It’s pretty safe to say that we have all
sinned by lying before. When was the last time you lied, though, and did not
sin? Is there even such an occasion? An example commonly procured to show a
situation like that is this: you’re hiding Jews and the Nazis knock on your
door asking if you are hiding Jews. Do you lie and save them, or do you tell
the truth and have them taken? In this scenario, I think most of us would agree
that lying is by far the best option available. Yet how can ‘sinning’ via lying
be a just decision? It seems very unlikely that sinning is ever necessary, so
we need to redefine ‘lying’ to include only those times when it is indeed a sin.
Now how about a less extreme example, say, a parent who tells little Johnny
that Fido is living out on a farm where he can be free, when in reality Fido
has just died? This isn’t nearly as life-altering as the previous example, but
there are some similarities. In both situations, there are two options, neither
of which seem particularly good, but it is necessary to choose one. Johnny’s
parents are torn between two evils: should they break down and tell the truth,
which they know will break little Johnny’s heart, or do they rather tell an
untruth about Fido to save Johnny the heartache? Now there are two tasks before
us: we need to redefine lying to only include those times when it is a sin, and
then we need to answer the question: Is it ever right for parents to tell an
untruth to their children, and if so, when?
Let’s start with the ninth commandment:
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”[1]
Some will mistakenly translate this as ‘Thou shalt not lie.’, but this misses
the point. Very important are the words ‘against
your neighbor’. Notice also that the ninth commandment doesn’t say ‘…false
witness to your neighbor’ but rather,
‘…false witness against your
neighbor’. This makes all the difference when looking at the gray-areas of
lying, for it signifies that intent is definitely a factor in determining if a
lie is a sin or not. John Frame has a great definition that I will borrow: “I
would say that a lie is a word or act that intentionally deceives a neighbor in
order to hurt him.”[2]
This is exactly what the ninth commandment is getting at by its lengthy
definition instead of simply saying, ‘Thou shalt not lie’.
To make things easier, let’s divide the
broad topic of lying into three categories. The first is speaking untruths to
enemies, the second, speaking untruths for the purpose of preserving someone
from a calamity, and the third, speaking untruths as jokes. Now let’s go
through each one and apply our updated definition of lying.
Although Jesus greatly expanded the
concept of neighbor, we must not make the assumption that everybody is our
neighbor. When the Nazis show up at your door looking for Jews, they are not
neighbors but enemies, for they are seeking innocent life. This being the case,
it is perfectly fine to bear false witness against them. Also, those who are at
war with you are your enemies. Consider the ambush that the Israelites used to
trick the people of Ai. This was an outright deceit against the residents of
Ai, but since it was during a time of war it was acceptable. This validates
secrecy and even deceit during wartime, and shows that bearing false witness
against your enemies is a legitimate use of ‘lying’.
For our second category, speaking untruths
for the purpose of preserving someone from a calamity, let’s go back to the illustration
of dad and little Johnny. Dad is telling Johnny, his neighbor, an untruth, yet
it is not against him. Dad is trying
to save Johnny from harm, and is telling this untruth for what he believes is
in Johnny’s best interest. Thus, according to our definition of lying, this
isn’t a lie at all. Some may, at this point, begin to reason that with this
definition of lying, the door has been left open for all kinds of untruth
telling. ‘Why, as long as it’s not hurting anyone it must be alright.’ This is
a faulty line of reasoning that I do not endorse at all, and is not founded in
scripture. Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each
one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of
another.” We are still called to uphold the truth in everyday life, and truth
should be the norm.
