Of course, we’ve all heard that lying is a sin and obviously we shouldn’t do it. But there are special circumstances were the truth is a bit grey, and not black and white. The classic question is, "If you lived in the World War II era, would you lie to save Jews from the Nazis?" Or as this question phrased it, “If you couldn’t afford medicine for your dying family member, would it be a sin to steal it or lie in order to obtain it?”
I think it’s helpful to look at two examples in the Scriptures. What you’ll see in both examples is that people do lie, but God does not condemn them for it:
The first example is the story of Rahab and the spies. Joshua tell us that Rahab hid the Israelite spies and was blessed accordingly
The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent (Joshua 6:17)
The second example is the story of Moses. Jewish midwives lied and did not up end killing Jewish male babies as they were told to.
What do these stories tell us? First, there is a general principle of doing the greater good. What is the greater good - saving lives or telling the truth? I say it is saving lives. I want you to understand this is different from saying doing the lesser evil. The lesser evil would be to say lying is a lesser evil than killing people.
It may seem like a small difference. But by saying you are choosing the lesser evil - you are also saying that Jesus as a human, being tempted in all ways as we are, also chose lesser evils. But we know that Jesus never sinned. He only did GOOD.
When righteousness is at stake, I believe making knowingly false statements is okay. The Germans who hid Jews in their homes and lied about it were preserving righteousness, at the risk of their own lives. The father who must lie to obtain medicine through a lie is preserving his family.
Now some here may say, “Well, aren’t we supposed to trust in God?” I say, “Yes! Of course!” When we always tell the truth, we show trust in God’s providence, and we avoid sinning for the most part. This was St. Augustine’s view. No lying = no exception. But on the other side, could we be guilty of apathy. It is our duty as Christians to save lives and to show mercy. If we know the right thing to do and yet refuse to do it, that is SIN as well.
Now where does that leave us? Let’s face it. Most of us are not in situations where lying in order to save lives is a reality. But righteousness is always at stake, and we have to understand and act on that. If you’re friend is being picked on at school, and the bullies ask you where he is – maybe it’s not wrong to say you don’t know, even if you do.
Before I end this question, I want to make something clear. Be very careful. The greater good is a grey area sometimes. And by greater good I don’t mean lying to your parents so you can save the world as the Master Chief instead of doing your homework. I would always err on the side on not lying than lying.
My final thought is there is probably no black and white answer; only that God is sovereign; he sees the whole picture and he covers all our sin.
[Answered by Pastor Ho-Ming]
