You hear it often. God can do anything. But is that true? Actually, no. There is at least one thing that God can never do.
When the apostle Paul wrote to his young friend Titus, a pastor in a raucous place called Crete, he instructed him on personal matters and on how to be a better pastor. And because the people of Crete were known for playing fast and loose with the truth, and considered it a virtue to lie, Paul began the letter with a reminder about God’s unique nature.
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:1-2).
Did you catch it? “In the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” God, who cannot lie.
The phrase, in its literal sense, means something like, “the unlying God.” He, by nature, is the antithesis of lying. That is, God is free from all deceit.
Notice carefully, Paul does not say God does not lie. He says God cannot lie. It isn’t possible. That’s right. This is one thing that God cannot do. God is not capable of duplicity, falsehood, lies, or deceit. It is not part of His nature. Truth is His nature (John 14:6).
And, remember this, the one thing God can never do is not be God. He cannot, and does not, compromise His nature.
So, it is not as if God sits down and decides to be truthful each time you ask a question. Or that He says, I must always tell the truth and avoid lying because lies are bad and, since I am God, I ought not lie.
No. God does not choose not to lie. God cannot lie. God, by definition, has no falsehood or duplicity in His nature. He simple cannot produce a lie.
He is always “the unlying God.”
But every promise I keep, I must choose to keep. Every truth I uphold, I must choose to uphold (Eph. 4:25).
So among us liars are plenty and prominent. Why? Because we often forfeit the truth and choose the lie. Sinners are liars. Sorry, but we are. So if you ask me a question, no matter how much I value the truth, or believe in the truth, or am committed to telling the truth, or want to avoid not telling a lie, I still must choose not to lie in order to tell the truth.
That’s why our culture is now wallowing in lies. It seems that every day another lie is exposed, another story spun for bias, another leader crumbles under the weight of their own duplicity.
Colleges and universities teach that truth is squishy, that falsehood is non-existent, that reality is what you make it. And cultural icons say you can lie if it is expedient, and fabricate truth for your purposes.
Another spouse caught in a lie. Another promise broken. Another crushing blow to trust, faith, honesty.
But God doesn’t do that. He is always honest, always accurate, and every word He says is correct and truthful. He cannot do otherwise. He is the unlying God.
Why does that matter to you? Because today, tomorrow, and always, you can absolutely count on God and His Word. You can count on everything He says, and every promise He makes.
When He says He hears and answers your prayers because He cares for you, it’s true (1 Peter 5:7). When He says He loves you, count on it (Jer. 31:3, 1 John 4:19). When He says He judges sin, that’s also true. But when He says He will forgive you, He’ll do it (1 John 1:9-10). When He says He will never leave you and never turn His back on you, believe it (Deut. 31:8).
And when God says the truth sets you free, He means it (John 8:32). When He says He sent His Son in the world to bear the weight of sin, you know it’s true. And when He says that the cross demonstrates His love for you, it’s a fact (Rom. 5:8).
Because the one thing God can never do is lie. Not to you, not to me, not at all.
Count on it.