Similarly, others will swing the pendulum
too far in regards to the clarification I just made. There are many people who
hold Augustine’s view on lying, saying that all forms of untruths, except
jokes, should never be uttered under any circumstances. Augustine does agree
that the Hebrew midwives were approved and rewarded by God, but he goes on to
make this disclaimer. “But it is one thing that is set forth as laudable in
itself, another that in comparison with a worse is preferred.”[3]
What he’s getting at here is that the reason the midwives were approved in what
they did is that they were taking a step in the right direction. Instead of
lying for only nefarious reasons, they had others’ good in mind. Although still
a sin, it was a step in the right direction and that is why they were approved
of. Augustine’s line of reasoning, however, contains some fairly exorbitant
theological maneuvering, which I think does not do scripture justice. The
midwives were approved by God for their actions solely because those actions
were good. Countless lives were saved by their ‘lying’, and the untruths they
told do not even fall under the category of lying by our definition.
On the third category of lying, jokes,
both Augustine and John Frame agree: this is no sin. The reason speaking
untruths through jokes or games is not a sin is because it is expected, and
both parties know what is going on. Thus ‘deceiving’ your opponents in a trick
play to score a goal is perfectly acceptable, and even an untruth for a
practical joke is fine as well. There is a real danger here though that we must
be aware of; practical jokes often denigrate to instances where someone is
harmed. When this occurs, it is no longer a joke and needs to be corrected
swiftly. Proverbs 26:18-19 will shed some light here: “Like a madman who throws
firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I
am only joking!”” When everybody stops having fun, it ceases to be a joke.
Now, the quintessential topic on lying:
Santa Claus. This is an untruth that some parents tell their children, not out
of any desire to protect them, but only for the sheer delight it brings to
themselves. This is not inherently wrong, as we’ve just discussed, but the
question is: does Santa Claus cross the line? Now, no one is immediately hurt
by being made to believe in Santa Claus, indeed, it can be fun at first. The
problem is that there is no good resolution for the end of the joke. More often
than not, it is a young playmate who will break the news to some child, and
then there are a few things that will likely happen: little Johnny may believe
his friend and conclude that his parents lied to him. He may not think of it as
a joke at all, and the faith he has in his parents will be shaken. “If mom and
dad lied about this,” he’ll think, “what else are they lying about?” Or perhaps
he’ll come up to his parents and ask directly if Santa Claus is real or not.
The best way to minimize damage at this point is for them to let little Johnny
know it was all a joke. If they choose not to say this though, the parents will
end up needing to tell him more untruths. Eventually, as we all know, there
will come a time when Johnny knows for certain that Santa Claus does not exist,
and then all the cards are out on the table, with a good chance that he will be
hurt in some fashion.
Now, many will argue that by the time
children come to realize that Santa is all a myth, they will be old enough to
understand that this is a cultural thing that ‘everybody’ does. Thus, they will
not be hurt by the joke and will not hold it against their parents. While this
does sound convincing, we need to realize that there is no way to know if they
will be understanding or not. Will they get it, or will they not? It’s
impossible to know either way, but this we do know: those instances where they
hold a grudge will be far more damaging than the alternative is fun. This is a
dangerous risk to take, and not worth it in long run. Even if merely five
percent of children were adversely affected, it would still be too dangerous a
thing to undertake simply for a little enjoyment on your end. Sinclair Ferguson
wrote wisely that, “The question we need to be asking is not: Is it alright for
me to do this as a Christian? But rather these questions: Is this going to
build up? Is this going to strengthen the fellowship of God’s people? Is this
going to advance my goal of running towards Jesus Christ and glory?”[4]
While the myth of Santa Claus may fall under the category of jokes and thus be
technically lawful, it still poses significant risks that should not be taken
lightly. And frankly, I have a hard time believing that parents who tell their
children about Santa are going to strengthen the fellowship of God’s people.
They may even do just the opposite.
Bearing false witness is not sinful in
itself. There are a handful of instances where it is acceptable to lie, but
these situations should be handled with wisdom and temperance. When it is
determined that telling an untruth is the best course of action, Christians can
do so without any sense of guilt, knowing they are blameless in God’s sight.
Bibliography
Augustine,
“On Lying.” http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1312.htm. Accessed February 24th,
2017.
Ferguson,
Sinclair B., Devoted to God, Edinburgh,
UK: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2016.
Frame,
John M., The Doctrine of the Christian
Life, Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Company, 2008.
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