“Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices” (Colossians 3:9).
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 12:22).
Lying is unattractive in anyone, but almost unforgiveable in a pastor. If anyone should set the standard for truth and righteousness, it’s the pastor. And yet, some seem to have not gotten the word on that.
1. Do not lie to us about your resume.
If you say you went to school there or pastored that church, we want to believe you. If you earned a degree, say what it was. If the degree was honorary, but not earned, say that also. What you must not do is give the impression you attended a school which you did not or served a church which you did not serve or possess a degree you don’t.
Why would anyone lie about their resume? Obviously, to enhance their prospects for a job. But any position acquired as a result of a falsehood is worthless in the long run.
Regularly, we hear of high-profile executives, educators, and coaches being caught for padding their resumes, for claiming degrees they did not have, for professing honors they did not earn. Perhaps the most shameful is the man who claims to have been a war hero, who wears the uniform and sports the medals, but who, it turns out, is a consummate liar.
Tell us the truth, pastor.
2. Do not lie to us about your testimony.
I heard a certain pastor’s testimony on more than one occasion. It was so moving that when he went to Heaven, I paid tribute to him on these pages by telling his story. Sometime later, his brother found the eulogy by googling his name, and called me. “You know there’s not a word of truth to it, don’t you?”