dishonesty, deception, misdirection, whatever you want to call it is the same thing...not being honest, aka, lying.
Anything can be wrong or right depending on the context like eating, drinking, working, sex with your spouse, etc. the heart determines sin.
“The heart determines sin.”
Interesting statement.
Instead of rationalizing whether or not something is forthcoming enough to be true, or not forthcoming enough to be a lie, let’s just keep it simple.
I can provide many testimonies from Scripture that lying is a sin against God period (statements that say God hates a lie, or commanding us not to lie, or commanding us not to bear false witness, etc.).
Can you provide one passage that tells us specifically that it is OK to lie or “bear false witness” if our heart is right?
“So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?”The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.” (Exodus 1:18–21, NASB95)
We’ve already looked at that passage, Deacon.
Do you think that God was good to the midwives because they lied or because they feared God and disobeyed Pharaoh (they disobeyed and saved the children - they lied to Pharaoh when he asked why they did not obey him)?
I understand why it would be appropriate for believers to conceal Jews from the Natzi's in WWII.
I understand the logic in not telling all there is to tell, and in disobeying men in order to obey God.
But we have to be careful to make sure that we are defining terms so as not to contradict Scripture.
You cannot affirm Scripture and say that it is OK to lie if your heart is in the right place.
In the end this is denying Scripture.
Perhaps the term depends on the context...I don't know...but to answer the OP with a resounding "yes! It is OK to lie sometimes" is to deny Scripture.
Me too.
The midwives had a terrible dilemma; tell the King of Egypt that they would not obey him, face his wrath and have someone else kill the baby boys OR deceive him, allow the babies to live and trust that God would honor their decision.
They were motivated to lie by their fear of God (Ex 1:21).
I pray I will never have to make that decision or any other like it
but God often works great wonders in impossible situations.
The late, Corrie ten Boom wrote in her work that she and her older sister let it be known to her family that they would not hesitate to tell a lie to protect the Jews they were hiding
But their other sister, Nollie(who also was hiding Jews and underground workers at her resident in Holland)---let it be known to Corrie and Betsie that she would not LIE if the Gestapo questioned her of the Jews in hiding---that the Lord Jesus would bless with His protection---even when she told the truth
If you read the account given by Corrie----her sister Nollie and Nollie's family had made a secret hideaway underneath the flooring of the kitchen---the hatchway covered by the table and floor rug
Later----the Gestapo indeed raided Nollie's house----Nollie and her family were seated at the kitchen table---the Jews and underground workers were inches underneath the secret door under the kitchen table
The GESTAPO agent asked Nollie---WHERE ARE THE JEWS??
Nollie replies-----Why, they are right under this table!!----then she and her family burst into uncontrollable laughter
The agent begins to fume and fuss----and made the comment----I HAVE NO TIME FOR GAMES AND LAUGHTER, Mrs. Van Verden!!! And with that comment---he quickly turns away and walks outside the house and back into the staff car he rode in and drives away!!!
But couldn't the laughter be seen as a deception---which is a cloaked lie?? Just asking??
You have no doctrine. All you have are Bible stories which you have not proven to be authoritative in the sense that they explicitly allow lying as a righteous act. On the other hand, I have given solid Scripture commandments concerning lying. Care for some actual Bible teaching? (I could give literally dozens more passages.)
Pr 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.
Pr 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
Prov. 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (NOTE: Two of the seven things God hates are types of lies--JoJ).
1 Tim. 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Re 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
How do you know this? How do you know that Jesus simply did not change His mind? That is much more likely than the idea that He lied. You as an opponent of Calvinism should know that God can change His mind.
Even if I agree with you that lying was part of the righteous act (I do not), it's a story, not any kind of mandate. You don't determine doctrine from a story, and all of your examples are simply stories. Give some solid doctrine that it is okay to lie.
So apparently you know the very heart of God (that He did not really want a sacrifice) and the heart of Samuel (that he did not think the sacrifice to be important or special).
Regardless, do you think you can find actual teaching (as opposed to stories, which are for examples) that it is okay to lie? I say that there is no such teaching anywhere in the whole Bible. Where are your passages that say lying is okay?
No, sorry, that is not in the text, 1 Sam. 20. In fact, all Jonathan said was, "Is not the arrow beyond thee?" and that turned out to be a true statement, since in v. 38 it says, "And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows" meaning that Jonathan was correct as to where the arrows were since the boy found them.
Sure, that was a lie. But where does it say in the text that it was okay to lie, that David's lie was righteous? I'll answer. Nowhere!! Nor does it say in any of your other examples that God approved the lie as being righteous.
On a side note, I am not a Calvinist, but I do not see a need for God to change His mind. An omniscient God would get it right the first time. The changing of a mind is for those who do not have perfect knowledge.