Is Lying Ever Justifiable?

Is lying ever justifiable?

It’s a tough question, isn’t it?

If we think about it, lying often comes easily, whether we like to admit it or not.

We sometimes try to soften it by calling it a ‘white lie’ or a ‘half-truth,’ but no matter how we frame it, a lie remains a lie.

Yet, God calls us to be people of truth, even when honesty is difficult.

Proverbs 12:22 says:

The Lord hates those who don’t keep their word, but he delights in those who do.

Proverbs 12:22

Truthfulness shapes our character and brings us closer to Christ.

However, through study, I also realized that the Bible presents complex situations that challenge our strict interpretation of truth-telling.

For example:

Take the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1:15–21.

Pharaoh ordered them to kill all newborn Hebrew boys, but they feared God and refused.

When questioned, they told Pharaoh that Hebrew women gave birth too quickly for them to intervene.

God then blessed them with families of their own, indicating His favor upon them.

Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah:

"When you help the Hebrew women give birth, kill all the boys as soon as they are born. Allow only the baby girls to live."

But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king and allowed the boys to live, too.

"Sir," they told him, "the Hebrew women are very strong. They have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time! They are not slow in giving birth like Egyptian women."

So God blessed the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.

And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

A similar situation occurs in Joshua 2.

Rahab, a woman in Jericho, sheltered Israelite spies and misled her own authorities to protect them.

She had come to believe in God’s power and chose to align herself with His people.

Because of her faith, she and her family were spared when Jericho fell.

So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: "Bring out the men who have come into your house. They are spies sent here to discover the best way to attack us."

Rahab, who had hidden the two men, replied, "The men were here earlier, but I didn't know where they were from.

They left the city at dusk, as the city gates were about to close, and I don't know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them."

(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax.)

What do these examples reveal?

Scripture upholds truthfulness as a standard for God’s people but also recognizes times when protecting innocent lives took priority.

Such as in cases of genocide or saving God’s people.

If faced with a dilemma, such as hiding persecuted individuals from those who seek to harm them, what would you do?

Likewise, if a government official threatened your fellow believers and demanded their whereabouts, would you reveal the truth at their expense?

The Bible provides guidance for both peaceful times and times of conflict, offering general principles while recognizing very rare exceptions.

However, this does not justify lying for selfish gain, pride, or personal benefit.

When lies are used to elevate ourselves, they align with deception, which God’s Word condemns.

Satan himself is called the “father of lies”, and Paul warns that he “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14–15).

Ultimately, we should strive to be faithful and trustworthy.

God’s wisdom and Spirit are the only true guides on our journey of faith.

So, keep living like Christ here on earth.

Maranatha!