Is Lying Always Wrong?
God has choice words for those who perpetually lie. Proverbs 12:22 explains that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. Liars are among those who shall be condemned (Revelation 21:8).
Yet the Old Testament is filled with persons who lied – intentionally deceiving others. The classic example, and one which is often debated is Rahab. Rahab lived in a city a called Jericho which Israel was about to conquer. Rahab has learned of the power of the God of Israel. (Joshua 2:8-10). Israel sends two spies, Rahab hides them, and then lies about it. (Joshua 2:4-7).
Rahab is praised for her faithfulness in hiding the spies. (Hebrews 11:31) She is called an example of those who commit acts of great faith. (James 1:24) She even shows up in the lineage of Jesus. (Matthew 1:5)
It has been argued by some (Lyons, Apologetics Press) that, aside from Jesus, no one was or is perfect. The clear implication of these arguments is that Rahab sinned like all of us sin. The further clear implication is that even though she sinned she can still be praised for faithfulness.
That position can be understood in the context of David being called by God a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). As we know, David was not perfect, and committed multiple sins (2 Samuel 11). However, nowhere do we ever read of David being commended for these acts, but in fact despite them. In clear contrast, Rahab’s praise in Hebrews 11:31 and James 1:24 is inseparable from the lie she committed.
Still, there are those like Lyons, especially natural law theorists like St. Germane Grisez, who contend that lying is always wrong. These people are consistent in their position, arguing for example, that it is wrong to be a double agent for one’s country since it requires one to lie. They do have a point. Putting one’s self in a position to require misrepresentation does degrade the self.
Perhaps a more consistent position revolves around interpretation of the old covenant versus the new covenant. All the examples of lying or intentionally deceiving others happens when God is using these lies to manifest His power in the Old Testament. Under the new covenant there is no more need to manifest His power in this way. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
There also appear to be severe punishments for those who lie under the new covenant. Remember that Rahab was directly lying to those who did not believe in God. Under the new covenant, God is quick to make an example of people like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) who lie to other believers in God and therefore and to God Himself.
Here is our conclusion: God takes lying very seriously. We believe that putting one’s self in a position to lie (including being a double agent) is not something a Christian should ever do. We are not willing to say that lying is always wrong, that is for God to judge. We believe that a Christian in good conscience should seek to never lie – even in the case of “little white lies” like the wife who says, “honey does this dress make me look fat?” or the person on their death bed who asks, “am I going to be okay?”.
Still, we believe, as the example of Rahab proves, the Christian is obligated to put God’s interests first. It is on the Christian’s conscience to interpret that. We should all be so lucky to always get it right like Rahab did. Thanks to God for the grace that will cover us if we happen to act wrongly in good conscience.
What do you think? Compose and post your comments below: