truth and lie at the same time. It is inconsistent with who He is.
Furthermore, the Bible presents lying as a weakness or flaw, not a sign of power. The ability to lie is a capacity commonly held by human beings, who are imperfect and fallible. But God’s unlimited powers are purely good, not a mixture of good and evil tendencies. Therefore, the capability to lie would not be a legitimate exercise of true omnipotence for a God who is morally perfect in every way. For an omnipotent being who is also truth itself, lying is actually an incapability rather than a capability.
What About Deception in the Bible?
Some point to instances in the Bible where God appears to use deception to question whether He is completely truthful. For example, Exodus 14:1-4 records God telling Moses to have Israel turn back towards Egypt to trick Pharaoh into pursuing them. And 2 Thessalonians 2:11 says God will send a powerful delusion on those who reject the gospel. How do these examples align with God’s honesty?
In response, some theologians argue that God does not actually lie in these cases, but wisely allows people to deceive themselves. He gives people up to their own delusions as a form of judgment for rejection of truth. The deception comes from the sinful human heart, not from falsehood spoken by God. In other cases of apparent deception, God is employing literary devices for emphasis rather than stating false information. For example, hyperbole is used in saying God told Samuel to fill his horn with oil in 1 Samuel 16:1 to appoint David as king. So instances of deception are human perceptions, not God actually lying.
Conclusion
In summary, the Bible clearly teaches that God is truth personified. He is intrinsically honest and it goes against his holy nature to lie or deceive. Specific verses state that God does not and cannot lie, emphasizing the impossibility of Him speaking falsehood. Lying would contradict God’s moral perfection and make His promises unreliable. While God possesses unlimited power, he cannot act in ways that are inconsistent with His righteous character. The deception that God sometimes appears to use in Scripture can be explained as perceptions of human beings rather than actual lies by God. When all of Scripture is considered, there is no doubt that God’s nature is to always be absolutely truthful.