One of the moral issues persecuted Christians are faced with is lying to protect themselves or church members. Most likely, many don’t think about it before they are forced into a situation where they must choose. The situation might be as dramatic as being in front of the police or a government official in India (where they have anti-conversion laws) and being asked if you are a Christian. Or it might be more subtle, like a young Muslim man who is asked by his family why he no longer participates in daily prayers after the Holy Spirit has revealed to him the truth of the Bible.
Some see lying as a very black and white issue: they believe since the Bible states, "You shall not bear false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16), all forms of lying are strictly forbidden. Some qualify that the only acceptable type of lie is one that does not hurt anyone or one that protects someone’s feelings. Others go to the extreme that lying is acceptable as long as it benefits them.
Let’s back up a bit. What is lying, exactly? According to dictionary.com, it is ‘a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; or an inaccurate or false statement.’ So it covers a range of deception from ‘little white lies’ to the big, black, obvious ones.
What does the Bible have to say about lying? There are few Biblical examples of lying. One of the first is in Exodus 1, where the Israelites were in Egypt, and Pharaoh ordered the Israelite midwives to kill all baby boys. They did not, because they “feared God” (v. 17). Instead, they told Pharaoh the Israelite women were so vigorous, they gave birth before the midwives arrived.
In 1 Kings 13, God sent a “man of God” with a message to the king and instructed him not to turn aside from his journey. On his way back, the man met an old prophet. The prophet lied to the man, telling him an angel told him to come eat with him. The man believed him. Later the Lord condemned the man for not following his instructions exactly.
The story of Rahab in Joshua 2 is another example of deception. Rahab the prostitute sheltered two Israeli spies and lied about it to the king of Jericho. When Jericho was later ransacked, the Israelites spared Rahab and her family. In Hebrews’ famous “faith hall of fame” chapter, she is commended for her act of faith in God.
Another commentator cited an example of deception from the New Testatment. In Luke 24, the resurrected Jesus walked along the road with two of his disciples, who were kept from recognizing him. He asked them about the events of the crucifixion and resurrection, but pretended not to know what happened. He used this as an opportunity to further explain scripture to them. Then, “they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther” (v28). They urged Him to eat with them and eventually they recognized Jesus. He seemed to act one way, in order to teach them something.
In these examples, the followers of God used deception not for their own gain, but to further God’s purposes. They didn’t get anything out of it, which is usually our motivation for lying. Commentator John Piper notes: sometimes, in extreme circumstances, believers in the Bible felt compelled to lie in order to oppose wickedness. One last thing to notice: the Bible never specifically condones the lie; instead, believers are commended for upholding God’s law.
So what would we each do? Though we don’t face the same kinds of persecution, it’s good to think about how we would react ahead of time. What is right? Would we lie to protect another Christian from harm? Would we lie to avoid persecution?
This entry was written by VOM staff member Dory P. and represents her personal analysis and opinion. Your comments are welcome.