There is a difference in these two concepts that is irrelevant to the lost, but fundamental to the Biblical Christian. 

Translations are not Clear

If one checks out various Bible translations of Titus 1:2, the title of this post surfaces….

• NIV – in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
• ESV – in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
• KJV – In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
• NASB – in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
• Holman – in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time 
  

The Question

We know God is perfect (Deut. 32:4, Psalm 18:30). Since perfection includes a lack of sin, and the act of lying is a form of sin… we know God never lies. However, if God is omnipotent (all-powerful), He has the ability to do anything He wants. Therefore… is it true that God never lies or is God limited in that He cannot lie? What does “perfection” look like… choosing not to sin (“does not lie”), or not having the option to sin (“cannot lie”)?

This was the question explored in our last Sunday School class. 

Scripture verses surrounding the question.

Numbers 23:19 – God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

1 Samuel 15:29 – And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”

Hebrews 6:17-18 – So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

God is Holy

Webster defines Holy as, “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.”

Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8, among other verses, make it clear that God is Holy and perfect. Further, other verses would indicate that God can never change (James 1:17, Malachi 3:6, Heb. 13.8) and, as such, it is impossible for God to lie. 

More than He “does not lie,” it is by virtue of His own holiness, perfection, and unchangeability, outside of His ability to lie. Put succinctly, God cannot lie. So, does that mean that our Lord has limits to His power, in that He cannot do something if He chose to? 

C.S. Lewis offered some insight into this supposed conundrum when he stated,  

“His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. This is no limit to His power. If you choose to say, ‘God can give a creature free will and at the same time withhold free will from it,’ you have not succeeded in saying anything about God: meaningless combinations of words do not suddenly acquire meaning simply because we prefix to them the two other words, ‘God can.’ It remains true that all things are possible with God: the intrinsic impossibilities are not things but nonentities. It is no more possible for God than for the weakest of His creatures to carry out both of two mutually exclusive alternatives; not because His power meets an obstacle, but because nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.”

Summarizing Lewis, man can ask questions that are nonsense and mutually exclusive because “nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.”

This axiom is illustrated in the question, can God create a rock that is too heavy for Him to lift? The root of the question is as absurd as asking if God’s omnipotence is limited by the fact that He cannot lie.

The Point

Yes, there is a point…. If one believes God “does not lie” or “never lies,” these translations (NIV, ESV) suggest that the Lord has the option to change His mind. That potential for reconsideration challenges both the notion of God’s holiness and our dependency (faith, trust, and hope) in other areas, such as, “He will never leave us nor forsake us” (Heb. 13:5).

Just as God put limits on the second part of the Trinity (Jesus) while on earth (Matt. 24.36), God has put limits on Himself (He cannot lie). Some lead to ridiculous questions such as the rock illustration, but others are fundamental to our faith and systematic theology on the eternal consistency of our Lord and Savior.