Lying in Christianity: Confessions and Testimonies from Church Fathers and Scholars

In the name of

God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of God and upon all the prophets and messengers, may God’s prayers and peace be upon them all .

In this topic, we will talk about lying in Christianity and the Bible, and we will document our words from the fathers of the church and scholars.

This topic can be used to respond to those who object to the hadith of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him (Lying is not permissible except in three cases).

We begin with God’s blessing

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The Lord will be kind to two liars and

will reward them and not condemn them . ******************************

We find in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 1, Numbers 15:21,

a story about Pharaoh’s two midwives who deliver Hebrew women by order of Pharaoh, where Pharaoh ordered them to kill every male child and keep the female. The two women did not carry out Pharaoh’s orders, and feared God and lied to Pharaoh and told him that the Hebrew women were strong and would give birth before the midwife arrived.

Come, let’s read the story from the Bible, the Book

of Exodus, Chapter

15: And the king of Egypt spoke to the two midwives, saying, 16 And he said, “When the Hebrew women are in labor

and you see them on the birth stools, if it is a son, you may kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt said to them, but they saved the children alive.

18 Then the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the children alive?”

19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; they are strong and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people increased and multiplied greatly.

21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

Notes on the story

1- The book did not consider the midwives’ lie a sin and did not condemn it. Whoever says otherwise should provide evidence that the Lord condemned the midwives’ lie.

1- The Lord did not condemn the midwives, but rather treated them well and described them as fearing God, even though they lied. This is evidence that lying in such cases is not considered a sin and is not condemned.

Interpretations and comments by scholars, commentators, and Christian references

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The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Samuel – Bill T. Arnold:

Take, for example, Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives of Exodus 1:15-21. The Egyptian pharaoh tried to control Israeli population growth by demanding that the midwives in charge of Hebrew births kill the boys, allowing only the girls to live. But because the midwives were God-fearing women, they refused to obey the King and allowed the boys to live as well. When Pharaoh demanded to know why they did not obey him, they simply lied (1:19): 'Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive'. In this case, the midwives were blessed for their actions. God rewarded them with families of their own because they feared him more than the Egyptian king and chose to risk lying rather than kill the newborn Hebrew boys. Likewise Rahab certainly told a lie to the king of Jericho to save the two Israelite spies (Josh. 2:4-6), and New Testament authors unanimously praise her actions as works of faith (Heb. 11:31; James 2:25 ).

When we compare these disparate episodes, a certain biblical ethics begins to emerge, which is supported by our text in 1 Samuel 19. Rather than a monlothic prohibition against all lying and deception, the Bible offers general principle, modified with several exceptions. The general principle is most notably stated in the ninth commandment, which contains a statement against lying in a court of law (Ex. 20:16). Elsewhere the Bible generally disdains all falsehood (Prov. 11:3) and portrays Satan as the 'father of lies' (John 8:44; Eph. 4:25).

But then we have exceptions such as the Hebrew midwives, who chose to embrace the guilt of deception in order to preserve the lives of the newborns. They unselfishly put themselves at risk before the Pharaoh rather than fulfill his gruesome orders.

Jonathan and Michal seem to be in the same category as the Hebrew midwives and Rahab. These biblical characters choose the higher good and are willing to accept the consequences of their choices, even if it puts them at personal risk in order to help an innocent person.

Many Christian scholars through the centuries have agreed. Thomas Aquinas distinguished three classes of lies: Officious lies, or helpful lies of necessity; jocose lies, told in jest; and mischievous lies, or malicious lies told to harm another person or to save face personally. Only the third category constitutes sin in Aquinas's view.

I would agree with Aquinas, but I would also warn that the lie of necessity is only morally justified (even morally required?) under certain circumstances, such as rare situations where it is clear that innocent lives are at stake. In this biblical ethic, lying and deception are wrong and to be avoided. However, the actions of Jonathan and Michal, the Hebrew midwives, and others suggest there are times when believers should choose to accept the guilt of lying in order to accomplish a higher good, as they believe it to be defined by God. Thus, we recognize deception as always bad but sometimes desirable in extenuating circumstances

Translation

For example, Shifra and Puah, the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1:15-21. The Egyptian pharaoh tried to control the growth of the Israelite population by demanding that the midwives in charge of Hebrew births kill the boys, allowing only the girls to live. But because the midwives were God-fearing women, they refused to obey the king and allow the boys to live as well. When Pharaoh demanded to know why they had not obeyed him, they simply lied (1:19): “The Hebrew woman is not like the Egyptian women; she is strong and gives birth before the midwives arrive.” In this case, God blessed the midwives. God rewarded them with their families because they feared Him more than the Egyptian king and chose to risk lying rather than killing the newborn Jewish boys.

When we compare these disparate episodes, the biblical moral begins to emerge, which our text in 1 Samuel 19 supports. Instead of a one-sided prohibition against all lying and deception, the Bible presents a general principle, modified with numerous exceptions. The most notable of the general principles is the ninth commandment, which contains a statement against lying in a court of law (Ex. 20:16). Elsewhere, the Bible generally omits all falsehood (11:3) and portrays Satan as the “father of lies” (John 8:44; Ephesians 4:25).

But we have exceptions, such as the Hebrew midwives, who They chose to embrace the guilt of deception in order to save the lives of their newborns. They put themselves at risk before the Pharaoh rather than carry out his heinous commands.

Jonathan and Michal seem to be in the same category as the Hebrew midwives and Rahab. These biblical characters choose the highest good and are willing to accept the consequences of their choices, even if it puts them at personal risk in order to help the innocent.

