A Theology of Lying
Ron Swanson, the manly-libertarian from the hit show, Parks and Rec says, “There's only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk, which is water that's lying about being milk.”
But what exactly is “lying?”
Now, that may sound like a silly question; you might be thinking, “Who doesn’t know what lying is?” But as we’ll see, this topic is a bit more complex than you’d expect. Let’s start with the basics:
Lying is a form of deception.
Our old dictionary-writing pal, Webster, defines deception as: “the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid; the act of deceiving.” Lying is just deception in verbal form. It’s saying something in order to cause someone to accept as true what is actually false. When you deceive someone, you may or may not use words. But when you lie to someone, you typically use words.
All lying is deception, but not all deception is technically lying (as we shall soon see). However, these two concepts are intertwined in such a way that we will use them synonymously in this blog. In both cases you are permitting someone to think something that is false. In both cases you are not promoting truth in the minds of others.
But the purpose of this blog is not simply to talk about a definition of lying. We want to walk through a theology of lying, and answer questions like:
Is it a sin to lie?
Is all lying sinful?
Can a Christian glorify God by “lying” in some circumstances?
If that last one sounds crazy, just you wait! But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s direct our attention to what the Bible has to say about lying and deception in general.
Lying in the Bible
We all know that the Bible says that lying is sinful.
Exodus 20:16 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Proverbs 12:22 - Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
But is this always the case? Can Christians ever deceive? Is deception or lying ever allowed in scripture?
You might be tempted to say that all deception (especially lying) is sinful in every case. But that is not what we see in the Bible.
For example, imagine that you are the Old Testament character, Rahab.
You are a prostitute in the city of Jericho - a city that is said to be unconquerable due to its large and well-built walls. You have heard a rumor that the God of a nation called “Israel” has begun destroying other towns, and you fear for your life.
So when Hebrew spies come to scout out your city, you hide them on the roof of your urban apartment so they don’t get caught. When you are asked whether you know where the spies are, not only do you lie, you even make up an elaborate story about how they have already left the city (Josh 2:4-5)!
Because you supported the spies your name will go down in history as someone who followed the God of Israel and made the right decision. The Israelites will even spare you when they destroy your city because you did the right thing (Josh 6:25).
But did you sin by lying?
Or imagine that you are one of the Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exodus 1. You are commanded by one of the most powerful men alive, Pharaoh, to kill the Hebrew baby boys. But, not only do you disobey, when you are asked about it you lie. And, like Rahab, you even make up perhaps the funniest reason in scripture for why you didn’t kill the babies: Because Hebrew women are way better at quickly giving birth than those wimpy Egyptian women.
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” (Exodus 1:19)
That’s quite the tall tale.
But, again, did you sin by lying?
Lying is sinful, which is why it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). But did Rahab and the midwives sin in these particular examples? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Is all deception sinful?
These biblical accounts show ancient examples of a common ethical question which goes something like this:
Imagine that you are a German citizen in 1942 and you’re hiding Jews in your basement. When the Gestapo asks you if you are hiding Jews, what do you say?
You know that purposefully telling Nazis where they can find Jews (so they can kill them) is certainly sinful. But you also know that you are not supposed to lie. Are you required to sin in this case? Is it not sin to tell a falsehood in this situation? What should we think about these tricky cases where it seems like you must sin one way or the other?
If those questions were not tough enough, there are many different types of “deception” that we use all the time. Is a magician sinfully lying when he says that he is not hiding a card behind his back, when he actually is? Are you sinning when you do a “pump fake” in basketball or give fake signs to a runner to steal a base in baseball? Is it a sin if you are an undercover cop and you say, “I’m not a cop?” Is it a sin to make Hitler think that you are going to land troops on a different beach so you can successfully take the beaches of Normandy? Can you tell your kids that Santa exists when he really doesn’t? Can you tell your spouse that you have nothing planned for their birthday because you have a big surprise party underway?
Or, a more fun example, if your wife is wearing something that actually doesn’t look good, and asks you, “how do I look?” what do you say that doesn’t end in divorce?
