Is it Ever Okay to Lie?

“In a survey, 75% of the participants admitted to lying between 0 to 2 times daily” (“Lying Statistics & Facts: How Often Do People Lie?”, Cross River Therapy, Steven Zauderer, Aug. 24, 2023).

As the author commented, “That’s a lot of lies!” And it makes you wonder if they were telling the truth during the survey! The author noted that according to other research, “about 60% of people 18 and older are incapable of having a conversation without lying once every ten minutes.”

This survey found that during communication, “7% of it consisted of lying but only 10% were major lies. 90% of the time, the lies were trivial.”

Are lies ever really a trivial matter for a Christian desiring to obey the Bible’s instruction about honesty and lying?

Not according to Revelation 22:14-15: “Blessed are those who do His commandments [including the Ninth one], that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city [the New Jerusalem]. But outside are . . . whoever loves and practices a lie.” Not overcoming this would cause us to miss out on eternal life in the Kingdom!

Is it ever okay to lie?

Titus 1:2 states the plain simple standard: “God, who cannot lie” (emphasis mine throughout). Hebrews 6:18-19 concurs: “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we . . . can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls” (New Living Translation).

Psalm 24:3-4 plainly states the truth about whether there are any exceptions about lying: “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those [who] . . . never tell lies” (NLT; see Proverbs 30:8).

Does the Bible give exceptions?

Some sincerely believe that the Bible has accounts of rare circumstances when it might be the mature, loving action for a Christian to choose to lie.

Rahab hid the spies and lied to the king of Jericho. She did know “where they were from” and “where the men went” (Joshua 2:4-5). Joshua spared her and all her household “because she hid the messengers whom [he] sent to spy out Jericho” (verse 25). God miraculously kept her walls as the only ones that didn’t come tumbling down! She became part of the genealogy of David and Jesus Christ! (Matthew 1:5). Doesn’t all this praise her and reward her for lying?

Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, gives the true foundational reason: “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who do not believe, when she had received the spies with peace” (verse 31). Rahab spoke her belief: “I know that the Lord has given you the land . . . 
for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:9, 11). She recognized that God was displaying His mighty power on behalf of Israel, and she wanted to be a part of it! When God saw her acting on her developing faith by protecting the spies and then boldly asking for protection, He gave Rahab peace in her stressful situation (Philippians 4:7, 9).

United Church of God’s Bible Commentary puts it so clearly: “Some view the Bible’s praise of Rahab as an endorsement of her lying . . . Based on this, they argue that it is okay to lie when it is ‘for a good cause.’ However, that is simply not the case—ever . . . The Nelson Study Bible, in laying out the possible explanations with regard to Rahab’s lying, ends with the one it clearly favors: ‘A lie is a lie, and . . . Rahab’s action was wrong . . . Rahab sinned no matter how noble her intentions . . . The Bible praises Rahab because of her faith in God, not because of her lying. That is, her actions would have been more noble had she protected the spies in some other fashion . . .’ (“In Depth: Lying”).

“Of course, over time, with the help of God’s laws and His Spirit, Rahab surely came to repudiate her former lifestyle. Indeed, she must have to have married a prominent Israelite. [Thus], ‘it is likely that she herself came to view her lie as wrong—and repented of it, as we all must of our own sins’” (ucg.org/learn/bible-commentary/beyond-today-bible-commentary-joshua/joshua-2).

Jeremiah answered as he was commanded by King Zedekiah. After Jeremiah delivered God’s stern warning to King Zedekiah of Judah, the king ordered him not to mention the main purpose of their meeting, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die” (Jeremiah 38:24). The king told him to answer the princes, who would threaten Jeremiah with death if he didn’t tell them, that he had presented his request to not be returned to prison to die. Talk about a deadly dilemma for Jeremiah from both parties! When the princes came, Jeremiah “told them according to all these words that the king had commanded” (verses 26-27).

So did Jeremiah, a righteous prophet, lie by omission? NO! The words he chose to speak were true. Jeremiah had asked the king not to return him to the prison to die (37:20). Jeremiah carefully watched his words as he “followed the king’s instructions, and they left without finding out the truth” (Jeremiah 38:27, NLT). This doesn’t mean he used deception. He just didn’t tell the princes everything he knew.

