“LORD, who shall abide in [T]hy tabernacle? who shall dwell in [T]hy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never me moved.  (Psalm 15)

 

Reader, Is it ever right to lie? Is it every right to deceive someone? Is it ever just to mislead? The patented answer many Christ-ians and Christ-ian leaders would answer, it is never right to lie, it is never right to deceive and it is never justifiable at all.

As I’ve said before, articles like this confirm, it is good that we have not a large ministry or have anyone to speak against us to our hurt. I say that to say this, It is right to lie, it is right to deceive and it is justifiable to mislead others, however I write this with certain qualifications. Is it right to lie in order to save yourself trouble or to get ahead? No. Never.  Is it right to deceive someone to their hurt and your benefit? No.  Is it justified to lie if the ends justify the means and the means profit or benefit you? No. No. No.

Am i contradicting myself or playing with semantics?  No. Not at all.  It has been shown in Scripture, God blesses certain persons who lie. The Israeli midwives lied, Rahab lied and betrayed her people. Jael, in Judges, deceived and mislead Sicera in order to kill him. Ehud used deception and misleadings to kill Eglon. When God sent Samuel to anoint God’s chosen king, David, Samuel said to God, Saul will certainly see what is going on and will stop me, God said, [paraphrasing] You’re right, Samuel. Tell Saul you are going to offer a sacrifice. Reader, was that not misleading and a deception? Absolutely. All of the above were blessed by God for lying, deceiving, and misleading others. Christ mislead his brother when they said He should go and show off His powers.  He said, it wasn’t the right time for that, the brothers left, He put on a cloak and went behind them to the holy day.

However, David was deceptive in his affairs surrounding Bathsheba and her husband. Absolom was an ambicious “me person” and his deception was cloaked in ambition.  Adam and Eve spun a web of misleading deception, making excuses, when God came in the cool of the evening, Annanias and Sapphira mislead the church, Simon the sorceror, wanted the Holy Spirit in order to have power over others. David and Bathsheba lost their child to death or their child was taken and kept safe by God (perspective), Adam and Eve were driven from the garden, Annanias and Sapphira died for their dissimulation. Simon was blinded for his assumption and petulence.

What is the difference? How do we know we are doing right if or when we lie, deceive, and mislead?
*One speaketh the truth in the heart, which God looks upon. What about the mouth? could there be deception in one’s words AND “truth is in his heart. Sometimes if one is to be honest and pure with God, one must mislead and deceive man. When the S.S. came to homes of good Germans, seeking Jews, was not the family right and just when they said, Nope, there are no Jews here when there was? An unjust question does not dignify, deserve or require a just answer. An unjust question deserves an answer that may mislead and deceive, if in the heart of God’s servant, God’s Truth stands.

When is it acceptable to lie? When is it right to deceive? When is it good to mislead? To be true to God, one might perjure one’s self. When the “truth” has a spirit of prejudice, hurt and harm and is twisted to fit this fallen world, it is proper to mislead. One cannot lie, deceive, or mislead in the spirit of self preservation, pride, or ambition. It is never acceptable, excusable, and cannot be, “well, I kinda undertand why…” Never is it acceptable to lie in order to save one’s own flesh. Lying to save the flesh is sowing to the flesh and it shall reap what it has sewn, corruption. However, misleading. deceiving, lying in the name or sake of truth…objective truth, and goodness is sowing to the spirit and God knows and God understands. Again, see Samuel and his sacrifice cover story, the Hebrew mid-wives, and Rahab.

It is a paradox, when one must lie, perjure one’s self, decieve and mislead in order for Truth, Goodness, and Right to stand.

In summary: One cannot lie to preserve one’s self or to get one’s way or to forward an issue, concept, movement, etc. It is right to mislead, deceive, and lie to save truth and other persons. Honesty is not a good policy, honesty would often be self destructive as the Christ-ian must be one who “sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.”

In other words the heart remains pure if one lies and deceives and misleads in the name of objective truth, goodness, and right-ness. It’s all about motivation and intention because that is what God looks at.

Godspeed.