You must act
Going back to the example of hiding the Jews from the Nazis, there are some people who will say that you should just tell the truth and trust God to be sovereign. The problem with that is, though you avoided the issue of lying, you have actively committed the sin of handing over innocent people to be gassed alive. You cannot play ignorant like you don’t know what the Nazis are going to do. In this example, we don't think that telling the truth is trusting the sovereignty of God; we think that is testing God. We think that is actually sinning. That line of reasoning is the same as when someone doesn't take their dying child to the hospital because they have "faith" or when a man won't protect his family from an intruder and will just "pray" instead. If one is hiding Jews in their basement and they know that the Nazis will kill them they are positively guilty if their truth-telling leads to the death of the Jews. In that moment God has not asked you to put on a façade of spirituality but has asked you to act.
Don’t get us wrong. We want you to have a heart full of faith. We want you to have a heart full of seeking to be holy and righteous. We want you to have a heart that trusts God. But we also want you to know that true faith has legs on it. True faith leads to action. If someone is hungry and you just pray for them instead of actually giving them food you have sinned (James 2:16). To know the right thing to do and not do it is transgression (James 4:17). When your child is sick God wants you to take them to the doctor. When someone tries to shoot up your church God wants you to stop them. And when you are hiding Jews in your basement God wants you to protect them.
Everyone should agree that handing over Jews to be killed is worse than lying. But the question still remains, have you sinned by lying in this way?
Possible Defenses for Lying
Let’s look at the situation of Rahab again. There seem to be three possible options of how we can assess the situation:
Rahab sinned by lying but did not sin by giving up God's people. Therefore she chose the right thing but still needs to repent for lying. Notice that the text never says that it is good that she lied. It only says that it is good that she protected the spies. Rahab is not dealing with one ethical issue but rather with two, distinct ones - lying and giving over God’s servants.
Rahab was only forced into this difficult position because of her sinful decisions up until then. Had she not lived as a pagan prostitute, she would have never been forced into the position of choosing two bad options. So the sin was committed way before the spies even got there. She still shouldn’t hand over the spies, but she is responsible for putting herself in a situation where she would have to sin one way or the other.
Rahab did not sin by lying because "lying" assumes a normal context; protecting God’s servants from being killed (just like protecting Jews in WWII) is not a “normal” context.
We would argue that this third answer is correct.
Every time the Bible gives us commands it gives them in a particular context. When Jesus says that you are to give to everyone who asks of you, that does not include someone who asks you for money to buy cocaine or hire a hitman. Jesus is not trying to address the very rare, sinful exceptions. He means that, normally, if someone needs something from you, you should give it to them.
And likewise, when the Bible says you should not lie, it is talking about 99% of cases. These passages are not necessarily trying to address saving Jews from Nazi death camps in WWII.
Are you saying we can lie as long as it leads to something good?
No. Not at all. We are not utilitarians. We cannot “do evil that good might result” (Rom 3:8).
We are not saying that you can lie if it produces some good thing. You cannot lie to a cop when he pulls you over because you would rather use that money to pay bills instead of a citation. You cannot lie to your spouse if you commit adultery because you do not want to hurt their feelings.
Lying in the case of Rahab or the midwives is NOT to cover up some sin that they have already committed. It is to prevent future sin. Notice that lying to a cop to avoid a ticket means you have already sinned. Notice that lying to your spouse means you have already committed adultery. These facts are really important. The “lies” by Rahab, the midwives, or the people protecting Jews are not to help themselves and not to cover up sinful actions (though their actions were illegal); it is to help others and to prevent sin (the sin of giving over the spies, killing the babies, or handing over the Jews). It is to prevent something future, not to cover up something in the past.
So how do we know when a lie is righteous and when it is sinful? Well, we’ve developed a helpful definition below.
