What about lying?
Question 12008
The question of lying seems simple enough on the surface. The Bible says not to lie, and that should settle it. But as soon as the question is pressed into real-world situations, complexities emerge that Christians have wrestled with for centuries. What exactly constitutes a lie? Does the prohibition apply without exception? What about the biblical characters who deceived and were apparently commended for it? Understanding what Scripture teaches about truthfulness requires more care than a simple proof-text allows.
God’s Character and the Standard of Truth
The prohibition against lying is grounded in the character of God Himself. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). His word is truth (John 17:17). Jesus identified Himself as “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Satan, by contrast, is described as “the father of lies” (John 8:44). The moral universe of Scripture is structured around this fundamental contrast: God is truth; the devil is deception. To lie is to align oneself with the character of the one who opposes God. This is not a minor ethical infraction. It is a fundamental orientation away from the God who defines reality.
The ninth commandment states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). The immediate context is judicial, forbidding perjury that could destroy a person’s reputation or life. But the principle extends far beyond the courtroom. Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Colossians 3:9 instructs believers: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” Ephesians 4:25 grounds truthfulness in the corporate body: “having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.” Truthfulness is not optional for the Christian. It is a direct reflection of the God we serve.
The Difficult Cases in Scripture
The Bible records instances where deception occurred and where the person who deceived appears to be viewed positively. The Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, lied to Pharaoh about why they were not killing Hebrew boys, and God “dealt well with the midwives” and “gave them families” (Exodus 1:20-21). Rahab lied to the soldiers searching for the Israelite spies, and she is commended for her faith in both Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25. These cases have generated extensive discussion.
It is worth noting that in both cases, the commendation is for the act of faith, specifically the protection of God’s people, rather than for the method of deception. God commended the midwives because they “feared God” and preserved life, not because they were skilful liars. Rahab is praised for receiving the spies in faith, not for the specific means by which she concealed them. This does not resolve the tension entirely, but it does indicate that Scripture is more interested in the orientation of the heart toward God and the preservation of life than in providing a blanket justification for deception.
The honest position is that these cases represent genuine moral complexity in a fallen world. Sometimes the options available are between two actions that both carry moral weight, and the person must act in faith, trusting God with the consequences. What these cases do not do is overturn the consistent biblical teaching that God hates falsehood and that His people are called to be people of truth.
Truthfulness in Daily Life
The overwhelming majority of lies are not told to protect innocent lives from murderous regimes. They are told to protect reputations, avoid inconvenience, gain advantage, or escape uncomfortable conversations. These are the lies that the New Testament addresses directly: gossip, slander, flattery, exaggeration, half-truths, broken promises, and the strategic withholding of information designed to create a false impression. The Christian is called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), which means that truthfulness is never an excuse for cruelty, but neither is the desire to avoid conflict an excuse for dishonesty.
So, now what?
The call of Scripture is clear: God’s people are to be people of truth, because God Himself is truth. The difficult cases in Scripture remind us that the fallen world sometimes presents situations of genuine moral tension, but these are the exception, not the rule. The daily challenge for most Christians is not whether to lie to protect someone from a death squad. It is whether to be honest when honesty is inconvenient, costly, or embarrassing. That is where the rubber meets the road, and that is where the character of Christ is most visibly formed or most visibly absent.
“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22
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