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KNOWING TRUTH WHILE LIVING A LIE “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him…” — Titus 1:16It is common for people to **know the truth**. Sadly, it is also common for people to **live in direct opposition to the truth they know.**A person can know the Bible, understand sound doctrine, know right from wrong, and know that lying is sin—yet still **lie, conceal, manipulate, and deceive.**That is why knowing truth is not proof that someone is walking with God. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” — Matthew 7:20Fruit does **not earn salvation.** We are saved by grace through faith, **“not of works”** (Ephesians 2:8–9). But fruit does reveal something about the condition of the tree.A genuine Christian can sin. A believer can lie, become carnal, and get terribly backslidden. David sinned grievously. Peter denied Christ.But there is a difference between **committing a sin and making deceit a way of life.**When someone repeatedly lies, hides truth, manipulates facts, maintains a double life, and then excuses or defends it, something is seriously wrong.Either that believer is **deeply backslidden and needs repentance**, or the continuing bad fruit gives legitimate reason to question whether the profession was ever genuine.Jesus said: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” — Matthew 7:18We cannot see another person's heart as God does, but neither should we pretend persistent deceit means nothing.And perhaps the most dangerous deception occurs when the liar begins believing his own excuses: *I had to lie.* *I was protecting someone.* *They couldn't handle the truth.*Scripture answers: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” — James 1:22If you know what God says about lying and deliberately continue practicing deceit, **ignorance is no longer the problem.**You know the truth—you are choosing not to walk in it. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” — 1 John 1:6Don't measure your spiritual condition merely by **how much truth you know.**Look at the fruit. KNOWING THE TRUTH DOESN'T MAKE YOU TRUTHFUL. YOUR WALK REVEALS WHAT YOUR MOUTH MAY BE TRYING TO HIDE.