Our definition
Below is a definition that helps us see the difference between sinful deception and righteous deception that we think can be applied universally. It is long, but it is really helpful:
When making an indicative statement one's sentence must always correspond to reality except 1. when the intent of someone seeking information from you is to use that true information to perpetuate sin or unrighteously cause harm to another OR 2. when the social context in which the statement is made is a context where universal truth telling is not expected by both parties such as a magic show, an undercover officer, during wartime, playing a game, etc.
This definition basically says you have to always tell the truth unless doing so equips others to perpetuate sin or unrighteously harm another. It also clarifies that there are “normal” situations (like everyday life) and unique situations where both parties know that universal truth-telling is not expected. There is not a nation on earth that doesn’t know that their opponents in war will try to deceive them. There is not a criminal out there that doesn’t know that undercover cops exist. There is not a person playing basketball that doesn’t know that their opponent will try to fake them out. There is not a person who plays professional poker that doesn’t know that the guy sitting across from him will bluff. In all these circumstances the situations are so radically different from the situation in which the command to not lie is given in the Bible that it is not sinful deception. This does not mean that each side knows that they are being deceived right then. It just means both sides realize that the rules change in very unique situations.
So, with this definition, let’s plug in some situations and see if it stands up to scrutiny:
Rahab is not sinning by lying because she is seeking to protect the lives of the righteous (number 1) and the social context is espionage in wartime and not “normal” life (number 2).
The midwives are not sinning by lying because of number 1. The information that Pharaoh wants is to perpetuate sin or unrighteously case harm.
Lying to protect Jews would not be sin because of both number 1 and number 2 in the formula above.
Doing a pump fake in basketball or “juking” someone in football would not be sinful deception because of number 2. Both sides know that deception, to some degree, is allowed in the context of the game.
Lying to a cop so you don’t have to pay a ticket is not allowed. You are not trying to prevent the cop form unrighteously harming others and the social setting is one of “normal” life. Lying to a cop is a crime and a sin. Remember, our definition says you can lie to prevent another from harming someone. It does not say that you get to walk free from the consequences of your sinful actions.
Thinking it is okay to lie to your spouse when you have cheated on them so you don’t hurt their feelings is sinful because it doesn’t follow exceptions 1 or 2 above. You have already hurt your spouse. Your lie doesn’t prevent them from future cheating, it just tries to cover up the cheating that has already happened. Not to mention that being honest in marriage is “normal” life and is not a situation where both parties know that universal truth-telling is not expected.
Telling your kids about Santa, or the Easter Bunny, is not sin because the context is not really sinfully deceiving them. You are playing a game. It falls under exception 2. The same is true if you plan a surprise party for your friend and then tell them that you are not planning one. This does not address whether or not you should tell your kids about Santa, or the tooth fairy, or the abominable snowman, for that matter. Other considerations go into that decision. Rather, it just means that you are not necessarily sinning if you do.
If someone asked you if you were a Christian and you said “no,” because you wanted to save lives, that would absolutely be wrong. Or, if your lie led to more innocent people getting killed, that would be wrong. Why is that? Because our definition only allows deception to avoid sin and in these two examples your lie actually brings into play murder and blasphemy. To say it another way, we have examples of people in scripture not telling the truth to protect the innocent. But we don’t have anyone in scripture who is commended for denying God, committing adultery, or assaulting children to protect the innocent. You cannot add a third sin to our (already difficult) situations of trying to figure out what to do regarding two potential sins.
A pastoral word
Our biggest fear in writing this blog is that someone will use the very rare exceptions of hiding Jews in your basement as a license to lie in other areas of life. That is sin. The Christian is to be someone who commits to only telling the truth, 100% of the time. If you find yourself lying to pharaoh to protect the lives of babies, then we can talk about it. If you find yourself protecting God’s servants from a sinful pagan nation in the Old Testament, then we can talk about it. But the heart of the Christian should be to emulate God on this point. A God for whom it is “impossible to lie” (Heb 6:18).
In the end our goal should be to seek the greatest possible good. In the situations of Rahab, the midwives, and hiding Jews, the goal is to promote the greatest good. In all these situations we should choose to do what is most righteous which is exactly what Rahab, the midwives, and our hypothetical German citizen chose to do.