Did he always tell the truth?
February 22, 2010 (Monday)
George Washington was born on this day in 1732 in Virginia. He was our first president. He never lived in the White House, because it was not completed until after his death. He was inaugurated in New York and lived there and in Philadelphia during his presidency. He did not wear wooden teeth, but one set of his teeth were made of metal and springs and other assorted materials. Perhaps the most common myth about him was the story about his chopping down the cherry tree and then confessing it when asked. His reply, “I cannot tell a lie,” is well-known, although he never actually said it, as far as we know.
There is someone who cannot tell a lie, according to Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18. Titus 1:2 speaks of “the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised,” and Hebrews 6:18 says it is “impossible for God to lie.”
A question often discussed by ministerial students is, “Is there anything God cannot do?” Yes, God cannot lie. Why? Because if he lied, He would no longer be God, because lying is a sin. God is holy. God is perfect in every way. He always tells the truth.
Leon Hale’s February 17 article in the Chronicle asks if we know anyone who has never lied. The clear implication is that all of us have lied, although we may have rationalized that what we said was not exactly a lie. I’m sure he’s right about that.
I conclude this serious subject with a joke:
FATHER (reprovingly)–“Do you know what happens to liars when they die?”
JOHNNY–“Yes, sir; they lie still.”