If lying is a sin as clearly established in the Bible, is it therefore ever justified to lie? I had recently embarked upon a most interesting conversation with my wife concerning the issue of justifiable sin. It made us both think long and hard, allowing us to search the inner recesses of our hearts to get to the truth of the matter. Throughout the conversation, a few interesting scenarios presented themselves. Take lying for example, can lying ever be justified with the intent of saving a life, or many lives for that matter? Two examples immediately come to mind. First, Rahab the prostitute, second, Corrie ten Boom.
Rahab was a woman who intentionally and purposefully lied to the pursuers of the two Israelite spies sent from Joshua. She did this in order to prevent them from being captured and so Joshua’s plans would not be thwarted. She hid the two spies in the roof of her home. When the pursuers approached her, she told them that the two spies had left earlier in the day and then proceeded to intentionally misguide them into the wrong direction. Her story is told in further details in Joshua 2. Incredibly, Rahab would later go on to be included into Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. But perhaps the most significant outcome of her obedience and faith in God is that she is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ!
There is another incredible woman who has a similar story. Her story is not told in the Bible...
During World War II and the Nazi holocaust, Corrie Ten Boom was a devout Christian woman who was instrumental in hiding dozens of Jews in her home in order to prevent them from being captured. Numerous times, many Nazi soldiers had entered into her home asking if she were hiding any of these Jews. She consistently and persistently denied she was doing so. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until later that the Jews were eventually captured along with Corrie ten Boom herself and taken to a concentration camp in Auschwitz, Germany. By God’s grace, Corrie survived and would later go on to tell of her most remarkable story in her award winning book entitled, The Hiding Place.
Both of these godly women lied in order to save lives. Were these women guilty of purposely lying and therefore condemned for their sinful actions?
Another scenario surfaced in our conversation. If for instance, some opposing military force attacked and occupied the country in which we live, later establishing a policy in which all children under the age of 2 would be killed. As anticipated, one day a group of enemy soldiers ransack your home, demanding you relinquish any child under the age of 2 over to them. Knowing that you have a 6-month old child, would you hand your baby over or instead choose to hide your baby and deny ever having one? If you choose the latter, would you then be guilty of lying? Is this a case where sin is now justified? Will you suffer any consequences for your decision? My wife interestingly enough concluded that she would be willing to accept the consequences if she chose to lie in order to save our precious baby's life. A decision that I too concurred with.
These scenarios provided for some fruitful and interesting dialogue and debate between husband and wife concerning these issues. The question is simply asked, is sin ever justified? Does the Bible allow for what is known as situational ethics? I personally am led to believe it all comes down to a matter of the heart. You see, God peers into the heart and soul of a man to judge his intentions rather than what might appear as evil on the outside (I Samuel 16:7b, Galatians 2:6b). However, even that statement alone can insurrect an argument as well, because how do we then, as Christians, define what is considered a "good intention" or not and therefore allow us to justifiably decide to do something? “My heart's intent was good, however, I clearly and knowingly violated one of God's standards of living.” Does the grace of God alone (sola gratia) cover this even if we intentionally, knowingly, and purposely sin? Is there ever such a thing as perhaps a good lie or a bad lie? Good stealing or bad stealing? After all, I have heard some say there is such a thing as righteous anger. Or is it all simply construed as sin?
Perhaps sin is no longer a sin if the intention or act is done out of a sincere love or compassion towards another, such as the case of Rahab or Corrie ten Boom. It instead simply becomes an act of love or kindness which is evidence of Christ living in us. My only argument to this is, many people have done things in the name of love, yet clearly defied God’s established standards of living in doing so. For instance, many individuals have chosen to euthanize a loved one to deliver them from a chronic condition, pain, or a poor quality of life - all out of a sincere and genuine, love, and compassion for that person. However, euthanasia clearly violates the very nature of God. Additionally, a father who is unable to work or provide for his family due to a debilitating illness or disease resorts to stealing an apple from a local grocery store so that he can feed and nourish his ailing and malnourished child. His intent was pure, however, he too violated God’s standard of living. Will individuals such as these be condemned, or does God make exceptions to the rule?