A modern example

Suppose a Nazi barges into your home demanding “Are you hiding Jews?” Many argue that surely the mature loving thing to do would be to save a life by lying. This has always been a favorite table topic in Spokesman Clubs, sure to elicit varying opinions. But Corrie Ten Boom writes about the time she actually faced this dilemma with real lives on the line, including hers. She answered the guard by sarcastically answering as they passed the dining room table, “Sure, they’re hiding under the table!” Actually they were under the table . . . under the floor!

Saying nothing would probably make a guard assume guilt, especially if accompanied by uneasiness which would be hard to suppress. My best thought ahead of time would be to calmly and pleasantly say only, “Come on in!” But surely this would be a good time to apply the principle of Matthew 10:19-20: “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Silently ask God for what to say truthfully and calmly and ask that He direct the guard’s response.

Does God use deception?

The Lord told a lying spirit to go deceive King Ahab through his prophets. UCG’s Bible Commentary explains: “Remarkably, we get a glimpse . . . of how God actually sometimes uses even demons to fulfill His purposes . . . He simply asked who would do it and told the volunteer to go do what he was inclined to do anyway [“You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.” Micaiah stated, “Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours” (1 Kings 22:22-23).] The fact that Micaiah’s true prophecies were always at odds with those of Ahab’s prophets [1 Kings 22:8] would seem to imply that a ‘lying spirit’ was commonly behind the words of Ahab’s prophets.”

The Bible Reader’s Companion explains: “Did God Himself lie to Ahab? Not at all. He did permit Ahab’s prophets to lie…. [But] God in fact clearly revealed to Ahab the source of his prophets’ predictions, and the truth about what would happen to him in the coming battle” (ucg.org/learn/bible-commentary/beyond-today-bible-commentary-1-kings/1-kings-221-28-and-related).

“Our God . . . does whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3). “He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 4:35).

Of the Ninth Commandment about “not bear false witness,” the Berean Study Bible says, “The Hebrew word for ‘bear’ is ‘anah,’ which can mean to answer, respond, or testify. ‘False witness’ is derived from ‘sheqer,’ meaning deception or lie. This phrase specifically addresses the act of giving false testimony, particularly in a legal context.”

Your Brain Is Wired For Honesty¹

A 2010 study from Columbia University Graduate School of Business “demonstrated that brief periods of dishonesty can spike cortisol levels, the body’s primary stress hormone. Cortisol prepares the body to fight or flee from perceived threats, meaning that when a person lies, their body reacts as though it is bracing for confrontation or escape. The research highlights how lying triggers a measurable physiological stress response, underscoring the body’s innate sensitivity to dishonesty. Honesty decreases stress . . . Over time, stress hormones can tax the cardiovascular system, increase inflammation, and potentially cause migraines.”

In a landmark study published in the journal Neuroimage in 2002, scientists measured participants’ brain activity while asking them to tell the truth or lie. “When the subjects lied, they registered the same brain activity as when telling the truth. However, they also displayed activity in two key regions involved in self-control. People think of the truth first, but in lying, that truth is inhibited. This suggests that being truthful is the baseline cognitive state. Lying requires additional cognitive resources, leading to increased mental strain and potential health implications.”

Networks in the brain, connected to our dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), control our critical thinking and behavior. Our DLPFC resources are limited, and if we expend energy trying to be deceitful, there may be less fuel for problem-solving and creative thinking.”

A 2003 study published in Cerebral Cortex studied how various forms of lying and deception affect neural mechanisms. “The more significant the lie, the greater the toll on your mind and body. Lying demands that you remember the lie’s context, implications, end goal, whom you said it to, and when.” Made-up scenarios significantly activate the DLPFC. 

Honesty is always the best choice.

Sadly, the Cross River Therapy survey found that of all liars, 70% claim to be willing to do it again!

Those of us who want to have the mind of Christ and become perfect like our Father—both Gods who cannot lie—must overcome our human nature, influenced by Satan, that desires to lie and deceive. The devil “has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT).

As we examine ourselves for Passover, we must aim for nothing less than to never lie—never speak a lie and never live one. When resurrected at Christ’s return, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin . . . 
and he cannot sin” (1 John 3:9)!

References

¹ “Your Brain Is Wired For Honesty—and Lying Taxes You,” Robert Backer Ph.D., Makai Allbert, Yuhong Dong M.D., Ph.D., Nov. 1, 2024, updated Dec. 8, 2024, The Epoch Times