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Discussion on Revelation 21:8, liars, and cowardly

August 17th, 2015

Justin Tilghman
August 17, 2015

Steve‘s post got me thinking about an old question I had. In regards to Rev. 21:8, how do we interpret that? Is that any liar or an unrepentant liar? (Someone once told me “liars” included anyone who had an unconfessed lie and gave the example of parents who told their children about Santa Clause…in other words they would go to hell unless they repented of lying to their children) Also, what does John mean by cowardly? Are these individuals who shrank back from their profession in fear when persecuted? Interested in other thoughts from the group.

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  • Lea Ann Davis McCombs Hey Justin. Your question caught my eye because I have meditated on this verse a lot in recent months. In fact, I just referenced it in a devotional I wrote for my church last week, dealing with the 7 sins God hates, lying being 2 of them. It seems that in interpreting passages such as this one, and also 1 Cor. 6:9-10 and Gal. 5:19, the sins listed define those who have no part in the kingdom of God. Paul goes on to say “and such were some of you, but you have been washed…” In other words, sin no longer defines those who have been born again. God takes sin far more seriously than we do and He tells us throughout scripture that if we refuse to take it as seriously as he does, and repent of it, we have no part with Him. If lying describes our character, we are not part of Him. If sexual immorality defines our lifestyle, we have no part with Him. We all mess up. We can all slip into sin at times, but like a fish cannot live on land for long, so the regenerated heart cannot live in sin for long. If we can, we are not born again.
    5 hrs · Like · 1
  • Justin Tilghman So what you’re saying, Lea Ann, is that this is more about “character” than individual actions? Someone who is actively fighting against these sins, even though they may fall at times, is not included in this verse, but rather it is talking about someone who is “practicing” these sins as in they are characterized by this type of lifestyle….am I understanding you correctly?
    4 hrs · Like
  • Lea Ann Davis McCombs Yes, that’s how I see it. None of us is flawless. The most honest among us can slip up and blurt a lie. But the Holy Spirit convicts and brings His child to repentance so the blood of Jesus can erase that sin. Those who blaze ahead into a lifestyle of things God detests do not truly know Him, as 1 John 3 explains.
    4 hrs · Like · 1
  • Tim White This involves a basic we should all be sure about. When one is redeemed, he is forgiven of all of his sins. Christ takes residence in him to give life. The Judge rules one such as a saint. There is not room for two identities. “Liar, coward, etc…” are washed away, paid in full, and the identity of the believer, as ruled by the only Judge that counts, is “saint”. We as believers are then learning to live as a saint by renewing how we think about life and our own identity. “One with Christ” is my identity. That is why “it is no longer I who sin, but sin that dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” As saints, we learn to follow the directives of believer life and forsaking our “autopilot” responses. “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” Ephesians 4:1-3, 25-32. It is obvious through these instructions that a believer (saint) can lie, steal, lose his temper, etc… But his identity, and thus his security, are never in question. Spiritual growth involves learning the depth of God’s redemption and it’s powerful change in our identity. It is the process of also learning to live like what God said is true. We MUST get this down.

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