Originally posted by Mateo
Thus sayeth The Bob, eh? He might want to consult with Paul before engaging in any further presumption.
Paul wrote in
2nd Thessalonians 2:11 - "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie"
Consider also the following:
1.) Did Elisha sin when he lied in 2nd Kings 6:19? No verse in this chapter says he sinned.
2.) Did David's wife sin when she lied in First Samuel 19:13-14 and 19:17? No verse in this chapter says she sinned.
3.) Did Joshua and his army sin when they lied in Joshua 8:15? No verse in this chapter says they sinned.
4.) Did Rahab sin when she lied in Joshua 2:5? No verse in this chapter says she sinned.
5.) Did the Egyptian midwives sin when they lied in Exodus 1:19? No verse in this chapter says they sinned.
Legalists don't know how to deal with Jesus' words in Mark 2:25-27: "And He said to them, Have you never read what David did, when he had need and was hungry, he, and those with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave to those with him?"
Did David sin here? Jesus says right here in this verse that the showbread was "not lawful to eat". So that settles it. David sinned, right?
NO! In the very next verse Jesus explains, "The sabbath is made for man, and not man for the sabbath." It was perfectly moral for David to break this law in order to prevent both he and his men from going hungry. David wasn't a legalist. Neither was Jesus. Neither am I.
The law is made for man, and not man for the law. Therefore, if it was perfectly moral for David to break the law because he was hungry, then why is it not moral for us to "lie" in order to save lives, both physical and eternal?
Legalism dilly-dallies with the periphera of life while men live and die in terms of crises. Scratch a legalist, and underneath you will find a sanctimonious ostrich with his head in the sand. Legalism hardens the heart and softens the brain.
Yet even MORE verses supporting lying and deceiving the wicked:
1.) I Kings 22:21-23 - "And there came forth a spirit and stood before the LORD and said, I will deceive him. And he said, I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, You shall persuade him and succeed also. Go forth and do so. And now, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you."
2.) Genesis 12:11-13 - "And it happened, when he had come near to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look upon. And it will be when the Egyptians see you, they shall say, This is his wife. And they will kill me, but they will save you alive. I pray you, say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me for your sake. And my soul shall live because of you."
3.) Genesis 26:6,7 - "And Isaac lived in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, She is my sister. For he feared to say, My wife; lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she was beautiful of form."
4.) Genesis 27:19 - "And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau your first-born."
5.) Judges 1:24-26 - "And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him, Please show us the gate into the city, and we will show you mercy. And when he showed them the gate into the city, they struck the city with the edge of the sword."
This man deceived his nation by pretending to be a patriot when, in reality, he was a traitor. This also brings another aspect into the story of Rahab. She not only lied, she also deceived her nation by pretending to be a patriot when, in reality, she was a traitor.
6.) Judges 3:19,21 - "But he himself turned again from the graven images that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret message for you, O, king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. . . . And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly."
7.) Judges 4:18,21 - "And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, Turn in my lord, turn in to me. Do not fear. When he had turned in to her into the tent, she covered him with a rug. . . . Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a peg of the tent and put a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the peg into his temples, and beat it into the ground. For he was fast asleep and weary. So he died."
8.) Ezekiel 14:9 - "And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel."
There it is Mateo. All these verses with opportunities for scripture to point out in just ONE case that these people sinned even though God blessed them. And once again, how many of these lies and/or deceptions does scripture label "sin"?
ZERO!
Coincidence?
Are you suprised? I'm not.
Let the record continue to stand. 100 percent of the time that someone lied or deceived in scripture in order to save the lives of the innocent or the just, that person is never told by scripture that his lie or deception was a sin.
Never. Not once. Zero. Zip. Nada. Doughnut hole.
Learn it. Love it.
Live it.