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Originally Posted by Pilgrim  From my point of view those who argue that lying may be sometimes justifiable may sometimes appear to have a point, as with the situation contemplated in the OP. But IMO those who give a lot of thought to situations in which lying is justifiable often end up justifying it in cases where it is clearly not. I don't see how coming up with a theology of "godly lying" gets us anywhere but Fletcher's Situation Ethics and moral relativism.  |
Amen! The law is the law. And the law is exceeding broad. And sin is the transgression of the law. Whenever we open doors to excuse sin, we place ourselves in danger of sinning presumptuously.
Sin complicates life. God always sees in black and white, but Satan wants us to believe that we live in some kind of a grey area in between. Yes, sometimes we appear to be in a situation where it looks as if no matter what we do we will sin. But we are also often forced to make a decision in a moment's notice -- not able to complete a detailed theological study. Would I lie to save a life? Perhaps (maybe even probably) I would, but it would still be a lie. That lie would be a sin to be confessed and and forgiven by the blood of Christ.
God never approves of sin, but in His sovereignty He always uses it for his own honour and glory. The wrath of man shall praise Him and the remainder of wrath He will restrain. That must never be used as an excuse to indulge in sin.
How many times have you seen the Lord bless the circumstances of your life even though you have sinned and been unfaithful to Him? Is that not an evidence of His marvelous grace? If it encourages us to sin, then we do not understand His saving and sanctifying grace. We can only stand in awe of His absolute sovereignty and his forbearance with His own blood-bought lambs.
I have actually heard men use the "war" analogy to say "We're at war with Arminians, so we don't owe them the truth" or "We're at war with the government, we don't owe them the truth, so we don't have to be honest on our tax returns or other govt forms." They could well end up being at war with everyone and become chronic liars.
Beware the leaven of sin.