How do we better categorize these “acts of love” whose intent is with a pure heart? As previously mentioned, God looks at an individual’s heart rather than what appears on the outside. Ultimately, it all comes down to God’s law versus God’s grace.
The law was a written code allowing us to merely recognize what is or isn’t considered to be sin.
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20).
If one chose to adhere to the law they were then forever bound by the law and were also therefore judged by the law in a very strict manner.
“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.” (Romans 2:12)
Any deviation of obedience to it would often times result in strict punishment and sometimes even death. Instead, the intent and purpose of the law is to show us the way to Christ. It shows us how much we are all in need of Christ in each and every one of our own individual lives. But, not only did He come to give life to all of mankind but to also fulfill the law - a twofold purpose.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."(Matthew 5:17)
And not only has He fulfilled the law but He has delivered us from the wrath of any disobedience from the law. This is called propitiation. It is the removal of God's punishment for sin through the perfect and unblemished sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
"God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." (Romans 3:25)
Concerning the case regarding Rahab and Corrie ten Boom, it is obvious that they were not subject to or judged by the law, for the law certainly would’ve condemned them if they were devoted to living by it.
Many Christians today still choose to live by the law in the form of legalism. They seemingly construe everything as sin, no matter what the intention was. They leave no room for Christ's sacrifice on the cross to factor in and they continuously attempt to divide the Body of Christ over petty and mundane issues. In most part, many Christians choose to live by a much better option. It is called grace - God's grace. This grace is known to us by God through faith in Christ, who for the forgiveness of sins, died on the cross for all who believe.
“But now a righteousness from God apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22)
We can live by this grace that He has so compassionately and lovingly bestowed upon us rather than the law or legalism. We have all been justified by this grace that God has given to us by no merit of our own.
"[All] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)
Grace covers over a multitude of sins. Where sin is great, grace is even greater. God’s grace is far more powerful and rich than the law. When an individual experiences God’s grace, he is able to see and experience God clearly in his or her own life rather than through a set standard of rules and regulations prevalently found throughout the law. Grace truly is God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
Throughout the ministry of Jesus, many times did He test the Pharisees to determine what their heart's intent was. In most cases, their intent was for either their own selfish gain or to entrap Jesus so that they can accuse him of blasphemy in order that they may kill or destroy him. The Pharisees devoutly committed themselves to the strict adherence to the law. They were bound by many rules and regulations without any room in helping others or to allow God's grace to become a factor. One such example is given to us in the book of Matthew.
“Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.” (Matthew 12:9-14)
According to the law, it is unlawful to work on the Sabbath. It is to be a holy day set apart for rest and meditation. It is also one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). According to the Pharisees, Jesus had committed a grave sin. We see here how Jesus defied the Pharisees’ interpretation of the law of God by going outside the established religious boundaries so that He may help someone and restore something that was dead back to life. This act parallels that of Rahab and Corrie ten Boom who both knowingly defied God’s law by helping others instead.
Returning to the original question then, is sin ever justified? The answer is NO. Sin is never justified, but it can be covered by God’s grace and it most certainly can be forgiven. If the intent is with a Christ-like mentality and spirit, perhaps it is no longer sin but it instead becomes an act of God’s grace and mercy that can ONLY be justified not by man, but by God. We must however be careful to not lean or rely upon our own understanding or perception, for it is distorted and easily deceived. We must rather allow the Holy Spirit to continually lead us into fulfilling the will of God. The Holy Spirit will never allow us to sin in order to accomplish God’s will. We must always seek the guidance of the Spirit on a daily basis to see what He has for us to do the best for ourselves and for others and thus accomplish the will of God through His grace.
