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Originally Posted by BertMulder  Esteemed Mark, what you are saying does not hold true. Christ did not make exceptions in the sabbath law, but merely clarified it. |
Hi Bert,
As I said in the post above, I agree. I used the word exceptions in the context of the strict reading that might result from only reading one verse in Exodus or Deuteronomy. My point is there
is work that is allowed on the sabbath, whether you consider that an exception or a clarification.
For now, I believe that the same principle applies to the commandment against bearing false witness.
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And nowhere does Scripture commend lying in the case of the midwives and Rahab. Scripture commends their faith, not their action.
To extend that a little further, Jacob lied to Isaac. Was that ok as well?
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For Rahab, scripture specifically commends not just her faith, but her works as well, as James states. Yes, she did well in hiding the spies, but if she had given them up to the men of the city after that would she still have been commended? Faith without works is dead, after all. She did hide the spies, but after that she was confronted by the men of the city. If she did not want to give up the spies, she had a choice, she could refuse to answer, lie or take some other action. The fact is, she chose to lie, and God commended her entire course of action. No, there is not a specific verse praising her for specifically lying, but I do not think it is so easy to try to seperate lying from what she did, as it was a essential part of her successfully hiding the spies.
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Lying to the nazis, as I attempted to illustrate, would serve no good purpose, tempting as it would be at the time. And this whole thread is started on a foolish premise. Situation ethics. The end justifies the means. The BIG lie of the Jesuits, by which the reformed church was ravaged even more than by the Inquisition.
While I have not lived under the nazis, I am second generation. And while I do not have personal experience, I am in a better position to understand their behavior. Much trickery was used regarding this issue, but using a lie, in the first place to save your own skin, is outright condemned in Scripture.
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I actually agree with your comments regarding the use of lying to the nazis. However, I thought the point of this thread was just to use that situation as a launching pad to discuss the issue.
I disagree that the arguments for lying in certain circumstances have been made on situational ethics, or ends justify the means reasoning. Unless you mean it is God saying that the ends justify the means. Lots of scriptures have been given with examples from the bible to prove the point that God allows deception in certain circumstances. There may be disagreement about the verses, but to call his situational ethics in the sense you mean is unfair and ignoring the arguments put forth.