Many Christian scholars have agreed through the centuries. Thomas Aquinas distinguished three classes of lies: harmful lies, or lies useful out of necessity; or lies told for fun or amusement, or lies told for amusement. Only the third class is sinful in Aquinas’s view.

I agree with Aquinas, but I also caution that a lie of necessity is only morally justifiable (if even morally required?) under certain circumstances, such as the rare instances where innocent lives are clearly at risk. In this biblical morality, lying and deception are wrong and should be avoided. However, the actions of the Hebrew midwives and others suggest that there are times when believers must choose to accept the guilt of lying in order to achieve a higher good, because they believe it will be defined by God. Thus, we realize that deception is always bad but sometimes desirable in extenuating circumstances.

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Commonly Misunderstood Bible Verses: Clear Explanations for the Difficult passages – Ron Rhodes

…scriptures indicate that under certain circumstances, lying is not condemned . The midwives found themselves in a moral dilemma. Would they obey God's higher law of saving lives or the lesser obligation of submitting to the dictates of Pharaoh? The midwives chose to obey God's higher law. The saving of innocent lives is a higher obligation than obeying and telling the truth to the government. God thus did not hold the midwives responsible for what they did. In fact, the text tells us that God blessed them 'because the midwives feared God' (Exodus 1:21). Their fear of God caused them to obey the high law of saving lives. ]

Translation

The scriptures indicate that under certain circumstances, lying is not condemned. The midwives found themselves in a moral dilemma. Would they obey God’s higher law of saving lives or the lesser obligation of submitting to Pharaoh’s dictates? The midwives chose to obey God’s higher law. Saving the innocent was a higher duty on their part than obeying and telling the truth to the government. Thus, God did not hold the midwives accountable for what they did. In fact, the text tells us that God blessed them “because the midwives feared God” (Exodus 1:21). Their fear of God led them to obey the higher law of saving lives.

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The Bible praises Rahab the lying harlot

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This story is found in the Book of Joshua. The story says in brief that Joshua sent two spies to Jericho to spy. The king of Jericho learned of this and sent to Rahab and said to her, “Bring the spies out from you.” But Rahab lied to the king and said, “I do not know where the men are from.” And when night came, they went out, and I do not know where they went. And she was in fact lying. She hid the spies in her house.

Let us read the story from the Bible, the Book

of Joshua, Chapter 2.

2 Then it was said to the king of Jericho, “Behold, two men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.”

3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out all the land.”

4 So the woman took the men and hid them, saying, “Yes, the men came to me, and I did not know where they were from.

5 And it was about the time the door was shut in the dark that the men came out. I do not know where the men have gone. Quickly pursue them until you overtake them.”

6 But she brought them up onto the roof and hid them among some flax stalks she had laid out on the roof.

7 So the men pursued them along the Jordan road to the fords. As soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the door.

And we also read in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 6

: 22 And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the harlot, and bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.”

23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had, and they brought out all her families, and left them outside the camp of Israel.

24 And they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it; only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of bronze, and the iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwells among the Israelites unto this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho.

We note here that Joshua honored Rahab and rewarded her and took her to live in the midst of Israel because she hid the spies and lied to the king.

We also read from the New Testament,

the Epistle of James, Chapter 2

: 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

Hebrews Chapter 11

31 By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who disobeyed, when she received the spies with peace.

Here is the New Testament praising Rahab the harlot and praising the action she did, which is that she hid the two spies that Joshua sent in her house and lied to the king and deceived him. The New Testament also described this action as faith, and this is clear evidence that lying and deception in such cases are acceptable and there is no problem with it. Whoever objects to our words should tell us where the book condemned Rahab’s lie and why her action was considered faith.

Interpretations and comments of scholars and commentators

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The Bible Answer Book for Students – Hank Hanegraaff

((While the Bible never condones lying for the sake of lying, it does condone lying in order to preserve a higher moral imperative. For example, Rahab purposed to deceive (the lesser moral law) in order to save the lives of two Jewish spies (the higher moral law). In the same way, a Christian father today should not hesitate to lie in order to protect his wife and daughters from being reaped or murdered.

Finally, there is a difference between lying and not telling the truth. This is not merely a matter of semantics; it is a matter of substance. By way of analogy, there is a difference between unjustified and justified homicide. Murder is unjustified homicide and is always wrong. Not every instance of killing a person, however, is murder. Capital punishment and self-defence occasion justified homicide.

Similarly, in the case of a lie (Annanias and Sapphira, Acts) there is an unjustified discrepancy between what you believe and what you say, and so lying is always wrong. But not telling the truth in order to preserve a higher moral law (Rahab, Joshua 2) may well be the right thing to do and thus is not actually a lie))

Translation

... While the Bible never condones lying for the sake of lying, it does condone lying in order to preserve a higher moral imperative. For example, Rahab intended to deceive (the lower moral law) in order to save the lives of two Jewish spies (the higher moral law). In the same way, a Christian father today should not hesitate to lie in order to protect his wife and daughters from being harvested or killed.

Finally, there is a difference between lying and not telling the truth. This is not just a matter of semantics. It is a matter of substance. By analogy, there is a difference between unjustified and justified killing. Murder is unjustified killing and is always wrong. Not all cases of killing someone are murder. The death penalty and self-defense are justified killings.

Likewise, in the case of lying there is an unjustified discrepancy between what you believe and what you say, and so lying is always wrong. But not telling the truth in order to uphold a higher moral law (Rahab, Joshua 2) may be the right thing to do and so is not actually lying

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The Bible Answer Book for Students [Copyright 2007] By Hank Hanegraaff page 162