Episode Transcript
Worldly society is awfully good a making men into little girls. Strong men who are faithful to their wives, discipline their children, defend their kinsmen, and speak against true injustice threaten the wiles of the devil and power of the worldly system. Part of the enemy’s tactic to strip biblical and sacrificial manhood from our homes is to water down the Law of God or make it out to mean something it does not.
You’ve heard the command, “Though shalt not lie.” Well, that’s not exactly how it is stated in the Decalogue. The Decalogue says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Growing up, then, I always heard that I ought to tell the truth no matter what. Of course, the old World War II question comes to mind. What if I’m hiding Jews? Does this law mean that I cannot wear camouflage? Does it mean women should never wear makeup? Does it mean any form of deception is wrong? By this law, I fear many men have been made into little girls because they are ridiculed for keeping a confidence or dissuaded from doing hard things. For instance, I was watching an episode of “The Flash” with my wife and son. In the episode, Cisco and Katelyn had developed a cure for what they called “metahumans.” They agreed only to give the cure with permission of the one receiving the cure even if that subject was evil and hurting people with his or her metahuman powers. In the same show, Barry Allen (The Flash) is defined as a hero partially because he refuses to take the life of anyone–even someone who is waging war on his city and taking countless lives. This message is part of mainstream ethics, the religion of the media. Don’t lie, and don’t kill. If you don’t do these things, you are a saint. You are better than the bad guys. There is always a way to defeat an enemy without killing or deceiving. The creeping in of this mentality to our own sensibilities as God's people dampens our own ability to do hard things—to make decisions that need to be made. The Bible doesn't offer such cute anecdotes. First, observe the command:
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16).
It does not say, “Do not lie.” This instruction has to do with misrepresenting your own countrymen, your neighbors. Therefore, as Christians, we don’t malign, slander, commit libel, or purger ourselves before a just judge. But, the verse does not tell us never to deceive. Consider other instruction in the Bible.
Leviticus 19:11-12 says, "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.” There is a qualifier, “to one another,” and the word literally means not to break the faith of a kinsmen. So, with those who are your friends, not your enemies, be honest. Don’t promise to do something if you won’t or swear something has happened if it didn’t. We find the same sentiment in Ephesians 4:25 and Colossians 3:9; speak truth with your neighbor.
Proverbs 12:22 reveals that, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.” Lying, here, is the opposite of dealing faithfully—such as being a dishonest business man, charging unfair prices, taking advantage of others, or bearing false witness. In the following verse, Proverbs 12:23, Solomon writes, “A prudent man conceals knowledge, But the heart of fools proclaims folly.” So, lying cannot encompass all forms of concealing knowledge. Sometimes, in order to not live as fools, we must hide what knowledge we have—like the knowledge of a Jew hiding in someone’s attic from the unjust SS. Proverbs 19:9 and 21:6 carry the same sentiment.
In Revelation, the lake of fire is reserved for all “liars” (pseudesin; Revelation 21:8), a word that can just as easily be translated “fakers,” or those who present a false testimony about themselves–pretenders, or hypocrites—which is the way the same word is used in Revelation 22:15, referring to those who practice falsehood or who don't live by the truth having washed their robes.
There are many other verses that deal with practicing falsehood or bearing false witness, but they say essentially the same thing. We cannot say from the corpus of Scripture that all subterfuge is sinful. In fact some, according to the Proverbs, is wise as we conceal knowledge. One thing is for sure, we don’t lie to our friends and kinsmen. We don’t present a false testimony about ourselves or others. Deception, if there is any just form, is for enemies.
Consider Abraham who lied about his wife being his sister so that a potential enemy would not kill him. Abimelech was the one disciplined by God for taking Sarah. Abraham was not disciplined for lying but, instead, received the riches of Abimelech's kingdom (cf. Genesis 20). Consider David, who deceived many people at different times for various purposes and was still called a man after God’s own heart (cf. 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). Consider Rahab, who is actually praised for hiding spies and guarding them against Jericho's finest (cf. Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25)—deceit upon deceit that is actually celebrated in the text. Then, consider Jesus, who told His brothers he would not go to a feast because they were trying to trap Him but went later in secret (John 7:8-10).
Just like we differentiate between just killing and murder, it seems important to differentiate between unjust lying and justified subterfuge. The Bible does not contradict itself, we just make things too complicated. Because we feel some self-righteous need to be more moral than other people, we are duped by the enemy into defeating ourselves and thinking we are better than the bad guys for doing so. Scripture tells us that we are not good. Christ is. He is the one who saves us spiritually and is saving the whole world—not us. We gain nothing by admitting to the man with a gun that we are Christians just to be blown away, and neither does the kingdom of heaven. It is stupidity and pride that leads us to even teach children to die unnecessary deaths for the cause. Sometimes it is necessary for people to become martyrs or go to prison, but to ask children, “Would you stand up for Jesus if a gun was pointed at your head?” is dumb religious indoctrination. Not even Jesus took that kind of bait when it wasn’t the time set aside by the Father. We are not better or more righteous than Jesus. To think we are is blasphemy.
I am not saying that ends justify means. I am not a consequentialist. I am claiming that we ought not think too highly of ourselves. Men, in particular, need to be ready to do hard things. Hide the Jews. Deceive the German SS. Yet, live as faithful brothers to one another. We have no obligation to divulge the truth to those who are evil. Our obligation is to God and our kinsmen. We do not live in falsehood or bear false witness against our neighbors. We also do not have to reject subterfuge as a valid and godly tactic against the enemy or his wicked ones still in the world. When we do sin, we trust that Christ's work on Calvary was full and complete. We rest in His atonement and forgiveness.
Quite a few of the biblical laws are misread and misrepresented like the laws against murder and bearing false witness. Please read what your bibles actually say. You may be incapacitating yourself by adding to it what is not there, you may be piling burdens on and keeping yourself from actually living a holy and just life that benefits others—instead, putting them in spiritual or even physical danger. To God alone be the glory.
Side note for clarity: I am not here speaking as if evangelism, sharing truth with outsiders, is any less important. It is important. We share with wisdom. There are wise ways and unfruitful ways to practice evangelism. We are to be as sly as serpents and innocent as doves (cf. Matthew 10:16).
