Three Forms of Dishonesty

The suggestion that even mature Christians can inwardly resist truth might shock some, but the real issue is—is it true?

Among the popular defenses we use to resist truth, the first is projection. This occurs when we are to blame for something, but we project the blame onto someone else so that we can feel more comfortable about ourselves. It may sound a simple thing, but all dishonesty is destructive—even simple dishonesty.

Then take the defense of denial. How many times do we refuse to face the fact that we may be angry about something, and when someone says: “Why are you angry?” we reply with bristling hostility: “I’m not angry!” We fail to recognize what others can plainly see. And denial, no matter how one looks at it, is a form of inner deceit.

Another dishonest defense is rationalization. We are guilty of this whenever we persuade ourselves that something is what it is not. C. S. Lewis points out that when our neighbor does something wrong, it is obviously because he or she is “bad,” while if we do something wrong it is only because we did not get enough sleep, or someone gave us a rough time, or our blood chemistry is at fault, and so on.

All of these defense mechanisms deprive us of inner honesty, and apart from hindering our spiritual growth they also lower our defenses against Satan. This is why over and over again in Scripture, we are bidden to open up to honesty. The more honest we can be, the more spiritually powerful and effective we can be.

Further Study

Rv 3:14-22; James 1:26; Gal 6:3

How did the Laodiceans see themselves?

How did God see them?